Topic METHODS

AMBERG-SCHNEEWEIS Susanne

born Brezina, 5.1.1945, Neuberg an der Mürz Tel .: +43 1 407 66 78, mobile: +43 688 8322 322, E-mail: s.amberg.schneeweis@gmx.at

1963: Start of private singing studies
1971 - 1976: Vienna Conservatory (today MUK) LIED - ORATORY – OPERA, stage experience already during my studies
1977 - 1978: management of a private kindergarten in Lower Austria
1979 - 1981: management of a music institute in Vienna
from 1981: piece contracts Vienna, tours in Germany, Holland, Switzerland
from 1984: own recitals, so far 41
since 1986: freelance work as a teacher, seminars, courses, lectures, Intensive training in the area of breath-body + voice in Geras, Goldegg, Graz, Salzburg, Vienna Summer courses at the Pedagogical Institute of the City of Vienna
since 1989: lecturer at Viennese adult education centers (Vienna West, Vienna Ottakring, Vienna Alsergrund, art adult education center)
Since 1990: own studio for voice and body training
2010 - 2016: lecturer at the Sunrise Studios Conservatory

From the experience of my own artistic and educational work, I developed the echo point method EP+® – a simple method for efficient and effective breathing and voice work, for grasping and using the naturally given unity of body, soul and spirit.

Publications:

1989, ⁵2006: "Voice training + speech training through conscious breathing" („Stimmbildung + Sprecherziehung durch bewusstes Atmen“)
1996: "Paths to Balance" (Wege zur Balance)
2006: "Singing makes you happy" (Singen macht glücklich)
2012: Double CD “Via voice to mood. From the practice of ability to the theory of knowledge" (Über die Stimme zur Stimmung. Aus der Praxis des Könnens in die Theorie des Wissens)
2018: "The Art of Dancing Singing - A Path to Human Compassion and Artistry – A case for EP+^® – The quality of learning and teaching

The subtitle “A Path to Human Compassion and Artistry. The quality of learning and teaching“ already says a lot about the holistic approach of the new 4-volume book by the author, who herein summarizes her more than 50 years of occupation with vocal and artistic expression. In the 4 areas of “feeling”, “doing”, “knowing” and “believing”, she bases her pedagogy on the knowledge of well-known psychologists, scientists, writers, artists and therapists. It's about developing body and self-confidence as well as a love of art and people through working (on and) with the voice. This collection of loving instructions and reflections can show teachers and students the way to a happy life in connection with body, mind and spirit. (agmö M. Koch)

Recognizing voice problems and solving them effectively with the Echopoint-method EP+^®

EP+^® offers constructive ways for achieving balance through a holistic understanding of the interrelations between.

Statics + dynamics consonance + resonance rhythm + melody rituals + symbols

Finding (back) to unity and harmony in the mastery and intentionality of centering and right measure.

Motto: "Every child is an artist! The problem is remaining an artist as you grow up!"

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
BREATH - BODY + VOICE: From practice - for practice: Sound is an expression of power and strength.

EP+^® is a precise and efficient physio-psycho-teaching method with therapeutic qualities, which leads to professionalism in speaking, singing, dancing and playing.

EP+^® enables students to become aware of the interrelated physiological and psychological conditions of human life in a constructive, effective as well as precise and efficient manner.

EP+^® helps people on all the necessary levels to free themselves in a natural way in order to find themselves.

EP+^® acts as a rescue program immediately to support deep breathing, relaxation, centering and well-being for people who are active in the performative arts and anybody who are interested in them.

Each student has her/his own inborn abilities. The teaching method raises these abilities to awareness in such a way that the students’ vitality, the basis of his/her skills, is not only maintained but can be fully developed. If a certain method weakens or disturbs this vitality the joy of learning will be lost. The basis for all learning is the universal ability of any organism to adapt – medium and long term– to its environment and the respective conditions. Good technique protects the natural endowment.

The problems in human development and in the formation of awareness arise from the disruption or prevention of the inherently related reflexive patterns of body movement and breathing. The recovery of these natural patterns is the healing process that achieves equivalence in the polarity between the physical-psychological sphere and the mental-spiritual sphere.

EP+^® supports teachers in conveying their own knowledge and skills in such a way that students learn to achieve control – GRIP +VIEW – and find their own way – TWIST – to become successful.

Singing and dancing is what is most natural in human history because it is the base of the life-sustaining fundamental law that regulates the interrelations between movement and breathing. Educating and teaching of these skills must - if it is to be effective - build on these principles of reflexivity.

ANDURI Graham

TBA

Sing For Your Lives!

The Sing For Your Lives! workshop seeks to inspire people to sing with Presence, encouraging them to communicate their message with Intention, while infusing a profound sense of Purpose in their singing. In other words, we aim to improve voices, transform lives, and better the world!

Singing has myriad benefits aside from mere entertainment. Its influence is deeper than we realize. Sing For Your Lives! empowers its participants by providing them with the information to support their intuitive feelings about the power of singing, while also giving them the experiential wisdom that comes from embodying new ways of approaching their voices.

The Sing For Your Lives! workshop posits that the act of singing has the power to transform the lives of individuals, serve as a catalyst for positive social change, and improve global human connectivity. A combination of experiential wisdom and scientific research provides a framework for elucidating new perspectives on singing, teaching, and living. By synthesizing data from recent findings in voice science, neurology, cardio-energetics, physiology, cymatics, quantum physics, quantum physics, and psychology, this workshop offers a truly holistic approach to singing that engages body, mind, and soul.

The workshop's holistic approach to the singer is predicated on two major notions: the first is that lessons in vocal pedagogy often double as life lessons. "Relinquish Control to Gain Control," "Connection Over Perfection," and "Let Your Voice Be Heard," are just a few that we discuss during the workshop as avenues for transforming one's worldview. The second premise is the scientific justification for increased feelings of wellness and connectedness that singers and audiences have always experienced. Proper alignment, breath management, laryngeal release, and unimpeded resonance have physiological implications far beyond efficient vocal technique. The health of our neurological, endocrine, musculo-skeletal, circulatory, and cardio-pulminary systems are all deirectly effected by the physical actions undertaken while singing. Perhaps even more fascinating are scientific findings that support the anecdotal accounts of feelings of connection and energy exchange between performers and their audiences. These findings would suggest that singing is much more than mere entertainment. Rather, we sing to save the world!

ARNOLD Elizabeth, ARNOLD Ben

Soprano Elizabeth Packard ARNOLD frequently performs as a soloist in recitals and oratorios throughout the United States, emphasizing early music and the Lieder of Franz Liszt.

In 2018, Dr. Arnold became certified in Koru Mindfulness (http://korumindfulness.org). She has received invitations to lecture at distinguished young artist programs such as Music Academy of the West and the Kennedy Center for the Arts, including the Washington National Opera Institute and the National Symphony Orchestra. Moreover, she has had invited presentations at regional and national conferences through National Association of Singing, College Music Society and the Presbyterian Association of Musicians as well as the Kentucky and Florida Music Educators Association conferences and musicians with Memphis Symphony, Memphis, TN. In August 2022, she is an invited master teacher at the Voice, Body, Mind Institute at the University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music, Cincinnati, OH.

Professor Arnold received a D.M.A. in vocal performance from the Cincinnati—College Conservatory of Music She is an Associate Professor of Voice at the University of Kentucky.

Ben ARNOLD, a musicology professor at the University of Kentucky, specializes in the music of Franz Liszt and the topic of music and war. He is author of Music and War and editor of The Liszt Companion (Greenwood). As a pianist Arnold frequently performs with his wife, soprano Elizabeth Packard Arnold, performing at national American Liszt festivals and in Weimar, Germany for the bicentennial of Liszt’s birth (2011).

Dr. Arnold is a Koru Mindfulness certified teacher (http://korumindfulness.org) and has taught numerous mindfulness courses and sessions to students, staff, and faculty at UK. He has also taught Koru sessions devoted to musicians to members of the Memphis Symphony in 2020 and enjoys sharing these mindfulness practices with performing musicians.

