Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast VocalFri Podcast

Season 8 concludes with a message of hope. During the first 20 minutes we encouraged the #VocalFam to give singers, voice teachers, and our entire community some grace and understanding after last week's Cynthia Erivo video situation. Then, Dr. P encouraged us, despite the times, to work to build student resilience by incorporating more hopefulness into our pedagogy. Prof. Pigott and Dr. P would like to thank you the VocalFam for 8 great years! See you in August.

#VocalFam, today we are joined by Dr. Emily Siar to discuss her dissertation research surveying and interviewing singers who have been through voice health issues. Removing the stigma around voice health has been a VocalFri mission for many years now. Please check out Emily's website, linked above, and the BoCo Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop, where Emily is on the faculty. 

We had our first in house episode in a few months with Prof. Pigott, Dr. P, and Alice. We finally got a report on Little Women from Sarah. We covered how Sarah and Nick's undergrad practicum are going this semester. Then we had a lively conversation about graduate practicum that led into the difference between knowledge curation and knowledge creation as it relates to graduate theses and dissertations. Come join the #VocalFam!

Today Dr. P and Alice were joined by Prof.s Theresa Brancaccio (Northwestern University) and Aaron Johnson (New York University - Langone) to share about their ongoing efforts developing a wearable, wireless vocal dosimeter. Their partnership with Dr. John Rogers has led to the development of a device that could provide active voice use data to a user with a wearable device through an app on their mobile device or watch. A very exciting development for researchers, clinicians, and professional voice users needing to track voice use and other biometrics. Check it out!

Today we were joined by longtime #VocalFam Ian Howell to preview his new book Hearing Singing: A Guide to Functional Listening and Voice Perception. Dr. P has already made a public endorsement of this book, but trust us that this book is both revolutionary and practical. Ian presents a functional framework that can open your ears to listen to all singing genres through a new lens. The book also contains Dr. Howell's first writing sharing some of his own pedagogic concepts of singing and voice teaching. A must have for your voice bookshelf. 

This week we are joined by Joanne Bozeman to share about Hypermobility. What it is, how do symptoms present, and what do singers and singing teachers need to know. Hypermobility is a brand new topic for the pod, and we are excited to share this important topic with the #VocalFam!

We are joined by longtime #VocalFam Dr. Chadley Ballantyne to tell us about his work with modular units for voice lessons. We've wanted to do this episode for a long time. Chadley's strategies and approaches could help you with burnout, fatigue, and give your teaching the much needed refresh you've been seeking.

It's a deep dive into everyone's favorite range: middle voice! C4-C5 can be a wonderful or gnarly journey depending on vowel, style, the weather, or the phase of the moon. Join Prof. Pigott and Dr. P for a serious in-depth, focused pedagogy episode on navigating the choppy waters of the treble staff!

It's our first old school VocalFri of the season. Prof. Pigott and Dr. P were going to discuss middle voice musings, but that is now pushed to Feb. 7. Instead, we got lost in a conversation about our respective pedagogy practicum courses. This led to our first very down to earth practical pedagogic conversation maybe all season. Enjoy your weekend #VocalFam!

Join us for a new year as season 8 rolls on! Today we were joined by Seth Killen from Anderson University to talk about new paradigms for voice lesson grading. Seth shared work that he presented last summer at NATS National. He has offered to share this model with the #VocalFam for reference. A perfect conversation as those of us in the academy are finishing spring semester preparations. Cheers for a prosperous 2025!

It's a Wicked VocalFri Christmas! VocalFri is joined by Dr. P's teenagers who are now musical theater nerds in the truest sense to review Wicked: Part 1. Come enjoy some holiday festivities as you travel to this season. May your holiday season be filled with love, light, and rest. Happy Holidays #VocalFam!

#VocalFam we are joined for our Fall Finale with the great Kerrie Obert! Please check out all her wonderful courses from GetVocal-Now.com, including her own course on Breathing. In Kerrie's return episode she shared incredible practical and useful ideas for helping your teaching navigate away from a "one size fits all" model for breathing towards helping your students navigate respiration as they need to for a specific style. 

Dr. P and Prof. Pigott are joined by #VocalFam Dana Lentini as we continue to try be more inclusive in our pedagogy with an episode about teaching kids! Dana is one of the worldwide leaders in teaching singing to children. Go check out her book Teaching the Child Singer, and her new songbook. These are must haves if your studio includes children. 

We are coming back to Dr. P's original research agenda! Our first in house episode in a few months. Prof. Pigott, Dr. P, and CU grad Benjamin break down some history, research, and the CU team's new directions on Musical Theater treble singing and nasality.

