Events

Viewed through the eyes of cognitive and social psychology, this session is designed to offer educators, performance professionals and interested individuals an opportunity to explore how the internal and external experiences of a performer may contribute to the development and awareness of performance anxiety. The purpose of the webinar is to consider the performer outside of performance contexts to gain further insight via a ‘whole person’ perspective on their experiences.

Mel is a singer, songwriter, and vocal coach specialising in contemporary commercial music. As a vocal coach, in addition to her private practice, Mel works as a lecturer in vocal performance with BIMM London, as a senior vocal coach at the Sing Space, and has provided lectures on performance anxiety/psychology in performing artists for The Voice Study Centre (formally The Voice Workshop) in the UK.

Mel’s qualifications include an undergraduate honours degree in Creative Musicianship (vocals) and an MSc in Psychology. Presently, Mel is undertaking doctoral research with University College London where she is investigating the implications of music performance anxiety on the wellbeing of contemporary singers. 

As a performer, Mel has performed as a vocalist and pianist for projects across various genres including musical theatre, jazz, world music, rock, and pop. She is currently developing material for several projects primarily within the alternative pop/rock genre.

Performance Anxiety: the personal and social influences

Andrew will present at-home exercises that you can use to reduce swelling in the vocal folds (or anywhere in the body.) Here are some of the things you will learn:—Where are the best places in the body to “prime the lymphatic pump”—Why left vs. right matters A LOT with swelling—What is THE best lower-body exercise to fix swollen cords—How rib reflexes can de-swell a specific area of vocal anatomy—A quick flow through the most important lymphatic areas in the face and neck

—Did you know your BRAIN has lymph in it? Learn how to clear it.

Part 2: Brain-based drills for the jaw, tongue, and neck

Looking for some new ways to free up key areas for singers? Join Andrew for a tour through some brain-based drills to reduce tension:—The easiest jaw reflex that never seems to be taught in schools—Why stretch reflexes can be your best friend—A dead-simple neck assessment that takes 30 seconds and will give you a ton of info—How your visual focus affects your jaw and neck tension—Why tongue isometrics can be an amazing studio tool—One tongue skill that MANY people can’t do but will change things dramatically.

 is a voice teacher, vocal coach, composer, performer and music director. He is the creator of 

a training program that applies functional neuroscience and athletic training to the voice studio. Andrew was twice named one of the “Favorite Vocal Coaches” in NYC Backstage Reader’s Choice Awards and is also a frequent contributor to their 

De-swell the vocal cords and exercises for the tongue, jaw and throat

Movement as an assessment is a way of seeing if, during voice trouble of any kind, elements of the body have been subscribed to sustaining the problem. For example, when someone’s voice is causing them trouble it can trigger extra sub-glottal pressure IE pushing. That pushing can become habitual, so that even if their voice could work better in the future, it won’t because it’s being pushed. In order to quickly assess that and bring about change we can use the arms in certain ways, because they affect the ribcage and the ribcage is part of pushing. In my own teaching, movement becomes part of every session because singers have all kinds of unhelpful physical situations that can be rooted out, instantly changing their voice.

Hi, I’m Chris Johnson and I’m a vocal coach. 

Through my coaching work I’m pleased to say that major label artists, West End leads, backing vocalists, singer/songwriters and vocal coaches all put their trust in me to take good care of their instruments.

I thoroughly enjoy the work I do with singing teachers all over the world through 

. Through our course we help practising coaches to up-skill, navigate the overwhelming amount of pedagogical options, and develop their own coaching acumen to a high level. I have been invited to present my approach to voice and acoustics to the Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA), Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing (ANATS), Vocology In Practice, The Voice Study Centre and the British Voice Association (BVA).  In compliment to coaching, I have trained in laryngeal manual therapies and studied extensively with researchers in vocal acoustics, physical and somatic therapy, and laryngology. Through my popular podcast, The Naked Vocalist, I have also had the opportunity to connect and share with many progressive voice researchers and pedagogues. So far, we have had over 430,000 downloads (and counting!).

Movement as Assessment: Let the body tell you what to do

Having worked with thousands of performers over the years, Line has come to realise that great talent, great technique, great teaching, hard work and recovery potential count for nothing if the individual lacks the self-belief, confidence or motivation. Being overcome with anxiety, self-doubt and worry will also hamper a singer’s progress.