Singing as Meditation: Mindfulness in the Voice Studio

his presentation encourages voice teachers to integrate mindful practices intoT their vocal studio to better prepare students for lessons, practice, rehearsals, performances, auditions, competitions, and other vocal activities. In addition, the discussion will offer skills and breathing practices to connect body, mind, and spirt on each occasion of the breath within the music to recognize the sacredness of space through rests, preludes, postludes, etc. Drawing attention to the breath as an “anchor” in a breathing meditation, we emphasize a connection between breathing as a primary function for singing and a meditation practice.

Fostering the skill of mindfulness and other practices of mental focus are as crucial to the development of singers and performers as are the training of the body and the vocal mechanism because of the increasing number of students experiencing anxiety, depression, and other cognitive dysfunction. These disorders often color perceptions of their vocal instrument and studies of it. Therefore, mindfulness and meditation skills are necessary components to enhance technique, communication, and artistry as well as to develop the “complete” singer.

This session offers mindfulness skillsets, meditations, and other techniques for vocal study based on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s description of mindfulness: to “pay attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” (Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever you Go There you Are, 1994, 4.) In addition, a discussion of mindfulness principles regarding intention, attention, and attitude outlined by Shana Shapiro will provide guidance for the planning of individual goals and preparations such as practice sessions, lessons, recitals, auditions (Shapiro, et. al. Masters of Mindfulness: Transforming Your Mind and Body. The Great Courses, 2018, 3-5.)

The presenters are Koru-certified teachers, a mindfulness program developed for emerging adults. Elizabeth presents mindfulness for singers and choral directors at regional and national conferences and as a component of young artist programs. She employs mindfulness in her voice studio and has created a Health and Wellness Program for the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts. Elizabeth will lead the discussion, and Ben will teach the meditations.

ASPELMEIER Tanya

Tanya Aspelmeier is working between the poles of Breath-Body-Voice. She studied singing in the solo classes of Lied, oratorio and opera at the College of Music and Performing Arts in Hamburg, Germany and works since over 20 years successfully as a freelance soprano all over the world. She sang at the Hamburgische Staatsoper, Teatro Real Madrid, Teatro Arriagata Bilbao, Oper Bonn, Theater Bremen f.e. and on many international festivals in Europe,Asia, Australia and South America under famous conductors as Thomas Hengelbrock, Ivor Bolton, Philippe Herreweghe, Konrad Junghänel, Philippe Pierlot, Gustav Leonhard and more.

2012-2018 she was educated as a breathing therapist at the „Ilse-Middendorf-Institut“ for the Perceptible Breath in Berlin.

As singing teacher she taught more than 10 years at the College of Music and Perfoming Arts Bremen, Conservatory and College of Music and Performing Arts Hamburg, before in 2018 she was appointed on a chair of singing in the Antonio-Salieri-Institut at the University of Music Vienna, Austria.

Tanya Aspelmeier integrates the work with the Perceptible Breath as an imotrant element in her singing method and continues her education by co-operation with teachers as Margreet Honig (Amsterdam) and Paul Triepels ( Paris, Basel).

She gives masterclasses for string players ( f.e.Balthasar-Neumann-Akademie) and for singers ( f.e. Chorakademie Lübeck) and instrumental and singing teachers ( f.e.Landesmusikakademie Hamburg). In 2018 and 2021 she was a staff member of the Margreet-Honig-Summer-Academy in Schloss Weinberg, Austria, where she worked within a teaching team with 18 young, talented singers from around Europe.

The experience of the perceptible breath based on "Ilse Middendorf"

For us singer it is as necessary as sometimes quite challenging to work on our individual breath usage; even more it is to work on this subject with our students.

In this workshop I want to give an idea of one of many possibilities to work on the singers breath based on the methode „the Perceptible Breath“ by Ilse Middendorf.

In easy exercises we connect ourselves with our natural breathing rhythm, we strengthen our breath and work on finding a permeable singing posture to support our voice in the best way possible.

Important musical parameter as Timbre, Range, Phrasing a.m. are influenced by this basis, as well as a healthy way of singing. Moreover the work on the breath develops resilience and helps us to reduce stress what means that it can be a very helpful tool in the singers work against stage fright and for better concentration during lessons or rehearsals.

The work of Ilse Middendorf in his base and secondary in his use during singing lessons shall be presented and experienced in this taster course in which I invite you all to participate activly. Comfortable clothes and socks would be favourable.

BLADES Elizabeth

Elizabeth Blades holds both Doctor of Musical Arts and Masters of Music Degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. She is currently a Visiting Professor of Music at Alfred University, Alfred, NY. Previous appointments were as Adjunct Associate Professor of Voice at Shenandoah University Conservatory in Winchester, VA; Heidelberg University (Tiffin, OH) where she served as Associate Professor of Music, Coordinator of Vocal Studies and Director of Opera and; as a Visiting Professor of Music at Nazareth College, Rochester, NY.

She is the author of A Spectrum of Voices: Prominent American Voice Teachers Discuss the Teaching of Singing (2018) as well as coauthor (with Samuel Nelson) of Singing With Your Whole Self: A singer’s guide to Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement (2018). Dr. Blades presents national and international workshops to advance understanding of the impact Feldenkrais Method and movement work can have for performance enhancement.

Dr. Blades is an active soprano experienced in many forms of voice performance: opera, oratorio, music theater, recital and folk/Celtic. She is a Certified CoreSinging(tm) Teacher and is the Founder/Director of Harmony House Music Studio in Hornell, NY, USA

Performing With Your Whole Self: Integrating body, mind, and emotion for optimal experience in singing

An interactive, experiential workshop submitted by Elizabeth Blades, DMA

Every committed voice teacher’s intent is to guide the student to a free, beautiful sound and to develop that voice until it is consistently accessible and expressive. While vocal performance pedagogy has profited from technological advances in the area of voice science (enhanced understanding in the biomechanics and acoustics of singing), a more holistic approach – a balance of mind, body and feelings, aka “spirit” - is gaining respect and acceptance.

Much of what is now accepted as “body-mind-somatic awareness” evolved from sports psychology and medicine, particularly for elite athletes at the top of their sport, such as those in the Olympics.

Singers are also athletes, many at the “elite” level; others are in the early stage of training. Regardless, singing is our “sport” and training the mind-body connection is now recognized as an integral part of achieving excellence.

This workshop offers a brief exploration of how your mind affects your body, your body the brain, and how the whole brilliant system affects your musical performance. Representative modalities include those I have taught in courses at Shenandoah University (Winchester, Virginia, USA), at professional conferences and in my independent voice studio instruction: Meditation, Yoga, Myofascial Release, Qi Gong, Kinesthetic Imagination, Emotional Freedom Technique and, Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement work.

CABLE Jennifer

Dr. Jennifer Cable is a Professor of Music at the University of Richmond (USA) where she coordinates the Vocal Studies Program. Her current research considers the role of women amateur musicians on early twentieth-century American arts culture, and the positive impact of Traditional Chinese Medicine pillar Qigong on freeing the voice. Upcoming publications include a chapter on Mary Carlisle Howe and Adella Prentiss Hughes for The Routledge Handbook of Women’s Work in Music (ed. Rhiannon Mathias). A Qigong instructor, Jennifer has shared Qigong in classes and conferences in the US and abroad, introducing other musicians to this mindful practice. Jennifer is also a certified teacher for the Koru Mindfulness Program and is involved in campus outreach centered on mindfulness and meditation.

Introducing Movement and Embodied Meditation into the Classroom and Applied Studio

Our world has been engulfed by stress, anxiety, and worry as we, individually and collectively, navigate life during a pandemic that continues to impact us each and every day. Our families, our work, our finances, our homes, our health and our well-being have felt the repercussions of the pandemic as we have struggled to stay as safe and secure as possible. Even as we return to the classroom and studio, teachers and students alike are concerned about the safety and well-being of themselves and those around them. This workshop will introduce practices that can bring us together through movement and breath, positively impacting our minds and spirits. Introducing embodied meditation through Qigong, one of the main branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine, will be the core of this presentation, examining how just a few minutes of daily Qigong practice can increase energy and focus. We will also explore how still meditation, with attention on the movement of breath, can enhance our students’ self-awareness and emotional control. Utilizing elements from Qigong and meditation in both the applied studio and in the classroom will be addressed. Mindfulness practices such as these not only increase well-being; they also foster inclusivity, with faculty and students breathing and moving in sync with one another. Working with Qigong and other meditative practices, faculty and staff can help their students lessen anxiety and stress, particularly stress related to stage fright, and instead, promote wellness and mindfulness.