What a crew!!!! Today we were joined by #VocalFam Theodora Nestorova, Yvonne Redman, John Nix, and Joshua Glasner to drop some knowledge on Vibrato! They have a great NATS Chat last season on this topic and led a pre-conference workshop last summer at NATS that was terrific! If you are interested in that mysterious aspect of singing that is Vibrato - this is the episode for YOU!

VocalFam, Prof. Pigott was out today, but fret not, we had a great panel with International Congress of Voice Teachers' Program Chair Kari Ragan, NATS Executive Director Allen Henderson, and ICVT-Toronto site host Darryl Edwards. We got to hear previews of the many offerings Toronto has to offer as a city, the wonderful plenary sessions, and even got to hear more about some specifics of the concurrent session presentations. It will be a great conference, and we hope to see you next summer in Toronto. Early bird pricing is available until April 1, and there is a student price as well. Be sure to register early and set a flight tracker to save on airfare.

Our dear friend Ken Bozeman returns for his 3rd feature episode. Ken has been touring the world discussing pedagogic concepts that have transformed his teaching. Dr. P and Prof. Pigott are so thankful for Ken's mentorship and friendship because many of these concepts also transformed their own teaching. We cover emotive affect, acoustic registration, bright vs. dark somatosensory awareness, and Howell's contributions of auditory roughness and absolute spectral tone color. What an incredible, jam-packed hour. 

This week Dr. P and Prof. Pigott were joined by Dr. Luciano Simões in a great episode to bring some international awareness to the #VocalFam. We learn all about his background growing up as a rock singer in Brazil, and how he transitioned from classical baritone to vocal cross-trainer. Lots of wonderful insight into some lesser known (in the U. S. anyway) Brazilian music as well. Always terrific to have a nice sci-fi chat at the end of episode with a fellow pop-culture nerd. 

Playlist mentioned in episode: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtQTg3CsLSRkDC_Wj9BdUAXRO9HUUBnhX 

#VocalFam we are in for a treat this week! Prof. Pigott, Dr. P, and the CU TAs were joined by Dr. David Juncos and Dana Zenobi to discuss their research on Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) Administered by Singing Teachers as a Tool for Mananging Music Performance Anxiety. You can read more about this is Dave's book ACT for Musicians. Or for a more instructive deep dive you can attend his next Voice Study Centre Course with more info here. To learn more about Dana you can go back to her first episode. 

#VocalFam we have entered a new VocalFri era with not only our first great guest episode of season 8, but also our first ever episode with our first two CU grad students along for the ride. This week we were thrilled to have Dr. Kimberly Monzón from Baylor University on the pod to discuss her work on AFAB singers and singing through hormonal cycles. Such great advice and wisdom for any voice teacher. Read more about Dr. Monzón on her website. 

We meant to talk about nasality today, then Prof. Pigott saw Dr. P's white board in his office. We ended up discussing learning outcomes for a DMA degree in Vocal Ped./Perf. Oops. So, we ask you the #VocalFam: If YOU wanted to do a DMA, what would YOU want to be able to do by the end of it?

This week Prof. Pigott and Dr. P take a hypothetical journey as they dream what voice juries could look like, if they just started everything over. A really great discussion for those of you revising syllabi or program requirements. Dream the future, be kind, prepare students for success. Have a great weekend #VocalFam!

So much has changed in so little time. #VocalFam Season 8 is upon us, and WHAT A LINEUP we have planned for you this season. Prof. Pigott and Dr. P catch up on Prof. Pigott's teaching of Voice Pedagogy, Dr. P updates us on his transition to Director of Vocal Pedagogy at CU Boulder, and we preview our great guest list for Season 8! We also tossed in a quick Dr. P's quick Deadpool review for those who were waiting for it. This season is going to be spectacular!

Season 7 comes to a close! Today we started preparing Sarah for her TEACHING of Voice Pedagogy in the Fall Semester. More to come on that, but it led us to discuss the working chapter titles for Dr. P's book. Yes, he's finally making a the huge mistake of committing to writing a book. He really needs to reconsider his life choices. In the end a fun time was had by all. Come join the #VocalFam as we close out our seventh year together. 

Dr. P and Sarah address this week's controversial Ian Bostridge performance where he stopped mid song cycle to ask the audience to put down their phones and turn off the flash functions. It was a varied and weaving conversation with two sort of opposite perspectives. In the end, the take home point was, be courteous, consider others, and let's get audience members in seats. Join us.