In this presentation, Line will delve into the origins of limiting beliefs, and how they impact the singer, their voice, health and performance. She will then introduce you to ways you can help a singer unravel the mindset obstacles that hold them, their health and their talent back.

Highly respected in the performing arts world, Line Hilton is a voice, performance and resilience coach. Her mission is to help people find their voice and build the confidence needed to explore their full potential so they can thrive, both at work and in life. 

Working with successful recording artists and singers who tour the world singing for a profession has given Line a unique insight into what it takes to develop and maintain a high and healthy level of performance, creativity and mindset. 

In addition to her private practice, Line is a BAPAM Educational Trainer on the multi-disciplinary team of Voice Care Centre, an Advisor for Vocology in Practice and a regular industry and HE guest speaker and teacher on the topics of mindset, resilience and voice care. 

Line Hilton MSc PAM, B. MusEd (Jazz) Cl. Hyp, Wraw Master Practitioner.

It All Starts With Mindset!

The teacher-student paradigm has remained unchanged for centuries: singers are trained in the studio based primarily on the auditory information received by the instructor. The vocal output can yield a wealth of information on technical efficiency, musicality, and health. Although visual cues regarding body posture, jaw position, tongue action, etc. can be informative, the successful read-out is primarily based on the sound produced.

 is also known that auditory feedback is a fairly unreliable source of information for the singer themselves. Teachers often ask singers ‘“not to listen” and instead focus their attention onto kinesthetic signals to facilitate learning of motor tasks in addition to interpretive gestures. Although auditory information is received by the singer, such attention can take them out of the moment and shift focus from the task at hand. This has been a handicap for singers, since truly ‘hearing’ oneself can be an unreliable feedback mechanism, which is especially limiting when left alone to practice.

This issue also leads to misdiagnosis of pitch-matching issues or why a singer is flat or sharp: most problems aren’t a result of how a singer ‘hears’, but rather, how the brain executes a pitch target. A deeper understanding of the neuroscience of singing can give insight and pedagogical tools to a singer struggling with pitch. 

Neuroscience of sound processing combined with acoustic knowledge about the voice has opened the door to a wealth of new possibilities to enhance the current landscape of a traditional voice lesson. Through an understanding of hearing, filtered listening, visual biofeedback, and other kinesthetic associations, the teacher and student now have a much bigger toolbox to extract strategies and conclusions.

This talk will discuss the science behind these ideas as well as offer practical pedagogical tools to refine the idea of ‘listening’ to a voice and how the brain processes singing.

, is a San Francisco Bay Area performer, educator, and scientist. Noted for her “

) has performed both in the United States and abroad. A champion of new music, she frequently collaborates with renowned living composers including Daron Hagen, David Conte, Tarik O’Regan, Henry Mollicone, Jake Heggie, and her husband, Kurt Erickson. 

Heidi has also garnered recognition in major vocal competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Liederkranz Awards, and the MacAllister Awards. 

In addition to her musical life, Heidi graduated with a double biology and music degree from Oberlin and a masters in biochemistry with an emphasis on neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. She studied telomeres at Rockefeller University and has several publications, including a landmark paper in the journal 

This was a revolutionary discovery showing that the ends of DNA are looped and it was featured in the 

. Her interest in voice science came from her work in the lab of the late Richard Miller at Oberlin. In 2007, a rare cranial nerve injury sidelined her singing career, and was warned she may not ever perform again. Using her own scientific research and strategies, particularly in how speech and singing is processed in the brain, she rehabilitated to return to the art she loves. She has applied these concepts and designed a novel pedagogy to train singers of all levels, including those with hearing impairment, neuro-divergent backgrounds, and physical disabilities. 

She is a firm believer of the voice as a palette, and embraces all genres as vocal possibilities. In addition to classical singers, has worked with Hindustani singers, electronic music, musical theater, pop, and latin music. She is currently the scientific advisor for Srijan Deshpande, who is researching the acoustics, perception, and motor learning for Indian Classical musicians. 

In addition to a private studio, Heidi teaches vocal physiology at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has been an invited speaker at the NATS National Conference, The Pacific Voice Conference, Cleveland Institute of Music, Peabody Conservatory, University of Oregon, Vocal ProcessUK, Vocology In Practice, and NerdNiteSF. Her courses on Singing in the Brain have been featured at the VoiceWorkshop UK, SingSpace, Vocal Health Network, and beyond. In 2020 she was also featured as a keynote speaker for the British Voice Association Conference alongside Johan Sundberg. She has been interviewed for numerous podcasts including The Mindful Voice, The Naked Vocalist, NATSChat, and VocalFry. Her writings have appeared in International journals and her article on librettist Sarah Ruhl was featured in October of 2021 in the 

 . Starting in September, she will be a regular contributor for the 

 in a featured column called “Minding the Gap: connecting research from neuroscience to vocal pedagogy.” She is the wife of composer/pianist Kurt Erickson, winner of the 2021 NATS Art Song Prize, and they proudly parent 4 children together.

