What every singing teacher should know about vocal health: Fact-finding and myth-busting (2-part course)

Singing teachers are on the front lines of vocal health.

As vocal athletes, singers are at a higher risk for developing voice disorders. Singing teachers are in an optimal position to educate students about vocal health. Informed, evidence-based education can help prevent students from developing voice problems. However, spreading misinformation can perpetual vocal health myths and possibly contribute to developing voice problems and/or delaying appropriate voice care.

As expert monitors of sound, singing teachers are also often the first to identify a possible voice problem in a student. Knowing the signs of a voice disorder and making appropriate referrals is another way that singing teachers make significant contributions to vocal health.

With this role comes great responsibility: it is incumbent on the teacher to make sure the vocal health information they are passing on to their students is accurate and up-to-date, and not based merely on hearsay or opinion. Singing teachers can play a major role in dispelling common myths and misinformation about vocal health.

This workshop will cover a number of topics related to vocal health education including:

• What the singing teacher should know about voice anatomy, physiology, and the basics of voice disorders.
• Vocal hygiene
• Medical factors and the voice including upper respiratory infections, pulmonary conditions, allergies, laryngopharyngeal reflux, long COVID, musculoskeletal injuries, temporomandibular joint disorder, and others.
• Optimizing efficiency of the speaking voice
• Vocal pacing:
  • Balancing voice rest and vocal conditioning
  • When to recommend complete voice rest
• The singing teacher’s role in identification of dysphonia and making appropriate referrals to the vocal health team.
  • Ending the “blame game”: abolishing the concept of “vocal abuse”
  • Working with singers who have or have had a voice injury
• Common vocal health myths and how to dispel them

Dates and times

Part 1: Monday 21st October 2024 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm UK time.

Part 2: Tuesday 22nd October 2024 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm UK time.