VocalFri Podcast

Longtime #VocalFam Dr. Ian Howell of the  Embodied Music Lab joins the pod for the first appearance in some time to tell us about his journey through a new (really old?) lens of voice acoustics. Both Dr. P and Dr. Howell come from a background of the traditional source-filter theory (solid state theory) of voice production, but for the past many months Ian has begun speaking publicly about a refra...

In the old yuletide tradition Michael rejoins us for our sixth annual Christmas special covering a bit of this year's pop culture favorites. We share our favorite all-time Christmas movies or specials and review the new Will Ferrell/Ryan Reynolds/Pasik & Paul musical retelling of a Christmas Carol: Spirited.  We cap off the year with our final thoughts on MCU Phase 4 which finished up with Wakanda...

#VocalFam this was one of our favorite conversations ever! What an incredible journey that Noel Smith, singer, songwriter, voice teacher, and author has had! One of the industries leading pop and Broadway singing teachers, this episode about Noel's journey and her new book  Teach Voice Make Money is pure joy. 

#VocalFam! Here is your chance! Your opportunity to make an impact in the lives of young singers and teachers of singing. VocalFri is proud to partner with NATS to bring you this #GivingTuesday event to sponsor the NATS Intern Program. Joining Sarah and Dr. P on the panel were familiar faces Liliana Guerrero, John Nix, Karen Brunssen, along with first time guest Douglas Carpenter. Each has their o...

Such a great conversation with Nancy Bos! Nancy's first time on the pod in 2022 was for our Singing Through Change episode back in April, but this was our first chance just to feature her alone. We heard about her touching journey through performance anxiety which led to her recent Ted Talk. Learn more about Nancy and find the link to her Ted Talk at https://nancybos.me/ and check out her publishi...

VocalFam! Sarah and Dr. P give an update on how the Southern Region NATS conference went this weekend. Also, Dr. P updates us on how the NATS Science Informed syllabus has gone up to this point in the semester. Oh, and by the way, major spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever follow! A major emotional journey. Marvel's best work since Endgame.

#VocalFam, we were joined by a wonderful panel to hear more about collaborations, initiatives, and relationships being developed globally to support voice teachers. Our panel included former NATS President Karen Brunssen, EVTA President Susan Yarnell Monks, NATS International Region Governor Sarah Holman, Bronwen Forbary who played an important role in forming the new NATS South Africa Chapter, an...

VocalFri is joined by Elizabeth Benson to discuss her book Training Contemporary Commercial Singers. A great conversation about her journey from classical singer to contemporary voice teacher. Her book combined pedagogic philosophies from many leading experts from across the the globe and varying generations of contemporary voice teachers. An important text for all of us teaching multiple styles o...

Our spoiler ridden review of Rings of Power. We even brought in a Tolkien aficionado in the form of Sauron...we mean Jamey, Sarah's husband. 

Maybe you really can skip to the good part? Every time we talk about acoustics, we find our audience wants application before they understand theory or other information. And maybe, just maybe Dr. P figured out how to do that this semester in pedagogy with a new chart. We break it down and review She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

We are joined by fellow NATSCast Podcast Network host Nikki Loney of Full Voice Music and the Full Voice Podcast. https://www.fullvoicemusic.com/ Nikki shares a bit about her joint session from last summer at NATS National on teaching singing to kids, her background from jazz singer to independent studio owner, and the journey and development of Full Voice Music, an absolutely vital resource if yo...

A unique episode if there ever was one! This week, Sarah and Dr. P discussed their reactions to the voice pedagogy students' "Breathing Philosophy Podcasts." A great opportunity to hear some of the ways our students think, react to lecture or reading material, and synthesize information. And also an opportunity to hear things they have not yet connected. The in class experiment was a great learnin...

A very special episode #VocalFam! You've been hearing us talk about the NATS Science-Informed Voice Pedagogy Resources, but now hear it from the überlords themselves. We were joined by Lynn Helding, John Nix, and Allen Henderson, the co-chairs who organized and oversaw the creation of this entire resource. You can view the resources we discuss here . Also there are two great articles mentioned dur...

If you are here for the hard hitting voice pedagogy news...COME BACK NEXT WEEK! Seriously, we have a huge episode that will drop on Friday. But THIS WEEK...we needed to cover all the big trailers and announcements that dropped at D23 today. Special guests Charlie and Olivia join Sarah and Dr. P to break it all down. And for some strange reason Charlie's mic has an echo. And we are sorry. But somet...

Season 6 is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a better way to kick off our 6th season than with recurring guest stars Professor Yvonne Redman and Dr. Joshua Glasner. This summer Dr. P joined them in a session for NATS National about utilizing the flipped classroom model in voice pedagogy classes to improve learning outcomes. We are thankful for the #VocalFam coming along for the ride as we move into...

Our summer special! We cover our time at NATS National Conference at #NATSChicago2022 including favorite sessions and some big announcements that were made.  The rest of the episode is our summer pop culture reviews in 5:00 lightning round segments. 19:30 Stranger Things season 4 24:52 Ms. Marvel season 1 31:16 Umbrella Academy season 3 36:00 Top Gun: Maverick 39:34 Thor Love and Thunder 44:45 Ken...

Did we like Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Magic? Do we like the direction of the MCU? Are we mad about season 2 of Star Trek: Picard? How about the announcement of the 14th Doctor on Doctor Who? We answer all these burning questions on our unofficial season 5 finale.

VocalFri is joined by part of the team from Lyric Theatre at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign including Julie Gunn, Sarah Wigley, and our dear friend Yvonne Redman! We discuss the genesis of their Lyric Theatre BMA degree, how it started, how it functions, and the sorts of outcomes it has. An important message for all of us training students in multiple styles. And admit #VocalFam, aren...

#VocalFam, we got your weekend update news. In this episode we covered Moon Knight, Doctor Who Easter special, Secrets of Dumbledore, and our preview of Doctor Strange. We've decided neither of us have no idea what that movie is going to be about, but if you want some Illuminati hype and knowledge before the movie comes out on Thursday, we got your back!

The #VocalFam is joined by the team behind many great contemporary musical theatre projects, Laura Josepher and David Sisco. Together they are the driving force behind so many great resources including https://contemporarymusicaltheatre.com/ , Mastering College Musical Theatre Auditions, and their newest book Performing in Contemporary Musicals! If you teach musical theater students or have anythi...

VocalFri is joined by Nancy Bos, Joanne Bozeman, and Cate Frazier-Neely to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of their seminal book Singing Through Change. Such an important message regarding women's health, particularly as it applies to the singing voice community. Be sure to check out their virtual conference Celebrate Singing Live which will take place next weekend. You'll find a discount code menti...

Speech Language Pathologist Lori Sonnenberg joins us for the 3rd time(!) for an important episode on destigmatizing voice health and voice injury. A must hear episode for anyone involved in the singing community from teacher to singer to practitioner. Always a thrill to have Lori on the pod. 

@LyricStageMC's production of Godspell opened last night to rave reviews. We recap the premiere, update this week's undergrad ped practicum, and run down what we've been binging. Also, Sarah and Dr. P announce an all-start line up of guest episodes to come in April and May to finish out season 5!

Sarah and Dr. P are reminded that sometimes, being given an opportunity to try a new sound as a singer can take us out of ourselves and help us make more efficient noises. Which is sometimes uncomfortable at first. Happy Friday #VocalFam!

Dr. P and Sarah hash out the changes and evolution that Dr. P's ped classes have taken over the last 15 years. From re-creating opera singers 15 years ago, to now having fully incorporated contemporary styles into every class, this was so much fun to consider what it means to teach voice pedagogy in 2022.