Short Courses & Events / Archive

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

Monday 21st October 2024, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)

Tuesday 22nd October 2024, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)

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.

🏷️ Price £50 (UK VAT inclusive) for both sessions
🎥 Recording automatically sent to all who book (even if you cannot attend live)
▶️ Rewatch as many times as you like
📜 Certificate of attendance available

Leda Scearce

Soprano Leda Scearce has been featured in leading roles with the National Opera Company, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Long Leaf Opera Festival, Triangle Opera...

Sorry, this is an archived short course...

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