The #VocalFam is joined by the Sparks and Wiry Cries duo of Martha Guth and Erika Switzer to talk about their joint art song centered project. They share about the importance of diversifying your career as a performing artist and how they both landed in the realm of art song. Also they share about Song Slams. Dr. P and Sarah had the chance to attend the Song Slam in Chicago at NATS National. If one comes to a city near you, do NOT miss it! A truly invigorating creative experience. 

NATS President Diana Allan and President-Elect Alexis Davis-Hazell join us to preview the upcoming NATS National Conference in Knoxville from June 28-July 2. Please consider joining us for all the tremendous activities, sessions, and  information this upcoming summer!

Coming off of Dr. P's recent faculty search and interview process Sarah was curious to hear more about what the job search process is like in 2024. Dr. P shares some thoughts on the overall academic music job market (the bleak part), followed by some recommendations for those applying for positions, and finally some hopefulness about why you still might consider pursuing graduate degrees in voice.

One of our VocalFri philosophies has always been not getting caught up on what terminology we use, as long as we can define and describe how we are using those words. We discussed this on an older episode, but we've seen a lot of recent posts regarding terminology and it seemed like a good time to revisit this topic. An interesting, winding conversation.

Sarah and Dr. P dove into various perspectives of repertoire selection in teaching classical, musical theater, and contemporary styles. Dr. P had revised his graduate repertoire for teaching course last fall and we finally had a chance to break it down. We did some life updates first. Rep discussions begins around the 15:00 minute mark.

#VocalFam we are back! Today's a special episode for a few reasons. First, we start with a pretty big announcement for the podcast.

Then, we are joined by esteemed guests Dr. Pasquale Bottalico, Dr. Joshuas Glasner, and Yvonne Redman to discuss their multiple studies investigating how room acoustics impact a singer's experience in a space. Any singer will tell you that they feel differently singing in various venues. This team is finally giving us data to support why that occurs. This is a conversation you MUST hear!

VocalFri's 7th Christmas Special! This year's special is a little different. Typically we just cover 1 pop culture happening for our holiday cheer, but this year Sarah and Dr. P finally covered their lean, mean, and green production of Carmen. How could  a small music department present such a large masterwork? Listen and find out, then tune in on Thursday for our two premieres of the Carmen film noirs. https://youtu.be/wfgOw29b8vE?feature=shared

Stick around to hear our review of the 3 Doctor Who Christmas specials. Come join the #VocalFam...at Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

Sarah and Dr. P are back from maternity leave! Well, at least Sarah is; Perna never left. The #VocalFam is joined by longtime friend of the pod Dr. Ian Howell to discuss his new book Advice for Young Musicians which is a perfect last minute holiday gift for any musician in your life. Hear some of our deepest insights ever as we explore not only Ian's book, but the music industry, the career paths of musicians, academic music, technology, and life lessons. The book is not only a perfect holiday gift, but this episode is a great listen for your holiday travel. Don't wait until your travelling on December 24th to buy the book. Amazon is fast. Not that fast. Buy the book here.

#VocalFam Theodora Nestorova returns to the pod to tell us more about her work at McGill during her PhD and their new inter- and intra-disciplinary Applied Performance Sciences Hub, housed within the Schulich School of Music at McGill University in  Montreal. Theodora led us in a lively discussion about the need to diversify our possible career directions for singers and musicians. We also got a taste of the LEAP Initiative they have started through the collaborations at APS Hub. 

Soprano, Laura Strickling joins the #VocalFam to tell us about her journey into the world of singing of art song. We hear about her multiple collaborations with composers leading up to her new album 40@40 that just dropped. Laura was able to commission 40 composers for 40 new art songs for her 40th birthday. The first 20 songs appear on her recent album, available from all major vendors including Amazon. Look for a compendium published version of the songs later this winter. Learn more at https://www.laurastrickling.com/ 

Old school VocalFri with Dr. P on a soapbox about Functional vs. Task Specific voice training. If you'd like to hear two voice teachers talking about voice teaching, here's your weekly addition! Come join the #VocalFam!

#VocalFam! Season 7 is here! What a better way to kick off a new season than with 3 great guests to discuss the largest ever expansion of the NATS National Student Auditions. NATS has more than doubled the categories that students can now enter for these great audition opportunities. Here more from Alisa Belflower, NATS Vice President for Auditions, Karen Brunssen, NATS Past President and chair of the Children and Youth categories committee, and Noel Smith, NATS New England Region Governor and chair of the CM categories committee. There has never been a more inclusive time to join NATS or to join the #VocalFam! See you out there in audition land friends. Learn more about the NSA Expansion at https://www.nats.org/national_student_auditions.html

Dropping this one a bit early #VocalFam! Get ready for Season 7!!!!!!!