"Do you hear what I hear?": the neuroscience of hearing, perception, and acoustics for singers

Degrees of supraglottic activity may be influenced by several independent variables that commonly change during regular voice production (e.g. level of loudness, pitch, and phonatory task).

Previous studies have evaluated specific variables that may affect the degree of supraglottic tissue displacement in professional voice users.

This course is designed to provide information about the variables that influence supraglottic activity in singing and why this activity should not be necessarily considered as a sign of vocal hyperfunction.

Dr. Guzman is a voice pathologist with twenty years of clinical and academic experience. He received his Ph.D. in Vocology from the Tampere University, Finland. He also holds a certification in vocology from the University of Iowa and National Center for Voice and Speech (USA). Dr. Guzman joined the faculty at the Universidad de los Andes, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2018 following a 15-year academic career at the University of Chile. He also works as a clinician in the Department of Otolaryngology, Las Condes Clinic, Chile. Moreover, He joined the Tampere University (Finland) as Adjunct Professor in 2018. 

Dr. Guzman was recently invited to join the faculty at the Summer Vocology 2022 (University of Utah, USA). Additionally, Marco Guzman participates as guest lecturer at the Master of Clinical Vocology at the University of Bologna (Italy). 

Dr. Guzman is an active researcher and author of numerous scientific articles and book chapters related to the underling physiology of semi-occluded vocal tract exercises, physiologic voice therapy, and supraglottic constrictions during singing and speaking voice. Dr. Guzman is a frequent speaker and lecturer at national and international meetings on topics related to the assessment and management of voice disorders. 

He belongs to the editorial board of the Journal of Voice and to the Pan American Vocology association (PAVA) Advisory Board.

Supraglottic Tension: Open or Closed Throat?

This interactive lecture and question/answer session will center on the research process and findings of the book 

Training Contemporary Commercial Singers 

(Compton, 2020). The author will share insights to the development process and what it was like to collaborate with 26 highly accomplished pedagogues and contributors. This book is the first to identify and synthesize “trends” within the field of popular singing voice pedagogy, and we will discuss key findings. Course participants are invited to ask questions and engage in dialogue regarding the research process and results.

Dr. Elizabeth Ann Benson is recognized as a dynamic scholar, pedagogue, and performer. Her book, 

is hailed as “a remarkable and long-awaited contribution to the world of voice pedagogy” (

and regularly presents at conferences for The Voice Foundation, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Music Theatre Educators’ Alliance, and the Association for Popular Music Education.

She is an Associate Professor of Music Theatre Voice at Auburn University (USA), where she teaches applied voice for music theatre majors. She is the founder and owner of Benson Music Studios, specializing in voice training for musical theatre, popular, and contemporary singers and teachers.

She specializes in vocal function, with stylistic applications spanning from opera to musical theatre to rock. She has trained in numerous methodologies including Somatic Voicework™, the LoVetri Method, Soul Ingredients® Method, Rock the Audition with Sheri Sanders, and Scream with Melissa Cross.

A versatile singer herself, career highlights include opera (Carnegie Hall), musical theatre (Symphony Center, Chicago), and rock (The Hard Rock Café, Atlanta). 

Trends in Teaching CCM Singing

In this Webinar, you'll learn how ACC/ACT can be used to treat MPA, and how singing teachers can make use of it within their practice. Several exercises aiming to improve key ACT processes will be included, such as mindfulness, acceptance, and cognitive diffusion. Attendees will also learn how to detect problematic cases of MPA and how to navigate ethical hurdles that arise when doing this type of work.

Thus far, treatments for music performance anxiety (MPA) have focused primarily on interventions administered by psychologists and mental health clinicians with training and education in psychotherapy. While these interventions are promising or even efficacious, many musicians prefer not to work with a psychotherapist due to stigma and lack of time/access. Student musicians are particularly vulnerable to developing MPA, and while they may prefer consulting with their teachers about MPA over psychotherapists, many teachers feel unqualified to help.