CHANDLER Chuck

Chuck Chandler is Assistant Professor of Voice at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. He is an award-winning teacher and established authority in fitness training and the singing voice, as well as a sought after presenter, master clinician, and consultant. His students have performance credits at the Metropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Atlanta Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Santa Fe Opera among others. He has presented sessions at conferences in the United States and abroad, including The Pedagogy of Pedagogy and Fitness Training and the Singing Voice at the 2017 ICVT in Stockholm, Sweden. His article “Modern Opera and Film” and another on fitness training and the singing voice have been published in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Journal of Singing. Chandler has given pedagogical workshops and presentations on topics including the use of Voce Vista in the studio, teaching male voices, the use of progressive vocalise, and many others. Further, his presence as an adjudicator for competitions and as an in-demand master clinician in the United States. is notable.

Chandler has sung world premieres of operatic roles and art song cycles, and garnered acclaim as a tenor soloist in performing as Uriel in Haydn’s The Creation, Obadiah in Mendelssohn’s Elijah, the tenor soloist in Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bach Cantata # 61, John Stainer’s Crucifixion, and the Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio to name a few. His operatic roles have included Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Nanki-Poo in The Mikado, Emperor Altoum in Turandot, King Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and many others. He is a frequent recitalist throughout the United States and has appeared at venues such as the Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Chandler makes regular appearances at the Festival of Music by Women Composers, the National Association of Teachers of Singing national conferences, and continues serving on the faculty of Red River Lyric Opera’s young artist program since 2016. Additionally, Chandler has taught at the Orvieto Musica Festival as guest artist faculty. He holds a doctorate in vocal performance from University of Kentucky.

Voice Training and athletics Training: Partnering For the Sake of Music

STUDENTS OF SINGING FOCUS ON LEARNING VOCAL TECHNIQUE IN THEIR VOICE LESSONS OFTEN WITHOUT REALIZING THEY ARE LEARNING A TRAINING REGIMEN MUCH LIKE THAT OF AN ATHLETE. THOUGH COORDINATING DIFFERENT MUSCLES, SINGERS TRAIN FOR AGILITY, STAMINA, VELOCITY, POWER, AND BIOMECHANICAL EFFICIENCY JUST LIKE ATHLETES. THIS COMMONALITY BETWEEN SINGING AND ATHLETICS IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES UPON WHICH OUR ART OR SPORT IS BASED, AND TRAINING THE BODY ACCORDINGLY – A PROCESS GOVERNED BY MOTOR LEARNING THEORY. BECAUSE OF THIS COMMONALITY, MUCH CAN BE LEARNED FROM A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN ATHLETICS AND THE ARTS.

SINCE ATHLETICS HAS FAR MORE RESOURCES THAN THE ARTS, THEY ARE BETTER ABLE TO ESTABLISH METHODICAL TRAINING SYSTEMS AND SET FORTH BEST PRACTICES. THESE CAN THEN BE SHARED THROUGH PUBLISHED RESEARCH AND THROUGH PRACTICE TO BENEFIT A GROWING NUMBER OF ATHLETES. SINCE MOTOR LEARNING IS AT THE HEART OF BOTH ATHLETICS AND VOICE TRAINING, AND SINCE THERE ARE CLEAR PARALLELS IN BOTH PHYSICAL DISCIPLINES, A PARTNERSHIP WITH ATHLETICS WOULD BENEFIT THE FIELD OF SINGING TO HELP OPTIMIZE THE PROCESS BY WHICH STUDENTS OF SINGING LEARN.

THIS SESSION EXPLORES THE PARALLELS BETWEEN ATHLETICS AND VOCAL TRAINING THROUGH THE LENS OF MOTOR LEARNING, FOCUSING ON BOTH THE MACRO GOALS AND MICRO GOALS OF TRAINING AND HOW TO APPLY THEM IN THE VOICE STUDIO. DRAWS FROM MOTOR LEARNING THEORY AND THE APPLICATION OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF TRAINING FOR DIFFERENT OUTCOMES WILL ALSO BE PRESENTED. AGILITY, STAMINA, POWER, AND FLEXIBILITY WILL BE AMONG THE ATTRIBUTES ADDRESSED. FURTHER, THIS SESSION WILL HELP FORM AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW DEVELOPING THESE ATTRIBUTES MAY BE OPTIMALLY SEQUENCED FOR SINGERS BASED ON WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM ATHLETICS TRAINING.

IN THE LAND THAT GAVE US BOTH ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER AND SCHUBERT, BRINGING ATHLETICS AND SINGING TOGETHER SEEMS BENEFICIAL AND POETIC. THE PRESENTER HAS SUNG AND TAUGHT FULL-TIME FOR OVER A DECADE, AND TRAINED LIKE AN ATHLETE CONCURRENTLY THROUGH THAT TIME. A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THESE TWO FIELDS IS POSSIBLE, BENEFICIAL, AND CAN ENHANCE OUR COMMUNITY BY REVEALING WHAT WE HAVE IN COMMON.

GOFFI-FYNN Jeanne

Jeanne Goffi-Fynn is a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Doctoral Cohort Program at Columbia University, Teachers College. Her interests include Performance across the Lifespan, Applied Studio Teaching and Learning, Voice Development, Collaborative Mentoring, and Pedagogy across Styles. She is also a Singing Voice Specialist, specifically in the retraining of singers with Muscular Tension Dysphonia (MTD). Jeanne has presented often at workshops, master classes and pedagogical presentations and is a member of the Academy of Teachers of Singing (AATS) and Opera America. She is President of NATS_NYC and Chair of National NATS Mentoring Initiates. She is the Director of Singers’ Workshops, aiding in the development of young singers. Jeanne’s singing career includes opera, legit music theatre, oratorio, choral, and recitals. https://www.tc.columbia.edu/faculty/jcg21/ and https://singersworkshops.org.

Getting Voices Going…..

Working with a group of beginner singers is a great opportunity to create a community of learners who represent a diverse population. The scholarship in teaching singing with groups of singers, as separate from traditional choral pedagogy, has explored models of engagement and basic curricular design, including vocal technique and repertoire, but specific vocal warmups and strategies for engaging singers in group instruction deserves further examination. This workshop will offer various approaches for fostering musical and expressive singers in an ensemble in addition to strategies to emphasize an inclusive collaboration cohesion of music makers.

This workshop will examine building vocal efficiency through balanced registers, consistent breath support, and resonance. Musical development in group instruction includes literacy, improvisation, and rhythmic training through a wide selection of repertoire. Engagement and social interaction of learners includes collaboration, enjoyment, and rapport among members. Additional factors for consideration in group instruction includes age, gender, experience, preference for musical style, voice type, and cultural and linguistic influences. In this workshop, we will demonstrate these multiple perspectives and modalities as Categories for Consideration, which allow for flexible approaches while establishing consistent goals in vocal, musical, and social growth and development.

HOOS de JOKISCH Barbara

BHdJ teaches classical singing and methodology of voice at the University of the Arts (UdK) in Berlin, Germany, also publishing and lecturing internationally on voice pedagogy. In the spirit of an integrative vocal pedagogy, based on knowledge, she is convinced that a clearly defined understanding of voice is an essential contribution to the dialogue between voice pedagogy and voice science.

“Vocal technique – what does that actually mean? – Balance and synergy as functionally logical principles of vocal training“

Solid vocal technique is finally the result of complex synergy processes. On the basis of the three-function-model, the voice can be understood as a logical system, oriented towards synergy – which happens when we create a balance between polarities. – This presentation explains the complexity of voice-training tasks with clearly arranged charts, useful both for teachers of singing and of vocal pedagogy.

