Singing Teachers Talk

Happy New Year! January is usually the time when we set resolutions for the year, but let’s face it, most of us aren’t going to see them through a couple of weeks, let alone a whole year. So this week on Singing Teachers Talk, Alexa and BAST founder Line Hilton discuss how to be more resilient in 2023, how you can improve resilience in your students, and what you can put in place to make sure you...

Joining Alexa today on Singing Teachers Talk is the Head Tutor of Singing at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, Michael Vickers. The experienced teacher, who also works in private practice with aspiring and professional performers, is here to talk about preparing singers for drama school auditions.  KEY MOMENTS ‘There are things I started teaching differently after having seen how panels wo...

Co-authors Lydia Hart and Stephen King are back on the podcast to talk about their recently published book, ‘Help! I’ve Got a Voice Problem’. A book which should belong on every singer and voice user’s bookshelf as well as on display in the voice teacher's studio; so that everyone has the opportunity to understand how voice problems can occur.   KEY MOMENTS ‘The book is dedicated to everyone...

Today’s guest is the Associate Professor of Voice and Theatre, Coordinator of Musical Theatre Voice Training and Artistic Director of the CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute of the Shenandoah Conservatory. He has written articles for the Journal of Singing and has contributed to The Manual of Singing Voice Rehabilitation by Leda Scearce and the So You Want to Sing series by NATS. Dr Matthew Edwards is on...

Today Alexa is joined by Robert ‘Bob’ Marks, a voice teacher, coach, conductor, arranger, author and director. His extensive career has seen him act as a musical director for over 200 productions and his clients have included Ariana Grande, Ricky Lake, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman, Britney Spears, and Ashley Tisdale. His writings have appeared in the Journal of Singing and he has recently...

Today we talk to laryngologist Declan Costello who, during the Covid-19 pandemic, helped coordinate research on the perceived dangers of aerosols and singing. A singer himself, Mr Costello is stationed at Wexham Park Hospital in Berkshire as a consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon specialising in voice disorders. KEY MOMENTS ‘General hay fever and stuffiness wouldn't necessarily mean I woul...

BAST has reached its 11th birthday, and to celebrate this milestone Line Hilton, founder of BAST, joins Alexa today on Singing Teachers Talk. Line is here to explain how BAST came about and the pros and cons of singing teacher qualifications. KEY MOMENTS ‘I never wanted to be a singing teacher trainer’ ‘There needs to be a lot more accountability out there for singing teachers who are working with...

Vocal Massage and Laryngeal Manual Therapist Kate Valentine is today’s guest. Kate, who runs her own treatment space called Valentine Voice Care, discusses how to spot the signs your student may have vocal health issues and how to prevent vocal injury. KEY MOMENTS ‘I used to just throw myself in without any real knowledge of what I was doing’  ‘We coexist with our voice in our body’  ‘I was frustr...

Today Alexa is joined by the founders of The Voice Collective, a voice studio that delivers coaching specialising in body voice connection, musical theatre, pop, rock, rough vocal effects, and cross genre. Cassi Mikat and William Pazdziora are on Singing Teacher’s Talk this week to tell you about the benefits of cross-genre training. KEY MOMENTS I love that. The neutral voice, finding out what fee...

In today’s episode, BAST trainer and founder, Line Hilton, returns to discuss the best vocal exercises for sick voices. Listen in to discover the differences between a sick voice and a well one. Line also explores the challenges of working with a student who is feeling below par, or post-operative. KEY MOMENTS ‘It's always good to have a second pair of ears’ ‘’Intrinsic muscles are quite deep...

Today's guest is a musician, song writer, singing coach, and business consultant to voice teachers known as ‘The Voicepreneur’ which is also the title of her very own podcast. Allie Tyler joins Alexa all the way from Colorado to give you advice on growing your teaching business. KEY MOMENTS ‘I don’t love the business side either!’ ‘Follow your curiosities, not your passions’  ‘I felt like I l...

This week Alexa is joined by a vocal coach, singer songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and artist developer who has worked with the likes of Justin Timberlake, the Dave Matthews Band, Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Lizzo, Kelly Clarkson, and Kelly Rowland. The list goes on. Robert ‘RAab’ Stevenson is on Singing Teachers Talk.   KEY MOMENTS   ‘I used to call her the vocal magician. She was able to do...

