Your Body Breathes! The Relationship Between The Body, Breathing And The Voice
Thursday 27th April 2023, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
We all know that singing is deeply connected to our breathing and we all understand that good singing involves deliberate use of the breath, but there are many opinions on how these things intermingle. How does one know which is best or even which is useful?
We will look at the anatomy of the torso – including the ribs, the lungs and the alignment of the spine and we will examine the muscles of the ribcage (intercostals), the abdominals to understand how they function.
Beyond that, we must investigate the vocal fold movement involved in various kinds of singing because the vocal folds control the airflow and their action has a direct impact on how air is used and how we feel it in exhalation, in sighing and in singing – all different activities. And we will do them to see how that works.
Each body is unique. Everyone experiences their body in their own way. How can breathing be the same, under all circumstances and in all activities for everyone? Hint: it can’t! We will take a look at body types, physical conditioning and typical kinesthetic use in sports, dance and in daily activities. What do YOU experience?
All of this matters to those of us who teach or sing. Let’s investigate breathing and the body together!
Jeanie LoVetri
Jeannette LoVetri is a singing voice specialist in New York City who began teaching in 1971. She has taught throughout the USA, Europe, Australia...
Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.
Learn MoreSorry, 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 17th February 2026
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
(London Time)
Simultaneous Singing and Dancing in Musical Theatre: A Cross-Disciplinary Evidence Review
Debbie Winter
Dr Claire Thomas
This short course invites participants to critically examine the latest cross-disciplinary evidence on the physical and vocal demands of musical theatre performance. Drawing on a comprehensive literature review conducted by Debbie Winter and Claire Thomas (Voice Study Centre, University of Essex), the course explores research from voice science, dance medicine, sports science, and performance pedagogy.
Thursday 19th February 2026
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
(London Time)
It’s not a virus! Reconceptualizing and De-pathologizing Music Performance Anxiety
Rebecca Herman
Performance Anxiety is one of the most widespread and debilitating challenges facing musicians across all ages, nationalities and musical genres. Despite decades of research and the development of numerous interventions, we do not yet have an established way of supporting performers experiencing performance anxiety. Aimed at performers, teachers, researchers and students, this presentation will first summarise the current state of play in performance anxiety research, before exploring alternative ways to think about performance anxiety, drawing on new research outside of performance psychology...
Thursday 19th February 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 26th February 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)
Performing Pain: Vocal Health in Emotional Roles!
Louisa Morgan
How connected are acted emotions to our real-life emotions? Are they expressed differently? Do they feel different in the body? This 2-part course with Louisa Morgan looks at the potential impact of acted emotion on vocal health, why we should consider it as voice practitioners, and how to care for our performers needing to work with it.