HOWE Martha

A versatile singing actress, teacher and dramaturge, Martha Howe has performed over a hundred roles with opera companies and symphony orchestras throughout the United States, Canada and Austria, specializing in Wagner and Richard Strauss roles with San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera, Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera of Chicago (Zubin Mehta/August Everding DER RING), along with world premieres and other 20^th century repertoire. She worked with Götz Friedrich, Peter Sellars, Robert Altman, Prf. August Everding, Sir Frank Hauser, Elijah Moshinsky, Francesca Zambello, Christopher Alden, Liviu Ciulei, and Ghita Hager among others, plus Barenboim, Bonynge, Conlon, Mehta, Nagano, Runnicles, Russell Davies, Bartoletti, de Waart, Gatti, McGegan, Renzetti, Slatkin, von Dohnányi, and Menotti consistently receiving critical praise for her rich voice and interpretive skill.

She is now teaching how to embody and interpret texts, songs, roles, and characters, and how to have a reliable, effective, and expressive voice for speech and singing. She has an active, international studio teaching both online and in-studio. Her students are performing with Stage Entertainment in Germany, on London Westend, in Chicago, in Wien with VBV and in Baden. She is an active dramaturge in Vienna, and in 2016 presented a Workshop on "Teaching the Aging Voice" for the NATS National Conference in Chicago while writing her collaborative book on solutions to the particular obstacles we encounter with age.

Martha has been writing for publication since 1998 and earned a Master of Arts in Literature in 2008. In 2015, her book on the tumultuous beginnings of voice science, Broadening the Circle, the history and future of The Voice Foundation, was published by Compton Publishing on behalf of The Voice Foundation. In 2019 she moved back to Vienna, completed the eight-month intensive Masters-level course, “ProVox; Sciences of the Voice, Speech and Singing” and published her second book, “A User’s Manual for the Aging Voice” available through comptonpublishing.co.uk

Balancing Emotion, Breath, and Voice

One of the great joys of singing is that we can use it to express our deepest emotions. Sometimes these emotions will unexpectedly overflow in a particular phrase, and the singer can be suddenly too emotional to continue singing. Pushing the emotion away rarely works, and disconnects us from ourselves, the piece, the character, and the audience. It can mean dropping a song that is very close to the heart.

Professional singers and voice artists need to express strong emotions, often convincing the audience that they are overcome by an emotion, while communicating these emotions with strong, beautiful voices. The audience won’t believe the performer unless they hear the truth of the emotion in the performer’s voice, yet strong emotions are naturally held in the torso, throat, jaw and face, and thus make singing or stage speech extremely difficult.

Learning how to direct the flow of emotion so that it does not interfere with the flow of your breath allows for strong emotion and strong vocalizing to coexist side-by-side. These breath and energy flow exercises in awareness and mindfulness can be used to explore where and how the emotions sit in your body, and performers at all levels learn how to manage both emotion and breath flow. They work equally well for those moments when suddenly “blind-sided” by an emotion, or when we want to ‘sing from the heart’, or when a piece or a role requires a powerful emotional journey and arc.

“Martha Howe ist bereits seit 17 Jahren meine Gesangspädagogin. Sie hat mir in meiner professionellen Karriere als Sänger beigebracht große Emotionen auf der Bühne zu zeigen, sodass aber die Emotionen keinen Einfluss auf meine Stimme und den Gesang haben. Ich habe ihre Techniken in zahlreichen Vorsingen und Auftritten verwendet und es funktioniert sehr gut.” - Florian Resetarits, bariton

KARLSSON Anna

Anna Karlsson, mezzosoprano, singing teacher (Mag.art)

Studies

1981 Hanken School of economics in Helsinki, diploma

1988 University of Music and performing Arts Vienna, diploma Lied and Oratorio

1989 University of Music and performing Arts Vienna, diploma Opera

1992 University of Music and performing Arts Vienna, academic degree Mag.art. from the department Cultural Management

University of Jyväskylä, doctoral training program at the department of Music, Arts and Cultural Sudies, Music education (in progress)

Private studies of singing with various teachers and pianists.

Work experience

1989 - 1991 Singing teacher in Austria (Tulln, Gumpoldskirchen)

1991 - 2010 Engagement in the Finnish National Opera chorus

private teacher of singing since 1991

breathing and bodywork consulting

regularly own concerts

Publications

Articles

EVTA-Bulletin. 2002 December. The Dilaton Method

Laulupedagogi 2007 - 2008. Dilaton-menetelmä

Book

Laula terveesti-Äänen, hengityksen ja kehon yhteys laulamisessa, Bookwell Porvoo 2017

(Sing healthily- The Connection of Sound, Breath and Body in singing )

https://www.adlibris.com/fi/haku?q=Laula+terveesti

Sing healthily and consciously - The Dilaton Method and its application in classical vocal teaching

Classical singers are generally taught that the tongue should lie relaxed behind the lower teeth and the larynx should be free. However, if misunderstood, this teaching approach can be detrimental to a singing student. The word “relaxed” is often understood as “flabby”, which is not correct and can be very misleading. Only a muscle that “works”, properly relaxes.

To address this problem I have developed The Dilaton (diaphragma, larynx, tongue) Method. It is a vocal teaching method based on the proper physical function of the tongue and larynx both in forming vowels and in breathing. From this point of view it can be understood, how voice, breath and muscles work together in a balanced and healthy way. A good posture, support and airflow will be achieved as a result.

I examine how professional classical singers have experienced the method in the process of learning how to sing. I used twelve open-ended interviews, in which the singers describe their progress both before and after the use of the method. According to the preliminary results of the data-driven analysis the subjects have experienced an improved, in some cases even decisive, physical understanding and conscious control of their singing instruments.

A healthy and conscious singing technique is the goal of all professional singers.The conclusion can be drawn, that the concrete teaching of the work of the tongue and larynx is an effective way to achieve this goal: how to get a balanced and healthy way of singing.

keywords: tongue-larynx, vowel formation, breathing, posture, support in singing, classical singing

More about the method www.dilaton.fi .

KESKINEN A. Katri

Katri A. Keskinen is a doctoral researcher at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, Finland. Her research interests include CCM vocal pedagogy, popular music education, professionalism and curriculum studies. She has a master's degree in music education from the University of the Arts Helsinki and has complemented her popular music studies at Berklee College of Music (MA, USA). She currently works as a CCM voice teacher in Stockholm (Sweden), enjoying the perks of the city’s popular music scene and voice science hub.

Expanding Professionalism: Training CCM Voice Teachers in Finland

This presentation discusses the findings of a study on the manifestation of professionalism in a higher CCM voice teacher education program in Finland. The academic field of CCM vocal pedagogy is still relatively young but has started to find its form in a few pioneering countries, such as Finland. There is a growing demand for highly trained CCM voice teachers whose expertise is based on voice science, pedagogy, and popular music education alike.

Currently, societal changes challenge both the concept of professionalism and higher education worldwide. To expand the professionalism of voice teachers from mere traditional notions of vocal pedagogy, voice teacher education should be considering questions, such as teacher autonomy, future expertise, societal responsibility, policy knowhow, entrepreneurship, and agency.

This case study examines the expanding professionalism in CCM voice teacher education. The data was generated through semi-structured interviews and observations, as well as examinations of curriculum texts and course material in a Finnish higher education institution. The study forms a part of a doctoral dissertation project at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, investigating the future of professionalism and curricula in CCM voice teacher education programs in different pioneering countries.

McCARTHER Sean

Dr. Sean McCarther serves as Associate Professor of Voice and Acting Chair of Theater and Dance at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, where he teaches classical and musical theater voice, voice science, and movement for performers. An advocate for physical theater and mobile singers, Dr. McCarther has created a movement-based performance pedagogy that helps students learn to actively engage their environment, their scene partners, and the audience with the highest potential expression. Scholarly research in the areas of voice pedagogy, movement, alignment, performance psychology, and consent and creating safe theatrical space include articles in the Journal of Singing, presentations at both national and regional NATS conferences and workshops, the Dalcroze Society of America’s National Conference, Southeastern Theater Conference, Texas Music Educators Association, and numerous workshops at universities around the country. He has contributed chapters to two books, one on the intersection of voice science and choral pedagogy and another on creativity in performance, both with GIA Publications.

