Course curriculum

  • 1

    Introduction

    • How to Use the Course Platform - A Brief Overview

    • COPYRIGHT NOTICE

    • FOREWORD
  • 2

    Part 1 - Overview

    • Our instrument

    • The foundations
  • 3

    Part 2a - Posture and Alignment - What you need to know

    • Introduction to posture and alignment

    • Why is good posture necessary?

    • How can ‘good posture’ be described?

    • Basic or ‘neutral’ posture

    • Posture for Singing... and Life!

    • Practise point - Practising at home

    • Alignment vs. Posture

    • How can alignment be affected?

    • Points of alignment

    • Mythbusting!
  • 4

    Part 2b - Posture and Alignment - Exercises for establishing correct alignment

    • An introduction to better balance

    • Exercise 1: Establishing a sense of balance within the body

    • ‘Feeling the Floor’ - The basics

    • Exercise 2a - 'Feeling the floor' and resonance

    • Exercise 2b - 'Feeling the floor' and the high notes!

    • Exercise 3: Establishing good alignment and improving posture

    • Exercise 4: An exploration of posture vs. sound quality
  • 5

    Part 2c - Posture and Alignment - Additional techniques

    • An overview of imagery in singing

    • Use of imagery when ‘Feeling the Floor’

    • Use of imagery in alignment and posture

    • An introduction to the Alexander Technique

    • Alexander Technique with Anthony Kingsley - First Lesson

    • Alexander Technique for singers NYCGB

    • Alexander Technique - Monkey position

    • Application of the Monkey position within singing

    • An introduction to the Feldenkrais Method - part 1

    • An Introduction to the Feldenkrais Method - part 2

    • Application of the Feldenkrais Method within singing
  • 6

    Part 3a - Breathing - What you need to know

    • Introduction to breathing

    • How do we breathe? - The basics

    • Muscles of inhalation - Part 1 - The ribs

    • Muscles of inhalation - Part 2 - The diaphragm

    • The muscles of inhalation - A deeper understanding

    • The muscles of exhalation - what are they?

    • Breathing - A summary

    • What have we learned so far?
  • 7

    Part 3b - Breathing - Practising breathing technique

    • To practise or not to practise!

    • The semi-supine position

    • Moving to a sitting and standing position

    • Use of imagery on the in-breath
  • 8

    Part 3c - Breathing - From breathing to singing

    • How does singing differ from normal breathing?

    • So why is a good breathing technique necessary when we sing?

    • Identifying bad breathing habits

    • The Whispered 'Ah' - an introduction

    • The Whispered 'Ah' in practise

    • Other considerations - How much air do I need to sing?

    • Other considerations - Mouth breathing vs. nose breathing
  • 9

    Part 4 - Breath management and support

    • Introduction to breath management and support

    • What is breath support in singing?

    • Breath support - a different perspective?

    • So support is...?

    • Physiology of support

    • Suspension

    • From suspension to support

    • 'Locking down'

    • Exercise 1 - Feeling the individual muscles of support

    • Exercise 2 - Feeling the muscles of support collectively

    • Exercise 3 - Avoiding movement of the upper chest and shoulders

    • Anchoring - What is it?

    • Types of anchoring - 1. Facial anchoring

    • Types of anchoring - 2. Head anchoring

    • Types of anchoring - 3. Neck anchoring

    • Types of anchoring - 4. Torso anchoring

    • Anchoring - Summary

    • Other considerations

    • Use of imagery in support
  • 10

    Part 5 - Let's review!

    • Let's review!

    • SUMMARY: Part 1 - Overview

    • SUMMARY: Part 2 - Posture and alignment

    • SUMMARY: Part 3 - Breathing

    • SUMMARY: Part 4 - Breath management and support

    • In conclusion
  • 11

    Final exam

    • Your final exam

    • Where to now?

    • Potential Future Courses - What's On Your Wishlist?
  • 12

    References and other information

    • Bibliography

    • References

    • Useful websites

This is Where the Learning Begins!

This course will take your understanding of alignment, breathing and support to another level and really enable you to gain a comprehensive knowledge of how these three ingredients directly affect the many facets of the voice.


The information included is vital to any singer, teacher or choir leader wanting to make the most of the singing voice, and will take you on a journey of exploration to enable you to sort out the myths from the facts, and much more!


The course includes numerous exercises and videos to help you to apply these elements for yourself or for your students. There is also an end-of-course exam to help you to solidify the information that you've learned. 


This course was written and compiled by Christine Jones of Team VC and is completely stand-alone, but there are opportunities to take your studies further if you want to. (We never pressure you into that though - the decision is yours alone)! 


It comes with automated certification once you have passed your final exam, so it can be used for CPD purposes.

Are You Ready to Learn?

We're excited to teach you!