Explore every episode of the podcast VocalFri Podcast

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. 

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 Forever in November, and share a few of this year's best from TV and Movies. Happy Holidays everyone!

#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 own special connection to the NATS Intern Program, and each shared with us the value it brings to early career teachers of singing. One NATS Intern Program travel stipend can be sponsored in full by an annual donation of $375. If that seems to high for you, would you consider donating just ONE LESSON FEE to any of the amazing funds listed below. Come join the #VocalFam and help us crowd source this tremendous opportunity for the next generation of voice teachers!

Intern Grants Fund

Barbara Doscher Endowment 

Master Teacher Grants

James C. McKinney Endowment

William Vessels Endowment

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 publishing company's upcoming release on Mindfulness and Singing https://mindfulnessofsinging.com/

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, and Stephen Ng who played an important role in forming the NATS Hong Kong Chapter. Tremendous conversations about the many international efforts that are underway to have better collaborations between voice teachers all around the world!

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 of contemporary singers.

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 you teach singing to youth and children. Check out her website, listen to her pod, and enjoy this special episode with Nikki Loney!

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 learning experience. After we discuss the students pods they are included at the end of the episode. Only their names have been muted to protect identity. 

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 during the podcast. The links to the Rollings-Bigler/Osborne article and the Helding/Meyer article are both included. This is a MUST LISTEN for anyone teaching voice pedagogy!

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 sometimes you just do it for the kids. 

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 season 6!