A Three-Phase Model for Effective Teaching and Practice

In many applied studios, contact time between instructor and student is limited, often an hour per week. A bulk of the learning process, therefore, must happen in unsupervised practice outside of the lesson time. Developing effective practice techniques is crucial for long-term, high-level learning. Ineffective or unfocused practice impedes learning and can frustrate both student and instructor. The purpose of this presentation is to present a three-phase model that provides strategies to scaffold instruction and practice habits in ways that are systematic, efficient, and easily integrated into the applied lesson time. In the first phase, teachers address implicit and motor learning principles that help students acquire discrete skills. In the second phase, students apply variable practice protocols and spaced repetition timing to generalize and expand upon previously acquired skills. Students learn to synthesize their technical skills into a cohesive, expressive whole in the third and final phase. Students report that the 3-step model significantly improved their abilities to maximize productivity in their limited practice time. Additionally, the resulting approach provided clarity to a teacher’s instruction and made the applied lesson experience more productive.

NAISMITH Marisa Lee

Marisa has been commercially active in the entertainment industry for over 45 years as an award-winning vocalist, singing teacher, voice researcher, industry mentor, author & podcast host. Marisa is presently employed as a Voice Teacher in the Bachelor of Music (Popular Music) at Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University and at Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School. Marisa continues to teach across all CCM styles and her past students have enjoyed national and international acclaim as professional performers and as singing teachers with successful teaching careers.

In 2019, Marisa was awarded a PhD based on her investigation into the emerging field of Contemporary Commercial Music Singing Voice Pedagogy. As a result of her research, Marisa has identified a foundational pedagogical framework for the training of singers across Contemporary Commercial Music styles and the findings of this study have been presented at conferences including ICVT in Stockholm, The Voice Foundation’s Care of Professional Voice Symposium, in Philadelphia, PEVOC, in Florence, and Copenhagen and ANATS National Conference, in Hobart and Leura. Marisa has co-written two peer reviewed journal articles, the first of which was published in the Journal of Singing in the Jan/Feb 2020 edition and in August 2021 she co-authored an article published in Voice and Speech Review.

Marisa also has an academic textbook, based on her research into the training approaches for CCM singers, scheduled for publication in August 2021 with Compton Publishing. In March 2021, Marisa launched her podcast, “A Voice and Beyond”, that focuses on personal and professional development, as well as self-care targeted at the voice community.

Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) Singing Voice Pedagogy: A Digital Approach

Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) is a dynamic industry and, as new styles and sub styles emerge, research into the science and pedagogical practice of voice training has failed to acknowledge the demands of today’s music markets. While the overwhelming growth in CCM production over the past 100 years indicates the legitimacy of this music, the pedagogy has not evolved sufficiently to reflect this diverse landscape of music styles and its associated vocal characteristics. This recognition poses major problems for teachers and students of CCM. In the absence of a pedagogical framework specifically tailored for CCM singing voice, teachers often struggle to equip students with a firm understanding of how to produce the myriad of style-related effects and embellishments inherent to the CCM genre, successfully and safely. This paper addresses the challenges of teaching singers across CCM styles and seeks to inform the development of a tailored CCM pedagogical framework and how this framework can be adapted to an online teaching context.

This paper reports the findings from a research study that investigates the teaching beliefs and approaches of nine eminent pedagogues in the field of teaching CCM singing voice. Using semi structured interviews, this study thematically explores these pedagogues’ perceptions and teaching approaches in relation to alignment, breath management, breath flow and support, resonance, articulation, repertoire, style authenticity, performance and artistry, vocal health and the territory of CCM.

The data identified both commonalties and distinctions in the management of CCM singers. The pedagogues all agreed that efficient vocal instruction must be geared to function and style using a student centric approach. Results from this research offers a foundational pedagogical framework and informed recommendations for teachers, and other industry professionals about progressing the field of CCM singing voice pedagogy and adapting this framework in an ever evolving digital age.

NENONEN Pirjo

Dr. Pirjo Nenonen, is a vocal/singing teacher, music teacher, singer and author.

Pirjo Nenonen studied at the University of Jyväskylä (Finland) and holds a Doctor´s and a Master´s Degrees in Music Education. In addition she studied at the Helsinki Music Conservatory (Vocal/Singing Teachers Education) and at the University of Salzburg, Mozarteum, Orff Institute (Advanced Studies in Music and Movement, Orff-Schulwerk). Pirjo Nenonen has attended several supplementary courses in the fields of body-awareness techniques, Music and Movement, Orff-Pedagogy and Dalcroze Eurhythmics courses. She has participated in several Master classes in Solo Singing in Finland and abroad. Pirjo Nenonen has presented her studies and conducted workshops in several international conferences: ICDS (International Conference of Dalcroze Studies); ISME (International Society for Music Education); ÖGfMM (Österreichische Gesellschaft für Musik und Medizin); International Symposium on Singing and Song II; International Conference “Creative Interaction. Dynamic Processes in Group Music Activities”. Pirjo Nenonen is a Commissioner of ISME´s (International Society for Music Education) Forum for Instrumental and Vocal Teaching. She has very broad previous teaching activities in Finland and in Austria at schools (primary, secondary schools, also in special education), the Helsinki Music Conservatory (Early Childhood Music Teachers Education), the University of Helsinki (Teachers Education) and University of Oulu (Music Teachers Education: Vocal/singing education) and the Private Music University of Vienna (Vocal/ singing pedagogy). Pirjo Nenonen has published several music books for school music education (e.g. pupil´s and teacher´s books MUSICA 1-2, MUSICA 3-4). She has worked as a choir choreographer and has held several workshops in Finland and abroad. She lives in Vienna since 2007 and teaches in the Music School (Vocal/ Singing education) and the upper secondary school (music education).

Singing with natural body movements facilitate the singing process and improve the vocal quality

The workshop is based on my research and on my dissertation “A holistic approach to singing education using natural body movements”. I developed the approach in practice and from the need to help novice vocal/singing students. The research was conducted as an action research with vocal/singing students, but the same ideas can be used with all kinds of singers.

The aim of this workshop is to learn and to indicate how natural, every day body movements (walking, turning, stretching, ball throwing, bowing, hand gestures etc.) can facilitate the singing process and improve the vocal quality. In addition to that, to encourage the usage of one´s own body language. Natural body movements activate the abdominal and back muscles and bring natural support for singing. This way develops a “kinesthetic awareness”. Good posture precedes good breathing and singing, and helps to find a natural and a free flowing voice.

The workshop includes vocal exercises and songs combining singing and body movements. The participants learn to use the body movements consciously to achieve the expected singing quality and own personal interpretation. Through the body, the participants learn to sense and to hear what kind of singing qualities one achieves with different kinds of body movements, and with experimenting they learn more from their own voices and bodies. This way the participants find new ways to improve their singing process and learn to create e.g. new exercises using their own body language. The approach, singing with natural body movements, combines ideas of experiential learning and embodied learning. You learn with your own body and through your own experience. Learning happens through several channels: auditory, kinesthetic, visual and cognitive.

This approach, singing with body movements, can be used broadly in vocal/singing education and in class music education with groups. It suits all age groups and all kinds of singing.

RAGAN Kari

Author, singer, and voice pedagogue, Kari Ragan holds degrees from the University of Washington (DMA), and Indiana University (MM, BM). Dr. Ragan was the recipient of the prestigious Van. L. Lawrence Award, the NATS Foundation Pedagogy Award, and was selected to be a Master Teacher for the NATS Intern Program in June 2021. 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 the moderator of NATS Chats. She is the co-founder 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. Other publications and information can be found at KariRagan.com.