David Juncos is a clinical psychologist, author and performance coach who specialises in music performance anxiety. His treatment approach includes the use of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and he has presented his research on this subject on an international scale. He is a faculty member at the Voice Study Centre and his book, Act for Musicians: A Guide for Using Acceptance and Commitme...

Alexa’s guest today is Mark Peacock, the founder and managing director of Price Maker, a company that helps businesses improve their pricing. If you're considering raising your prices, or have a new service to offer and want to know how to price it, Mark is the expert to ask.  KEY MOMENTS ‘The myth I want to dispel is that increasing your prices is a scary thing’  ‘Be mindful of your competit...

Expert coach, sound healer, vocalist, author of Coaching for Performance Excellence , and host of The Soulfull Sound podcast, Simone Niles joins Alexa on Singing Teachers Talk. Simone's work includes empowering soul-driven creatives and entrepreneurs to generate meaning in their work and life.   🎁 Free Resource: Get your copy of How to Assess the Singer’s Voice with Confidence — a practical...

This week Alexa is joined by an author, educator, presenter, and vocal coach who specialises in teaching the child singer. She is the founder of Born 2 Sing Kids and mentors other voice teachers in working with this particular demographic. Dana Lentini joins us from New York to tell you all you need to know about teaching children to sing.  KEY MOMENTS I always want to grow and become a better ver...

This week’s guest has made it her mission to open up the conversation on mental health in the performing arts. Raffaella Covino has spent the past ten years working on the West End and internationally as a Dance Captain and Swing. She’s also the founder and director of Applause for thought which offers accessible mental health training and support to those in the entertainment industry. Raffaella...

Dr Jenevora Williams was the first singing teacher to be awarded a PHD in voice science in the UK and was awarded the BVA Van Lawrence prize for her outstanding contribution to voice research in 2010. Her research has taken her to subjects such as vocal health, performance anxiety, teaching young singers, and singing in the brain. Dr Jenevora Williams joins Alexa this week on Singing Teachers’ Tal...

This week Alexa is joined by a physical therapist, whose approach to manual therapy has evolved to consider bio-psychosocial influences, as well as incorporating shared decision making between clinician and patient, Walt Fritz. Walt is on Singing Teachers’ Talk today to tell you all about manual therapy. Check out the BAST Youtube channel to watch Walt work with Alexa, offering her a series of pat...

BAST founder Line Hilton joins Alexa this week to continue on from a discussion they had in Episode 62 - How to Choose the Best Vocal Exercises. This week the focus is on the larynx and finding the best vocal exercises for larynx stability.   KEY MOMENTS ‘Most singers don’t even realise they can control the height of their larynx’ ‘Ask your students to notice what’s happening while they’re singing...

Two guests for you today on the show, firstly it’s Kaya Herstad-Carney who is a BAST trainer and educational director for vocology in practice. Our second guest is Claire Cannon, lead vocalist for Flip and Fill and vocal coach specialising in advanced vocal techniques. The pair joined Alexa this week on Singing Teachers Talk to chat about becoming a vocology in practice authorised teacher.    KEY...

Joining us today is the founder of the Singing for Health Network who has worked in music for wellbeing and music education for over 20 years. She is the director of the charity Music for Good and holds a masters degree in vocal pedagogy through the Voice Study Centre, where she is now a senior lecturer. Emily Foulkes joins Alexa this week on Singing Teachers Talk about singing for trauma and the...

This week's guest is Kim Chandler, a renowned contemporary vocal coach and session singer who teaches professional singers from her studio in Marbella. Her career as a performer has seen her provide vocals for TV and film and she often presents workshops for teachers of voice. Kim has also created the Funky'n'Fun vocal exercise series and a curriculum poster used by fellow contempor...

Something a bit different this week as Alexa is joined by two guests. Cat Ogden is a singer and vocal coach who specialises in singing for mental health and wellbeing, and she is alongside founder of Sing Now, Sarah Joyce. As you’ll see from the episode title, congratulations are in order as both guests on Singing Teachers Talk are expecting, so the topic of conversation today is all around unders...

Dr Felix Graham is a New York based performer, teacher, conductor and author, who has presented globally on the subject of gender, trans voice, and inclusion. He is also the musical director for New York’s first transgender singing ensemble. Felix joins Alexa this week to talk all about training transgender voices.  KEY MOMENTS ‘It’s a warm safe environment where we can be creative’  ‘Inclusive is...