Newer research conducted at the Voice Study Centre, UK, has demonstrated that non-clinical professionals like singing teachers can achieve similar outcomes in treating student and professional musicians with MPA as those achieved by a clinical psychologist with expertise in treating MPA (e.g., Mahony, Juncos, & Winter, 2022; Shaw, Juncos, & Winter, 2020). In each of these studies, the teachers received a brief training in Acceptance and Commitment Coaching (ACC), a non-clinical version of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). As a clinical psychotherapy, ACT is efficacious in treating Social Anxiety Disorder, of which MPA is an example, and as a non-clinical intervention, ACT is efficacious in enhancing performance with athletes, students, and at the work-place.

, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist, author, & performance coach based in Philadelphia, PA. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from La Salle University in 2015.

He has over 17 years’ experience in treating a variety of clinical problems, including anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders. He specializes in the treatment of music performance anxiety (MPA) and has presented internationally on his research in using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to treat MPA and enhance music performance.

He is on faculty with the Voice Study Centre, a UK-based provider of postgraduate study in Voice Pedagogy and Performance Coaching for Performing Artists. There he provides lectures and tutorials on MPA, ACT, Motivational Interviewing, achieving peak performance, and statistics/research design, and he trains music teachers in ACT coaching to help them manage students’ MPA and other performance-related problems.

He recently co-authored his first book, entitled 

ACT for Musicians: A Guide for Using Acceptance and Commitment Training to Enhance Performance, Overcome Performance Anxiety, and Improve Well-Being. He

 is an amateur songwriter and has performed both as a solo artist and in bands throughout the Philadelphia area as a vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist.

Treating Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) with Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT)

In this webinar we will find out more about the particular vocal health issues that affect children; there are ones that are just part of the ups and downs of their lives, and there are those that we need to pay more attention to. There will be some reference to growth and development, but we will also consider their wider environment, choice of repertoire, and their personalities and goals.

Dr Jenevora Williams is a leading exponent in the field of vocal health and singing teaching. She was the first singing teacher to be awarded a PhD in voice science in the UK, and won the 2010 BVA Van Lawrence Prize for her outstanding contribution to voice research. Her book, Teaching Singing to Children and Young Adults, has been enormously popular with singing teachers throughout the world. She now runs Vocal Health Education and Evolving Voice, training the first generation of Voice Rehabilitation Specialists worldwide.

Looking after Children’s Voices: Vocal health and efficiency in a complex world

Join Andrew Byrne for a tour through what is arguably the most important nerve for singers to understand, the vagus nerve. Beyond the vagus’ function in controlling the larynx, there are many other incredible ways to interact with the vagus that can be harnessed for maximum vocal control.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in the course:

a training program that applies functional neuroscience and athletic training to the voice studio. Andrew was twice named one of the “Favorite Vocal Coaches” in NYC Backstage Reader’s Choice Awards and is also a frequent contributor to their experts' column.

A Tour Through the Vagus Nerve

This Webinar will explain why approaching vocal function and efficiency through voice acoustics is an especially productive point of entry. It will lay the foundational principles of effective studio instruction based upon our innate programming for voice. It will continue with reliable studio strategies for negotiating the various transitions (passaggi) of range, using the acoustics of vowel construction and perception.

Professor Emeritus of Music, taught at Lawrence University for 42 years where he chaired the voice department and from which he received two awards for excellence in teaching. He holds performance degrees from Baylor University and the University of Arizona and studied at the Conservatory of Music in Munich. He was awarded the 

by the Voice Foundation in 1994, is the chair of the editorial board of the 

and was inducted into the American Academy of Teachers of Singing in 2019. His writings on acoustic voice pedagogy include the books, 

Practical Vocal Acoustics: Pedagogic Applications for Teachers and Singers, 

Kinesthetic Voice Pedagogy 2: Motivating Acoustic Efficiency, 

Bozeman’s students have sung with Houston Grand, Boston Lyric, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Dresden Opera, San Francisco, New York City, the Metropolitan, Chicago Lyric, and Santa Fe Opera. 

Vowel Acoustics: Practical Application Strategies

When a singer becomes ill, the stakes can be high, and medical management by a laryngologist isn’t always a realistic option. This predicament leaves many questions without obvious answers. How can a singer know if it is reasonable to proceed with performance during an unwelcomed upper respiratory illness or other issue impacting voice production? Are there strategies to promote safer performance in the setting of mild illness? What can be done to optimize vocal efficiency during and after a performance? This presentation will provide a general framework for singers and teachers highlighting some practical strategies and guard rails to help navigate the predicament that every singer finds themselves in at some point in their singing groups.