Defining Evidence-Based Voice Pedagogy: A New Framework

Since the induction of the term “Evidence-Based Voice Pedagogy (EBVP)”^[i] some voice professionals have erroneously inferred that the term is synonymous with science-based, pedagogy, function-based, or fact-based voice pedagogy. There is a precedent for defining Evidence-Based Voice Pedagogy with a broader understanding since its origins are found in the field of medicine. In the early 1990’s, Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) came to be defined as the integration of individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence.^[ii] In 2018, the Journal of Singing published an article by Kari Ragan outlining for the first time a framework for EBVP that includes three essential components: 1) Voice Research, 2) Voice Teacher Expertise and Experience, and 3) Student Goals and Perspectives. Modeled after EBM, the EBVP framework provides a context for an inclusive perspective of what constitutes evidence in the field of voice training.

The gold standard for any voice teacher is to achieve efficacy in the form of vocally efficient and artistic performances. Tools necessary to be an effective teacher are acquired through a broad continuum of resources. EBVP is further defined “as the integration of voice teacher expertise and experience, student goals and perspectives, and relevant research into voice science and production to effectively evaluate and identify technical inefficiencies to guide students toward vocally healthy and efficient, stylistically accurate, and artistic performances.”^[i.]

EBVP is a framework that acknowledges the importance of both scientific and anecdotal evidence, along with consideration of the experience acquired by a teacher, and the importance of individual student needs. In collaboration with Lynn Maxfield, Ken Bozeman and Lynn Helding,

this lecture presents the tripartite framework as an approach to voice teaching.

ROBERTS Kimberly

Kimberly Roberts was a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and has enchanted audiences across the nation with her performances of Countless Almaviva in Le Nozze de Figaro, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Magda in La Rondine, Magda in The Consul, and the title role in Susannah. She has also performed as the soprano soloist in Strauss’ Vier Letzte Lieder, Barber’s Andromache’s Farewell and Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Handel’s Messiah, Verdi’s Requiem, Bach’s Magnificat, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, and Rutter’s Requiem. She is a frequent recitalist throughout the US and Western Europe and specializes in the works of Sven Lekberg and other American Neo-Romantics. Dr. Roberts is on the Voice Faculty of the University of Tennessee- Knoxville, and she holds a Bachelor of Music in Education from Simpson College, as well as Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Vocal Performance from Louisiana State University.

Additionally, Dr. Roberts maintains a private studio of emerging professional singers and is the voice instructor for the Des Moines Metro Opera. Her students perform with many of the nation’s great houses and programs, including Merola, Glimmerglass, Wolf Trap, St. Louis Opera Theatre, Spoleto, Winter Opera St. Louis, Chautauqua Opera, Central City, Santa Fe Opera, Utah Opera, Tri Cities Opera, Minnesota Opera, the Kansas City Lyric, Virginia Opera, Opera Columbus, Indianapolis Opera, and the Des Moines Metro Opera. Her students are also consistently national and regional finalists in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, in addition to other national and international competitions.

The Four Pillars of Truth: A New Approach to Legato

Throughout our vocal journey, there is one thing that people consistently ask for – legato. However, legato also seems to be quite elusive to most voice students. This lecture details a systematic approach to building true vocal legato that works with all of the National Schools of Singing, and provides both guidelines for listening and exercises for development.

In this approach, vocal legato is built on 4 continuous, consistent, and interdependent pillars: phonation, vibrato, breath energy, and resonance:

Continuous and consistent phonation – Although there is a physical change from one pitch to the next, it is tiny and happens at the glottal level – one should not feel it! Thus, one does not need to still the vocal folds in order to create each new pitch.

Continuous and consistent vibrato – Vibrato is a natural occurrence, inhibiting it is not. Therefore, there shouldn’t be a moment without the freedom that creates vibrato. One’s purpose is not to create vibrato where it isn’t happening, instead, one should embrace its natural occurrence at all times. Even when singing florid passages, the released feeling that creates vibrato can remain intact without slowing down the line.

Continuous and consistent breath energy – The sensation of support may change throughout the range, or with dynamic contrast, etc., but the concept of clean airflow should not. If we get a puff of air in between pitches, the ear will hear it as silence, or at the very least, a muffled sound. How then, can one sing with legato if there is silence?

Continuous and consistent resonance – Resonance is ring - the ring that seems comes from everywhere. It is free, loud, and muscularly released. Resonance is more than just “forward”, and it is more than just a clean, clear sound. Resonance is chiaroscuro and ideal vowel construction, which then results in the mastery of formant tuning.

ROLLINGS BIGLER Amelia, OSBORNE Kathrine

Amelia ROLLINGS BIGLER, PhD, MM, currently serves as Assistant Professor of Voice and Voice Pedagogy at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC after previously serving on the musical theatre faculty at Western Kentucky University. Dr. Rollings Bigler holds a PhD in Voice Pedagogy from The University of Kansas and a MM in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Rollings Bigler was awarded the 2018 Van L. Lawrence Fellowship (awarded yearly to one singing teacher engaged in empirical research) by The National Association of Teachers of Singing and The Voice Foundation. An active researcher in voice pedagogy, Dr. Rollings Bigler has published her research in the Journal of Voice, the Journal of Singing, and Voice and Speech Review. Her primary research interests include musical theatre and contemporary commercial music (CCM) voice pedagogy, small and large group voice teaching, historical voice teacher certification and education, and the effects of shoe heel heights, head position, jaw opening, and other aspects of body alignment on acoustic and perceptual measures of singing efficiency.

Katherine OSBORNE, DMA, MVP, SHS, was appointed universitetslektor i sång at Musik- högskolan i Piteå/Luleå Tekniska Universitet (Sweden) in 2019 after serving on the voice faculties at University of Northern Iowa, Ohio Wesleyan University, and the Washington National Cathedral. Osborne has presented research and workshops related to voice pedagogy, voice science, and singing health at conferences and meetings, including the Voice Foundation Annual Symposium and the International Congress of Voice Teachers (2017). She has contributed an article to VoicePrints: The Journal of the New York Singing Teacher’s Association and was co-editor for Great Teachers on Great Singing by Robin Rice. In 2014 she was honored to receive the Van Lawrence Fellowship, presented by the Voice Foundation and NATS. Osborne maintains an active performing career in opera, oratorio, and art song. Her training includes a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and Singing Health Specialization from OSU, Master of Voice Pedagogy degree from Westminster Choir College, a Bachelor of Music degree from Stetson University, and a 2010 teaching internship with the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).

Group Voice Instruction Strategies in University Settings: A Collective Case Study

Many university music and theatre programs use group voice classes to train students of various majors (musical theatre, voice performance, music education, music therapy). Studies in other fields have examined the effects of both small and large group instruction on learning outcomes and found that group instruction facilitated both direct and indirect learning, helped foster a supportive learning environment, and elicited more student engagement and peer-to-peer feedback (e.g., Cho et al., 2016). Therefore, one might conjecture that group voice classes could be used to effectively supplement one-to-one voice lessons. Few studies in voice pedagogy have examined the effects of group voice training on voice performance outcomes; however, Clayne Robison, professor emeritus at Brigham Young University, found group voice instruction led to a ten-fold increase in faculty teaching efficiency, as group voice instruction was more effective (students improved three times faster than those enrolled only in private instruction) and more efficient in terms of faculty teaching load.

The effectiveness and efficiency of group voice instruction will naturally depend on the teaching methods employed. The purpose of this collective case study was to explore the effects of various group voice instructional methods on student learning, engagement, and singing voice skill acquisition outcomes in university settings (N = 2) differing in terms of geography (Sweden and the USA) and primary singing style (classical and musical theatre). Results will be discussed in terms of the most effective teaching strategies for group voice instruction, potential differences in group teaching methodology informed by geography and primary singing style, and how these findings might impact the design of university program voice curricula in the future.

ROSENKULL Bo

Bo Rosenkull Sweden, is a professor at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and a professor at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg. He is also the president of Voice Teachers of Sweden and a member of the board for the European Voice Teachers Association. In addition, he has worked as a choral conductor and music teacher in primary and secondary school.

