Voiceskills - courses

Professional Voice Coach

Details to follow.

The British Association for Performing Arts Medicine - BAPAM

Details to follow.

The Performing Voice Rehabilitation Clinic - PVRC

Details to follow.

Performance

Details to follow.

Booking information

Please see our Questions and Answers page for details.

The Classical Voice

Dates	~~Saturday, 18 September 2010~~ Fully Booked ~~Saturday, 15 January 2011~~ Fully Booked ~~Saturday, 16 April 2011~~ Fully Booked
Time	10am-5pm
Venue	The Lady Chapel St Peter's Church Kennington Lane SE11 5HY (map)
Tube/rail	Vauxhall station two minutes walk
Price	£92 per session

Schedule

10.00-11.15	Introduction to the course; vocal warm up
	Break
11.30-1.00	Workshop (breath, effort, placement)
	Lunch
2.00-3.15	Workshop (performance, interpretation, stylistics); masterclass
	Break
3.30-5.00	Masterclass, summing up

Course content

The morning session will deal with the practicalities of classical singing, including:

Technical areas of concern
Breathing and posture
Musculoskeletal considerations
Widening of the pharynx
Palatal tension and control
Mechanics of articulation and onset
Levels of effort

This helps to create an informed group dynamic so that everyone feels confident to try out new things during the afternoon performances in which the following effects will be discussed and investigated:

Interpretation and historical period
Projecting the character
Extended technique (if applicable)
Performance anxiety
Venue, fatigue, lifestyle, vocal health etc.

The main focus for the afternoon though will be on your individual performance. You are strongly encouraged to experiment with your own thoughts of performance and interpretation during this time - aiming to strengthen your commitment and emotional connection to the music and text. We expect this part of the day to be exciting, rewarding and very enjoyable. We also hope that all participants will contribute to each other's learning throughout the day with constructive comments and appraisal.

The Musical Theatre Voice

Dates	~~Sunday, 10 October 2010~~ Fully Booked ~~Sunday, 23 January 2011~~ Fully Booked ~~Sunday, 10 April 2011~~ Fully Booked
Time	10am-5pm
Venue	The Concert Artistes' Association 20 Bedford Street London WC2E 9HP (map)
Tube/rail	Leicester Square, Charing Cross
Price	£92 per session

Schedule

10.00-11.15	Introduction to the course; vocal warm up
	Break
11.30-1.00	Workshop (effort, speak-singing, twangy-belt, useful non-laryngeal muscles)
	Lunch
2.00-3.15	Workshop (performance, interpretation, acting); masterclass
	Break
3.30-5.00	Masterclass, summing up

Course content

The morning session will warm you up with exercises to improve your awareness of the practicalities of musical theatre singing. We will look at:

Technical areas of concern
Muscle recruitment for supporting the breath
Appropriate effort and tension
Widening and constricting the vocal tract
Attack and onset
Technical approaches to various vocal styles

Often this type of singing relies heavily on the narrative with expectation on the performer to stay true to the integrity of the text. Therefore we aim to explore:

Speech into song
Physicality of sound / voice
Expressivity - the good, the bad and the ugly
Sustaining line and meaning simultaneously

The focus for the afternoon will be on your individual performance, interpretation possibilities for your voice, characterization and perhaps some consideration of how to approach accent, different ages of a character and extreme, emotional vocal states. You will work on how to act through the music and, taking inspiration from some of Sir Trevor Nunn's preparation exercises, strive to bring extra depth to your pieces. Though we will not have time to discuss them fully (most needing a workshop of their own), we will also consider how a variety of factors can have a significant impact on your voice:

Vocal hygiene
Lifestyle
Diet & hydration
Medications
Mental state

We hope to be able to spend some time discussing questions that may arise. You will be strongly encouraged to experiment with your own ideas of performance and interpretation which we hope will make the day exciting, fun and rewarding. Self awareness and positive involvement in the group dynamic should make this a memorable day.