- Marci is a singer, speech pathologist and clinical singing voice specialist, as well as a published vocal pedagogy researcher. She has worked clinically for almost 20 years at The University of Michigan, Vocal Health Center specializing in the rehabilitation of injured voices. Additionally, she serves as the on-site vocal health consultant to the Department of Musical Theatre at the University of Michigan. Marci teaches workshops and lectures nationally and internationally on vocal health and wellness, managing vocal injuries in the vocal athlete, and application of kinesiology principals to voice therapy and singing voice rehabilitation.

To Sing or Not to Sing? The performer's guide to managing illness and performance demands

I would love to share with you the benefits of being a voice teacher and performer combined. This course will cover my teaching studio policies, successes, failures and all the aspects of what has made my teaching studio successful.

We will also cover how to become a session singer, what type of demo you need, how to choose your repertoire, how to get your foot in the door and what is required to be one of the first call musicians in your area.

Then we'll put it all together and show how I navigated doing both successfully and provide you with a structure so that you may also not only teach what you know but be able to enjoy singing as a working musician.

As one of LA's first call session vocalists for 25 years, Gerald White can be heard in over 200 film and television projects from Frozen to GLEE, X-men and Avatar. His studio experience is matched by live singing appearances with industry greats such as Hans Zimmer, Adele, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake and for events like The Academy Awards and Game of Thrones Live. He has provided vocals on albums for artists like Whitney Houston to Paul McCartney. Gerald holds an MA and BA in jazz and commercial music, chairs the Singer Committee at SAG-AFTRA and is certified at the Institute for Vocal Advancement, where he runs a private vocal studio in Santa Monica, CA. His expertise as a session singer, artist and voice teacher is what undergirds his ear as a producer. Gerald’s deep passion lies in bolstering his students to sing with freedom as they too realize their dreams.

Managing A Successful Career As Both A Voice Teacher & Performer

One of the many myths about teaching singing to children is that it is unsafe to give formal voice lessons or teach any form of vocal technique to young children. Interested and eager pre-pubescent singers are often redirected to other disciplines before starting formal private singing lessons - and yet they will sing regardless! This can lead to the development of misuse and poor vocal habits early on, which can be avoided. Many teachers may not be aware of the unique characteristics of the young singer, as technical concepts for this age group are not typically addressed in formal education training. This workshop will cover the essential structural components of the pre-pubescent vocal mechanism and the unique ways to address the physical and mental aspects of teaching singing techniques to young children, ideal for those who work with children in the music studio, choir, or classroom.

After cultivating techniques as a singer, performer, and music educator, Dana Lentini created Born 2 Sing Kids to nurture the development of young singers through a systematic yet customized approach. Through various forms of mentorship, she helps teachers learn about the unique differences in teaching singing to children and how to build their own successful studios. Dana has been sought after as a presenter for the National Association of Teachers of Singing and for universities and professional music organizations. Her consulting and courses on teaching children in the private studio are offered through her website at 

Dana's book, Teaching the Child Singer: Pediatric Pedagogy for Ages 5-13, is available from Hal Leonard Publishing. Her new and unique spiral approach to repertoire development can be found in her Kids’ Singing Songbook series, to be released by Hal Leonard in fall 2022.

Teaching Singing Techniques to Children

Exploring tools to encourage your students to discover their most authentic Acting Through Song.

Witness immediate transformations in performance connection and truthful storytelling.

Learn practical techniques to help your students best explore the character they are portraying within the musical theatre genre.

Webinar topics will include Truthful Acting, The Power of the Imagination and Combining Acting Choices with Musicality, all through both discussion and practical demonstration.

This will enhance both your studio teaching and personal performance.

Savannah has sustained a very successful career as an actress, predominantly in musical theatre since graduation from Guildford School of Acting in 2004. She is best known for starring as Glinda in the London production of Wicked. A role she played for 3 years and at over 1,000 performances.

Her West End career has seen her working alongside some of the worlds leading industry directors and professionals including Sir Trevor Nunn, Joe Mantello, Stephen Oremus and Bartlet Sher.