Bo is a much sought-after singing-pedagogue and has had masterclasses at music- and operaschools in; South Africa (Potchefstroom, Cape Town and Stellenbosch) Azerbadjan, Israel, Seychelles, Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Norway and Italy. He has sung as a principal artist for the Royal Opera House Stockholm, Folkoperan Stockholm, Gothenburg Opera, Malmö Opera, Svenska Riksteatern and Norrlandsoperan amongst others.

He has presented Workshops, Master classes and Lectures at ISME-International Society for Music Education (Azerbaijan), PASMAE-The Pan African Society for Musical Arts Educatioin (the Seychelles) and Eurovox-European Voice Teachers Association (the Netherlands) among others.

Come and Sing!

In order to be a well-equipped voice pedagogue today it is important to provide a wide set of skills. In work with children, adolescents, and adult amateurs, it can be essential to be familiar with different genres and music from different cultures; some students want to sing jazz and pop, and others prefer musical theatre or classical singing. Also, in work with advanced students and professionals it is important to have access to different tools in order to efficiently work with an incremental vocal and musical progression. Sometimes it is fruitful to work with classical exercises for a pop singer, and occasionally also the opposite.

An alert and active body is necessary to enable embodied singing and therefore, the relation voice-movement is crucial. Some singers need to work to find a good postural alignment and access to the body as a framework, others have to pay attention to unnecessary tensions, rigidity and lack of flow, while others need to find more energy and activity. Besides from creating the prerequisites for good singing some easy movements might helpful to gather a group in a good way. Sometimes it is a gap between the warming-up exercises we do and the songs we sing. Occasionally, we get bored of traditional scales, triads or other exercises we have done for years. So, in this workshop I shall introduce some of my songs and exercises that I have composed - exercises for solo, ensemble and choir.

These exercises can be considered as:

a bridge between more traditional exercises and the repertoire at hand,

a way of getting started, a way of focus on listening,

a way of connecting body and voice or just

a way of challenge the singers with new things in a joyful way.

The exercises could be regarded as a complement to the more traditional warming up exercises. During this session we will work with; Scandinavian folklore, rap, beat-boxing, Middle East and Asian inspired exercises, tongue-twisters, classic singing, pop, body percussion and rounds. So, Come and Sing!

RUMMEL Stefanie

As a voice teacher, singer, medical doctor, researcher and EMCI (Estill Mentor Course Instructor) Dr. med. Stefanie Rummel regularly gives online and offline voice master classes in English, French and German in her Institut Rummel. For more than 10 years she organises and leads courses such as Estill Level 1and 2 courses, articulations and belting workshops and EPF courses which prepare for certifications.
As a medical doctor (University of Medicine, Frankfurt Germany) and researcher she initiated 3D and 2D MRI, acoustic and respiratory studies on six different Estill Voice^® Qualities. This is possible through the cooperation with the Institute of Musicians Medicine in Freiburg, Germany. Dr. Stefanie Rummel presents the results at the Estill World Voice Symposium, Stuttgarter Stimmtage, Bad Nenndorfer Therapietage, at ICVT, CAS and PAS.

The connection between the performing arts, the teaching, the medical and research background allows Dr. Stefanie Rummel to share her expertise in master classes on different voice and singing styles with a special birds perspective.

www.sing-teach.com

2D and 3D MRI study of different Estill Voice Training® Qualities (Speech, Falsetto, Sobbing, Twang, Opera, Belting) to analyze vocal tract configurations, acoustic properties and phonatory breathing strategies

The vocal sound production is controlled and regulated by the vocal fold vibration, the respiratory system and the vocal tract acoustics. If this is to be described, it makes sense to analyze it multidimensionally. Estill VoiceTraining®, is based on the research of Jo Estill, who examined 6 different voice qualities (Speech, Falsetto, Sob, Twang, Opera, Belting) on many aspects. Also in the past, for example, X-ray examinations were used to analyze the vocal tract configuration and a

differentiated control of certain vocal tract areas were shown. Recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), allow visualization of the internal processes during phonation at a new level of temporal and spatial resolution.

In a project supported by the Estill Education Fund, the configuration of the vocal tract of the 6 Estill Voice Training® Qualities was looked at while professional trained Estill Voice Training® singers were singing in a 3D MRI. Then surface models of the vocal tract were segmented and their acoustic properties were simulated on this basis. Also the breath movement during phonation was recorded with dynamic MRIs in the sagittal sectional plane to investigate potential differences in the breath control of the 6 Qualities. The analysis of the vocal fold vibration by electroglottographies and theanalysis of subglottic pressures complete this multidimensional approach.

Recent results show that the 6 Estill Voice Training® Qualities require differentiated breath control and have characteristic vocal tract configurations with derived acoustic properties. In this presentation, further results of the study will be presented.

SCRIBANO Ursula

Ursula Ofner-Scribano is an Austrian actress, singer, yodel -and voice teacher. She was born in Linz in 1967. After four years studying Comparative Literature and French at the University of Vienna, 1990 she moved to Berlin to attend the University of the Arts, where 1994 she graduated as actress with the

University Degree "Diplom Schauspielerin". Ursula still lives in Berlin, is married and has a 20 years old son. After several years of performing on stage and in movies, - she worked a.o. with Jean-Marie Straub /Danielle Huillet, Christian Frosch, Stefan Bachmann, Adriana Altaras, Evi Romen, David Schalko,

Wolfgang Murnberger - Ursula focused on the human voice as instrument for self-expression in rediscovering the archaic vocal power and body presence. She expanded her vocal skills in singing masterclasses with Gisela May, Lauren Newton, Pascal von Wroblewsky, Ida Kelarova, Tamar Buadze, Frank Kane, Neli Andreeva, and yodelling classes with Ingrid Hammer and Bernhard Betschart. Continuous vocal research lead her 2012 to the Kristin Linklater voice work, which influenced deeply her engagement with the voice. Additional Workshop “Touch Your Voice” by voice performer Christian Zehnder.

Ursula Scribano is contract teacher at the Berlin University of the Arts (Drama Department) and at the Folkwang University of the Arts Essen (Workshop Pool). She teaches in her own masterclasses as well as in Educational institutions.

Further Information and Audio Samples: https://singkraft.de/

Learn Videos on YouTube “stimmkanal”: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Z0owjA_RtL_0xYLFtq81g

With Ursula Häse, an experimental voice performer and Theremin player Ursula Scribano performs as Duo „u2nic“: www.u2nic.com

Ursula Scribano, Ingrid Hammer and Ursula Häse performed several years as Vocal-Trio “la vache qui crie” (http://www.lavachequicrie.de/).

Unleashing the Archaic Voice: The Power and Freedom of Yodeling

Behind the cliché triggered by the word „jodeln“, we discover something unexpected: OUR ARCHAIC VOICE. Yodelling in its original form is a text –and meaningless pre-linguistic form of singing using sound syllables to express emotions. It is characterized by a rapid change between high and low tones. It is a immediate, unstraint, powerful vocal expression of needs and inner states, - a kind of primitive musical protolanguage (Darwin). Indigenous Cultures such as the Sami in Northern Europe or the Baka Pygmies in Africa have practiced it all along for the purpose of communication.

The rigid laws and standards of our western, highly developed society with its understandings about how speaking and singing voice has to be, often prevent us from expressing ourselves spontaneously, originally and loudly. We lose the trust in the original power and freedom of our voices. But in the evolutionary old brain - the brainstem - this ancient vocal possibilities are still there and Yodeling brings this possibilities to life. It allows us to get in touch with the power and freedom of our individual archaic vocal possibilities. Yodeling loosens tension in the vocal tract and the diaphragm for a free and powerful breath. It opens the resonance spaces in our bodies an has a positive effect on the speaking voice. Yodelling is exhilarating, connects us with us and the others and triggers feelings of euphoria and joy.

Midfully exploring of body -and breathing processes strengthen the necessary breathing power for the belting voice that is characteristic for yodeling. Imagination exercises expand our inner sound spaces. Singing exercises activate the upper sinus resonators for the correct “Stimmsitz” for the health and the overtone-richness of the voice. We learn the yodeling technique - the quick change between high and low notes. In free sound and voice improvisations, we research and expand the individual vocal possibilities. We learn and sing beautiful polyphonic yodels from different regions.

