VocalFri Podcast

#VocalFam this is one we all need to hear. Dr. Maria Maxfield (CU Alum - Sko Buffs!) shares her research investigating touch in the voice studio. She surveyed over one hundred singers about their experiences with touch by their teacher. Topics included consent, non-consent, efficacy, and a whole bunch of ethics. Maria previously published an article in Journal of Singing titled " Physical Touch in...

#VocalFam, a truly unique episode this week. We hosted this past summer's NATS National Best Poster Winner Dr. Karina Lago Disdier to share her work both as a blind singer on operatic stages leading to her dissertation. That work was shared in her poster last summer about teaching a blind singer staging. An important episode for all of us involved in singing and stage performance. 

Whitney updates us on ongoing lab activities of the Berton Coffin Voice Lab, as the longitudinal altitude study gets under way. Some interesting preliminary reporting on what singers think they are doing with their breathing physiology. Come join Prof. Pigott, Dr. Del Simone, Prof. South, Whitney, and Dr. P!

#VocalFam we are back for season 10!!! New season, new guests, new co-hosts, new jobs, new houses, new labs, all the things! Dr. P, Prof. Pigott, Dr. Del Simone, and Whitney broke down the summer that was. Great times were had by all at NATS National in San Antonio. Sarah breaks down her Broadway shows from the summer. And we lay out some pop culture reviews. Come join us for season 10!

This week Dr. Del Simone and soon to be Prof. South were back with Prof. Pigott and Dr. P to share with the #VocalFam the first annual Berton Coffin Voice Lab report. Here all about our technology journey of the past two years and our velopharyngeal opening project from this year as well as a preview of next year!

This week VocalFri was joined by regular guests Kayla Gautereaux, Ian Howell, and Theodora Nestorova for a discussion of the current state of AI models and the voice practitioner. Even over the past year AI models have progressed in many ways that are making it more inevitable that you will likely somehow interact with them. We share some insights into how we are using the models, the ethical use...

So terrific to have our friend Noel Smith back on the pod! She shared with us about 2 new books! The Path to Broadway: Tools, Training, and Tactics for the Musical Theater Journey has been receiving rave reviews in its first few months of availability. Noel has launced many pro MT careers, so this is one to have for yourself as an aspiring singer or as a voice teacher. She also just released the f...

VocalFam, come join us in San Antonio in July! This year the NATS National Conference is in beautiful San Antonio, TX July 4-7. Joining us today to share all the highlights of the conference were NATS President Alexis Davis-Hazell, NATS President Elect Randall Umstead, and our new NATS Executive Director Melissa Greenblatt. So many great offerings are in store for us from concerts to presentations...

#VocalFam today Prof. Pigott and Dr. P were joined by Kathy and Jonathan Price to tell us about the 2026 Westminster Choir College Vocal Pedagogy Institute . Along with the Price's as directors, this year's guest faculty includes Jared Trudeau, Wendy LeBorgne, and Dr. P! Here all about the history and proceedings of this year's institute. Another terrific continuing education opportunity for this...

#VocalFam you've waited 9 years for an episode dedicated to vocal distortions, well here it is! Toni Linke , @toni_linke_music (IG), @ToniLinke (YouTube) joins us to share his work on vocal distortions, which has become one of his international identities. Toni has shared his work throughout the world with a robust online following thanks to his work on Rough Vocal Effects and distortions. We walk...

This week Prof. Pigott and Dr. P were joined by Dr. Mark Tempesta. Mark is Assistant Professor of Voice and Vocal Pedagogy at the University of North Texas. We learned about Mark's singing journey and dual art and science background. He shared how he got started collaborating and interested in CVT, which you could hear more about from this season's earlier episode with Mathias Aaen. Dr. Tempesta s...

#VocalFam! We had an exciting and informative episode this week as Prof. Pigott, Benjamin, and Dr. P were joined by Dr. Marita Stryker and Joanne Bozeman to discuss their research into singing and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS), and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD). Joining Dr. Stryker were her students Hailey Guptail, Wilson Lindberg, Emma Ma...

