Vocal Health Toolkit

Sunday 13th April 2025

Twilight, online training sessions for anyone working with singers, either in the community or in the classroom

Each session includes 75 minutes of training, plus 15 minutes for discussion.

All the live sessions were recorded and are now available to book - find out more about each session below.

Individual Sessions: £15/session, (£10/session abcd members)

Full series: buy all four sessions for £50, (£30 abcd members).

Find out more about joining abcd here.

Links to the recorded sessions are sent out manually, along with any additional resources. Please allow 2-3 days after booking - we are a tiny team.

Session 1 - Working with Young Voices with Olivia Sparkhall

Choir directors are often the first port of call for a young singer when they encounter a problem with their voice but it's not always easy to know what to say. This session will equip you to offer up-to-date advice but, even more importantly, will teach you how to work with children to keep their voices healthy as they go through puberty. We'll look at whether it's worth doing vocal warm-ups and cool-downs, what sort of difference staying hydrated can make, and whether it's alright to eat dairy on the day of a concert. In this session, Olivia Sparkhall will cover some vocal anatomy and explain what to look out for with teens going through voice-change, how the monthly cycle can affect girls, and how to help boys through the different stages of their vocal development.

Session 2 - Working in the Classroom with Charles MacDougall

Drawing on his extensive experience of supporting the development of teachers to lead whole school singing, Dr Charles Béquignon-MacDougall returns to abcd to guide us through vocal health for teachers and students in the classroom. The session will explore healthy practices for ensuring vocal longevity and cover exercises for developing vocal stamina, identify some of the most common vocal issues when it comes to school singing and the problems sometimes experienced by those leading it, and offer practical solutions and approaches to use the very next day.

Session 3 - Vocal Health for Amateur Choirs and their conductors with Joanna Tomlinson

Conductor and Vocal Coach Joanna Tomlinson leads a session for amateur singers and choral directors on how to look after your voice. We will not only look at day-to-day vocal health, but also consider what to do if there's a vocal problem. We'll look at exercises and how to sing well in rehearsals to protect your voice. We will also consider how conducting gesture affects the way the singers use their voice.

Session 4 - Managing Voice Changes in the mature singer with Dr Jenevora Williams

In this training session, Dr Jenevora Williams will outline the changes in the voice as singers move through into their golden years; help your singers to learn about how to reduce effort and increase stamina, how to maintain a healthy singing voice for a lifetime, and how to avoid vocal illness and injury. Get the best results from your choir with expert advice on healthy voice use, coupled with some simple exercises and vocal awareness to help your singers.

Choral Conducting: An Introductory Guide Part Two
9am - 1pm, online Tutor: Amy Bebbington (find out more about Amy here). This half-day online course is for all those who want to learn about the foundations of choral leadership, and would suit those who have attended previous Choral Conducting: An Introductory Guide events. It will cover key topics such as: Independence of hand
Sat 22nd Mar 2025>
Sing Out! an upper voice singing day with Suzzie Vango
10am - 4.30pm, Lyttleton Theatre, Birmingham and Midlands Institute, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham, B3 3BS We're delighted to be hosting our Midlands singing day in the heart of Birmingham with Suzzie Vango! Suzzie's successful career has taken her all over the UK and internationally, working with professional and amateur organisations,
Sat 29th Mar 2025>
Birmingham Conducting Weekend
5th and 6th April 2025, 9.30am - 4.30pm, Bramall Music Building, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT Tutors: Sarah Tenant-Flowers, Liz Garnett and Lucy Hollins Join us for our new weekend training course format - two days of practical conducting training, at two levels, Initial and Intermediate, including podium time for all participants.
Sat 5th Apr 2025 - Sun 6th Apr 2025>