With over 15 years of masterclasses, workshop facilitation and teaching experience in some of the UK’s top drama conservatoires, universities and individual private coaching practice, she prides herself on fostering a nurturing and encouraging environment. She feels genuine excitement at witnessing special moments of connection and the often instantaneous improvement during working sessions.

Other theatre credits include: Marmee in Little Women at The Park Theatre, Guenevere in Camelot at the London Palladium, Sybil Evers in Chariots of Fire at the Gielgud Theatre and the original cast of Mary Poppins, Prince Edward Theatre. Her television and film appearances include London Kills (BBC), Emmerdale (ITV), My Dinner with Hervé (HBO), Holby City (BBC), Doctors (BBC) and Grace Notes (Kaleidoscope Pictures).

Tools/Application for Acting the Song

The cast of characters inside of your head walks out on stage with you every time you perform. The Critic. The Imposter. The Performer. The Talent Manager. The Protector.

And then, behind the scenes there are the younger parts carrying the memories of past performance breakdowns, embarrassment, and even traumas. When they show up, so do your emotions. “This is too hard. I’m failing. Run for your life!”

In this webinar, you will be introduced to a framework that will help you understand and work with your entire cast of characters. It’s time to learn how to befriend the imposter, calm down the critic, empower the talent manager, and liberate the performer!

For decades Dr. Jon Skidmore, Psy.D. He has helped performers from around the world to find freedom on stage and in life. He believes that the path to peak performance starts between the ears, not in the practice room. He is a performance psychologist, singer, educator and author. He has taught the psychology of music performance at the Brigham Young University School of Music for over 30 years and has a private psychological practice in Orem, Utah.

Imposter Syndrome; Who Me?

Join W. Stephen Smith as he shares his method for improving vocal technique, which includes not only technical aspects but also psychological and spiritual elements of learning to sing. The Naked Voice presents six simple and elegant exercises that form the core of Smith's method, providing a foundation for free singing.

 joined the voice faculty at Northwestern University in 2011 after 13 years at The Juilliard School. He was on the voice faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and School from 1996 to 2018 Mr. Smith's book, 

The Naked Voice: A Wholistic Approach to Singing,

 was published by Oxford University Press in 2007. His voice students have performed leading roles in most of the major opera houses and concert halls around the world. Mr. Smith was on the staff of Houston Grand Opera as Voice Instructor for the Houston Opera Studio from 1990 to 2003. He has taught at Santa Fe Opera, Opera on the Avalon, Curtis Institute of Music, Teachers College of Columbia University, University of Southern California, Los Angeles Young Artist Program, and the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Program.  He has given master classes and clinics throughout the United States and has been a guest lecturer at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil, at Yonsei University in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and at the Music Academies of Poznan, Krakow, and Wroclaw in Poland. 

Mr. Smith, a baritone, has performed has over forty roles in opera and musical theater including eight title roles.  Possessing talents in addition to voice teaching and singing, Mr. Smith has stage-directed twenty-one different productions and served as musical director/conductor for several.  Also an accomplished pianist and clarinetist, Smith is married to the former Carol Christine Mannen, a pianist and vocal coach.  They have two daughters and two grandchildren.

The Naked Voice: A Wholistic Approach to Singing

This two-part presentation will begin with a brief overview of Evidence-Based Voice Pedagogy (EBVP) with the main focus being application through a systematic approach to voice teaching.

 published an article by Kari Ragan in 2018 outlining a framework for Efficient Breath-Based Voice Production (EBVP) that includes three components: Voice Research, Voice Teacher Expertise and Experience, and Student Goals and Perspectives. This workshop will present the framework and how it can be used in voice teaching.

A Systematic Approach to Voice: The Art of Studio Application

, published by Plural Publishing in 2020, offers a systematic approach to teaching voice based on scientific principles. The book provides a template for diagnosing vocal challenges and designing vocal exercises for efficient singing in classical and contemporary genres. This workshop will demonstrate how to use the template and effective tools.

Singer, author, and voice pedagogue, Kari Ragan holds degrees from the University of Washington (DMA), and Indiana University (MM, BM). In 2012, Dr. Ragan was the recipient of the prestigious Van. L. Lawrence Award. This prestigious award, presented jointly by The Voice Foundation and the National Association of Teachers of Singing, afforded her the opportunity to research cool-down physiology for singers. Dr. Ragan was also the recipient of the NATS Foundation Pedagogy Award (2009), earned the NYSTA Distinguished Voice Professional Certificate (2009), the Wicklund Singing Voice Specialist Certificate (2010), and was selected to be a Master Teacher for the NATS Intern Program (2021). 