SMITH Brenda

Dr. Brenda Smith, DMA, teaches studio voice, singer’s diction, and vocal pedagogy at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. She is widely recognized for her contributions to the concept of lifelong singing through proper voice care. Class Voice: Fundamental Skills for Lifelong Singing (Plural) by Brenda Smith and Ronald Burrichter appeared in 2022. Brenda Smith is the author of Diction in Context: Singing in English, Italian, German, and French (Plural, 2020) and So You Want to Sing for a Lifetime: A Guide to Performers (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018). She has collaborated with Dr. Robert T. Sataloff, MD, DMA on a variety of projects to promote vocal health through choral singing. They are the co-authors of Choral Pedagogy, 3^rd ed. and Choral Pedagogy and the Older Singer (Plural, 2013/2012). Brenda Smith serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Voice and as a consulting editor at Plural Publishing. In recognition of demonstrated excellence in teaching and her interest in voice science, Dr. Smith received the Van Lawrence Fellowship in 2000, presented by the Voice Foundation and the NATS. Dr. Smith holds degrees from the University of Maryland and Westminster Choir College. She also studied at the Westfälische Landeskirchenmusikschule in Herford, Germany with the late Dr. Frauke Haasemann, whom she assisted for over 18 years in presentations and publications on the topic of Chorische Stimmbildung/Voice Building for Choirs.

Ronald Burrichter, MM, Professor Emeritus, University of Florida, holds degrees from Wartburg College and the Peabody Conservatory of Music. During his tenure at the University of Florida, Mr. Burrichter has served as Director of Choral Activities, conducted the University Choir, Men’s Glee Club, Women’s Chorale and Chamber Singers. A choral conductor widely respected for his attention to the vocal health of singers, Burrichter has turned his focus toward studying and assisting older singers, directing the Oak Hammock Singers and the “Sing for Life” program dedicated to the care of Parkinson’s patients.

Breath: The Magic Ingredient in Lifelong Singing

During the recent pandemic, we held our breath in fear, while hiding behind a mask. It is time to recalibrate and rework our concept of breathing for life and singing. The Italian mathematician and colleague of Galileo, Evangelista Torricelli wrote in a letter in 1644: “We live submerged at the bottom of an ocean of air.” Though we are surrounded by this magic ingredient, we do not fully appreciate it as an important power source. It was Gasparo Pachhierotti (1740-1821) who said: “Chi sa ben respirare e sillibare saprà ben cantare,” translated “He who knows how to breathe and pronounce well, knows how to sing well.” In this interactive workshop, we will explore the theories and practices of breathing using new studies from a wide range of resources including new knowledge described in James Nestor’s Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art (2020). Relax and experience the revitalization of your body and voice as you develop new strategies for breath management in teaching and singing.

SMITH Brianna

Brianna Smith holds a PhD in Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL), where she also received her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in K-12 Vocal Music Education and Vocal Performance from York College in York, NE. Her teaching experiences include work with preschool students through adults in voice, piano, and violin. Dr. Smith has taught collegiate courses in vocal pedagogy, diction, voice skills, and applied voice. She currently works as a lecturer at UNL and as a private voice instructor at the 402 Arts Collective in Omaha, a community-minded arts studio.

Interpersonal Practices in Individualized Voice Teaching: A Mixed-Method Study of Pedagogical Similarities and Differences Between Teachers of Singing and Speech-Language Pathologists

The interpersonal teaching practices of teachers of singing and speech-language pathologists are examined in this mixed-method research study. The relationship between voice pedagogy and speech-language pathology is not a new one, but further research is needed on multi-disciplinary voice care, based on similarities between these fields. Also, differences between the fields aid in developing new methods of voice instruction. While both the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and the National Association for Teachers of Singing (NATS) set standards for voice experts who interact with voice users, it can be ambiguous how such skills are valued, trained, and used in both fields.

This research identifies the areas of overlap and disparity in the fields of voice pedagogy and speech-language pathology and determines where one field might positively influence the other. Recommendations for individuals and institutions are made based on both the correlations and differences between these two fields, with the aim of positively impacting current teachers of singing, speech-language pathologists, and those in teacher education programs, as well as the broader educational structures in place for individualized voice teaching.

In the first phase of this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four teachers of singing and four in the fields of speech-language pathology and otolaryngology. In phase 2, a quantitative survey was distributed to members of ASHA and NATS via Qualtrics software. Finally, in phase 3, members of NATS participated in an online focus group to discuss and expand developing conclusions.

The qualitative phases led to an inventory of positive interpersonal practices of teachers of singing and speech-language pathologists. The quantitative phase illuminated skills in which value and usage align, but training is missing; training and usage align, but value is missing; and training and value align, but usage is missing. It also identified skills that are valued and/or used by teachers of singing and speech-language pathologists, but only trained in one of the fields. Preliminary recommendations for the fields include requiring standardized voice pedagogy training, funding more training and workshops, encouraging multi-disciplinary training, developing a certification process for singing teachers, and providing social-emotional training for voice experts.

ZRNIC Vedrana

Vedrana Zrnić completed her Master's degree at the Academy of Music (study of voice – performance and pedagogy track) and Master's degree at the Faculty of Economics, both of the University of Zagreb, Croatia. In addition to her regular education, she attended a number of seminars and master classes with renowned voice teachers including Marvin Keenze, Gerhard Zeller, Scott McCoy, Helena Lazarska. Her singing and pedagogical experiences are mostly gained in best amateur and professional ensembles in Croatia (e.g. Croatian Radiotelevision Choir), numerous solo concerts and in collaborations with renowned orchestras, conductors and musicians from Croatia and abroad. She is an active concert singer and voice teacher whose main passion is finding new creative approaches in the art of teaching.

Ana-Marija Jagodic Rukavina, a PhD student at the Faculty of Kinesiology of the University of Zagreb, studied Kinesiology at the Faculty of Kinesiology of the University of Zagreb, Croatia, and received her MA in 2004. 25 years ago, she created a new kinesiological activity under the name Body technique. She makes the most of her above-average creativity by coming up with new educational programs and new systems of exercise, as well as by combining the knowledge and experience gained through working with many clients into a holistic approach to helping people with various psychophysical imbalances. She is the founder and director of the PBS Centre of Sports Excellence and Kinesiology Academy of Body Technique.

Body & Voice

Singing, as a complex activity, requires multidimensional approach for better understanding and functioning. As for the physical part of engagement, singing activity involves more than 400 muscles. Therefore, in order to activate, tone, balance muscles and to achieve long-term sustainability of the singing apparatus, regular, complete and layered physical activity would be imperative. Besides that, connecting body, breath, mind and voice, in order to balance physical, emotional and mental state of the singer is also required. The exercise philosophy that covers all of the above is called Body Technique.

Body Technique (BT) was innovated in 1998. by Ana-Marija Jagodić Rukavina, Master of Kinesiology. The results of her work and the quality of the BT are evidenced by the fact that this technique has been taught at the Faculty of Kinesiology in Zagreb for years with professional, scientific, diploma and master's theses. All BT's exercises are therapeutic, and their source is in several well-known exercise techniques (classical Pilates, gymnastics, dance, Yoga), but again they are completely different from everything seen so far. The professional background of BT is confirmed by numerous researches and the master's thesis of the innovator of the technique.

Body&Voice is concept of Body Technique’s exercises specially made for singers. It is originated by Vedrana Zrnić, singer, voice teacher and instructor of BT (primarily for singers). Body&Voice is a result of interdisciplinary work of Ana-Marija Jagodić Rukavina and Vedrana Zrnić, created in their desire to open another helpful perspective for singers and voice teachers in their approach to singing.

The practical application of these excercises you will be able to feel for the first time on your body and voice in our workshop and the stronger effect after everyday 15min morning sessions: grounding in conjunction with deep body muscles forming a vertical body line optimally toned while not omitting horizontal body communication and thus forming a platform for flowing breath, optimal posture and movement in the service of voice functionality. This specific expression with movement that optimizes muscle tone from the inside out, enhances the overall charge and engagement of the vital capacities of the singer.