This week Prof. Pigott and Dr. P hosted Lynn Helding, John Nix, and Allen Henderson, the directors of the NATS Science Informed Voice Pedagogy Institute. Now in the 4th year of the institute, our guests updated on many aspects for one of this summer's great continuing education opportunities. https://www.nats.org/Science-Informed_Pedagogy_Institute.html  

Prof. Pigott and Dr. P were joined for their annual chat with Embodied Music Lab's Dr. Ian Howell. EML is in the process of launching several courses ranging from the online version of their Acoustic Vocal Pedagogy Workshop to a new Optimizing Online Music Lessons and a third course on The Reflective Studio Music Teacher which will launch later this spring. If you enjoyed Dr. Kelly's episode from...

This week Prof. Pigott and Dr. P hosted Zipporah Peddle an Paul Patinka, the new associate editors of the Journal of Singing "Diverse Voices" column. As a pair they have authored several papers analyzing the composers that our repertoire represents and how we can be more inclusive in our repertoire selection as teachers. A fantastic conversation as you explore repertoire for your spring semester.

#VocalFam, Happy 2026! To kick off the new year Prof. Pigott, Alice, and Dr. P hosted Matt Edwards, Aaron Johnson, and Denis Michael Rudisch to discuss their article " Investigating Vocal Tract Configurations Across Different Belting Qualities in Female and Male Musical Theater Singers Using Real-Time Dynamic MRI, " which was published in Journal of Voice last April. This episode is a great exampl...

The 9th annual VocalFri Christmas episode, our sequel to last year's Wicked Part 1 review, our Wicked: For Good review. This was also a special reunion episode. Dr. P and Prof. Pigott were joined again by Dr. P's kids, Charlie and Olivia, but also a surprise visit by original podcast co-host Michael, who joined us for the first time since VocalFri Christmas VI. We gave our overall impressions, cov...

#VocalFam, what an incredible conversation to start your December! This week Prof. Pigott and Dr. P were joined by the author Dave Maass and illustrator Patrick Lay of the Graphic Novel Death Strikes , along with CU grad students Alice Del Simone (as a guest), Andrew Konopak. This summer Alice and Andy had the chance to perform the Viktor Ullmann opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis with the Colorado Mah...

This week Alice and Dr. P were joined by Dr. Michaela Kelly to discuss her dissertation work and Journal of Singing article "The Composition of a Voice Lesson: How a Motor Learning Classification Framework Affects Teacher Effectiveness." This was a wonderful chat full of ideas of how to freshen up your teaching, continue towards student centeredness, and avoid burnout. Definitely check out the art...

This week Prof. Pigott and Dr. P were joined by Joanna Cazden , a noted Speech Language Pathologist and voice teacher to share about her new edition of Everyday Voice Care , ( Amazon link ). The book presents a holistic view for the reader on how to keep their voice healthy, what to look out for in terms of the need to see a doctor, and approaches all of its topics through a multi-faceted lens. Th...

Today Prof. Pigott and Dr. P were joined by Dr. Anne Slovin to discuss her dissertation work on disability informed practices in our teaching. It is vital that we all become more informed about best practices for how to be aware for our students in the classroom and voice studio. Creating an accommodating environment for all should be a goal that every teacher is striving to do. Please check out A...

#VocalFam, this week Prof. Pigott, Alice, and Dr. P were joined by an esteemed group of colleagues including Devin Dolquist, Victoria Vargas, Shayna Isaacs, and André Chiang to discuss their Journal of Voice article "The Bound Breath: Transmasculine and Gender Nonconforming Singers' Perceived Effects of Chest Binding on Singing." This affirming episode shares the results of their survey on singers...

Professor Gautereaux joins the 5-timers club. Longtime #VocalFam Kayla Gautereaux joined us for an awesome chat about how she is using the framework of the scientific method in the applied voice studio both for current voice teachers and for training voice teachers. This episode demonstrates Prof. G's wonderful mastery of conceptualizing new models that enhance voice teaching beyond the mentor/app...

A Fall VocalFri in house. Dr. P catches us up on his upcoming Faculty Tuesday recital titled "Amok Time," and catches Sarah up on the ongoing tech upgrades and updates for the Berton Coffin Voice Lab at CU. A great chat to enjoy on Fall hike this weekend!

#VocalFam this is a must listen for those of you who are either interested in voice registration or who want to know more about Complete Vocal Technique (CVT). Today, Alice, Sarah, and Dr. P were joined by Dr. Mathias Aaen, a certified CVT voice teacher, but also the head of CVT's voice research efforts. Mathias has already put together quite the significant output of research articles, presentati...