What Every Singing Teacher Should Know About Vocal Health: Fact-finding and Myth-busting (Part 2)
Tuesday 12th March 2024, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
Singing teachers are on the frontlines 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 perpetuate 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 can 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 disorder (TMD), 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
Full course dates and times:
Thursday 7th March 2024 (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM UK time)
Tuesday 12th March 2024 (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM UK time)
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...
We have plenty of upcoming short courses coming soon. See details of some of them below or look at the full list of short courses.
Tuesday 30th July 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
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This course will detail the historical roots of gender inequity and bias in sound perception research, contrast that against present day research methods, and explore cutting-edge research that highlights the many roles that gender may play in sound perception, as well as in singing, and why those roles may impact research outcomes.
Thursday 1st August 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
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Exercises and stretches for the singer/performer can easily be found online, many of which seem to conflict with or contradict others. Does this dilemma make one model wrong or another model better? Join me as we unpack these and other issues.
Tuesday 6th August 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Habilitation for the Aging Avocational Singer
Dann Mitton
Join us to enhance your skills as a voice teacher and make a meaningful impact on the lives of aging singers. Equip yourself with the expertise to support their vocal journey and ensure they continue to enjoy singing with confidence and joy.