As a singing voice rehabilitation specialist (SVS), Dr. Ragan works in affiliation with the University of Washington Laryngology program to help rehabilitate singers with injured voices. She has maintained a thriving Independent Voice Studio for nearly forty years and served on the voice faculty at the University of Washington teaching Applied Voice, Voice Pedagogy, and more. 

Dr. Ragan serves as the NATS Advancement Committee Chair and on the NATS/Rowman & Littlefield Editorial Board, and is the moderator of NATS Chats, a national monthly webinar. 

She is the co-founder and organizer of the Northwest Voice: Art and Science of the Performing Voice Conference, a multi-disciplinary meeting held annually in Seattle, Washington. Plural Publishing released her book A Systematic Approach to Voice: The Art of Studio Application in 2020.

A Systematic Approach to Singing

We cannot understand how to teach without understanding how we learn. Discover the science behind effective teaching. Dr. Maxfield reveals groundbreaking insights on how humans learn and how to apply the research to the teaching of singing. Explore attention, feedback, motivation, and emotion through motor learning and cognitive psychology to level-up your teaching practices!

 is the Director of the Utah Center for Vocology and Associate Professor at the University of Utah’s School of Music. He teaches graduate level voice pedagogy courses and voice lessons, and directs the Summer Vocology Institute. Dr. Maxfield also coaches vocalists at the University of Utah Voice Disorders Center, working with the medical speech team to help professional voice users return to full vocal activities. He researches the acoustics and biomechanics of voice production, habilitative approaches to voice training, and the intersection of art and health.

Level-Up Your Teaching: Applying Cognitive and Motor Learning Science

Join us for an engaging and thought-provoking webinar that delves into the fascinating connection between singing and health. Discover the surprising paradox of clinical studies showing health improvements from singing in community settings, while professional singers often face mental health challenges. This webinar invites you to explore new perspectives on arts and health, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of this complex relationship.

Dr. George Musgrave is a Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London. His research focuses on mental health and wellbeing in the music industry. He co-led the 'Can Music Make You Sick?' research project on the links between anxiety/depression and precarious work, which became a best-selling book. His work led to the establishment of the first 24/7 mental health helpline for musicians, Music Minds Matter. His research has been featured in media outlets such as BBC News, Pitchfork, and GQ, and has informed the development of global therapeutic and public health interventions.

Music and Wellbeing vs. Musician’s Wellbeing

Accomplished choral conductors often have intense pedagogical beliefs. These firmly-held beliefs, however, are often at odds with one another. Fortunately, there is a growing research base in choral and vocal acoustics that can inform teacher-conductors in the classroom and the concert hall. Join us as we discuss the research findings of choral and vocal acoustics and then explore a series of practical, evidence-based techniques that will help teacher-conductors evoke efficient singing and improved choral sound.

, is Associate Professor and area head of music education at the University of Iowa, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate choral pedagogy, music education, and research courses. He also coordinates and conducts the UI Youth Chorale, a high school outreach choir. He previously held the same position at the University of Arizona. Dr. Manternach’s research interests include choral conducting gesture and singer efficiency, choral and vocal acoustics, adolescent vocal development, and teacher voice use. He currently serves on the editorial board on the 

 and is a member of NAfME, ACDA, PAVA, and the VoiceCare Network.

Applying Acoustic Principles and Evidence-Based Practices to Group Singing

Join renowned vocal coach Bob Marks in an online webinar designed to help singers excel in auditions and performances. Learn how to prepare effectively, build confidence, select the right music, handle accompanists, maintain vocal health, and more. Explore topics such as lyrics, age and gender considerations, music cuts, and avoiding common song choices. Engage in discussions and get personalized feedback.

Enroll now to unlock the secrets to successful auditions!

Robert (“Bob") Marks is a voice teacher, coach, conductor, author, and director. He holds a degree in speech and voice pathology and gives workshops, Master Classes, and seminars internationally. His articles have appeared in several publications, including the internationally recognized “Journal of Singing.”

He has coached cast members of almost every current Broadway musical, and former students have included Laura Bell Bundy, Kerry Butler, Debbie Gibson, Ariana Grande, Lea Michele, Britney Spears, and Ashley Tisdale.

He was a pianist with the Broadway and national companies of the hit musical Annie, and spent two seasons as the Associate Conductor of the St. Louis Muny Opera.