-Sarah tells us about her NATS Intern Experience

-We talk a little bit about planned guests for the upcoming Fall season

-Briefly we discuss the current state of the performing arts given developments over the Summer

-We quickly cover the Summer Blockbuster season that was.

Come join the #VocalFam! Season 7 premiere drops September 1 just in time for your Labor Day holiday.

Dr. P and Sarah's spoiler ridden review of Guardians of the Galaxy: Mixtape Volume 3 is actually about singing? Mabye? Or was this an episode about being a human? Is this movie about being a human? Join us and find out! But go watch the movie first.

Whoa! This one got a little deep. Sarah, Liz, and Dr. P dive into some heavy discussions for a Friday morning. We all want to do our absolute best for our students, but is there a time you need to realize you are working harder than the student? We also took a strange trip into how we think the profession evaluates our success as voice teachers. Of course we have some recent pop culture news at the end. A true old school VocalFri!

We were thrilled to be joined by one of today's most promising up and coming researchers in the field of voice, Theodora Nestorova. She shared her journey so far through the world of voice and voice science, and then we all shared a bit of a deep dive on vibrato. Theodora is working on her Interdisciplinary PhD at McGill University and has some really exciting work that she is doing examining variability in vibrato. Many great things to come and a name to watch! Check it out! Learn more about her at https://www.theodoranestorova.com/ 

#VocalFam! The guest episode train keeps rolling with a fantastic conversation with Amanda Flynn. (https://www.amandaflynnvoice.com/) We hear Amanda's journey as performer with some musical called Wicked...I've never heard of it...to her work as a Broadway voice coach and Van Lawrence Fellowship awardee. We also got to hear about her own online voice pedagogy courses, and most importantly, her new book, the 2nd edition of the So You Want to Sing Musical Theatre! Such a great resource for any musical theatre singer or voice teacher. A must listen!

Three longtime #VocalFam join us to preview this summer's upcoming Acoustic Vocal Pedagogy Workshop. Hear from Ken Bozeman, Ian Howell, and Chadley Ballentyne what you can expect in both in-person (July 31-August 4, Ann Arbor Michigan, USA) and online formats for their seminal continuing education program. Read more here. 

#VocalFam you guessed it! Its finally Kangin' time! Join Sarah and Dr. P hanging out down in the Quantum Realm as we unpack Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania! A tiny time was had by all. 

What a treat to have Dana Zenobi with us to tell us about her innovative methods for teaching vocal diction. She has been incorporating spectrograms into her diction classes. A wonderful and creative prospect. Hear more about Dana's journey along the voice world as well. Find out more about her here.

We kick off episode 201 with a preview of the Summer Vocology Institute with distinguished guests Ingo Titze, Lynn Maxfield, and Brian Manternach. Are you considering summer continuing education opportunities? Are you interested in the science, pedagogy, and performance aspects of voice? This is the program for you! Learn all about SVI's history, its "blocks," and its All Star faculty. The deadline for summer 2023 is rapidly approach so don't delay! Learn more at https://vocology.utah.edu/svi/index.php. 

#VocalFam we've officially been together for 200 episodes!!! Very hard to believe. Thank you to each of our #VocalFam who sent us shoutouts! Tune in to hear from many favorite guests from the past 5 1/2 years including Ken Bozeman, Joanne Bozeman, Nancy Bos, Heidi Moss Erickson, Carole Blankenship, John Nix, Caitlin Moore, Em2 Connect: Emily Martin and Elizabeth McDonald, Norman Spivey, Mary Saunders Barton, Leda Scearce, Wendy LeBorgne, Jonathan Price, Jenevora Williams, Joshua Glasner, Alex Carôt, Noel Smith, Ian Howell, and regular recurring guest star Yvonne Redman. Thank you to all our listeners over these past 200 episodes. We're only just getting started!

VocalFam, we are joined by our friends Lynn Helding, John Nix, and Allen Henderson to tell us about this summer's inaugural NATS Science-Informed Voice Pedagogy Institute being held at Utah State University from June 25-July 1, 2023. Check out the episode and learn more at nats.org.

Our January acoustics miniseries rounds out with Dr. Joshua Glasner telling the #VocalFam about Spectral Moments. If you are interested in voice research, whether as a mentor or researcher, or you are interested in voice acoustics, this is one that absolutely should not be missed. Leave it to Dr. Glasner to make a very complex topic, understandable, enjoyable, and entertaining. 

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 reframing of how the voice pedagogy community should consider approaching voice acoustics, through the transient theory of voice production. If you've encountered any of his posts surrounding transient theory, now is your chance to hear him discuss some of the ideas out loud.