Singing Teachers Talk

A fascinating deep dive into what really happens inside the singer’s brain, this episode explores the surprising intersection of neuroscience, pedagogy, and creativity. Joined by renowned voice expert Heidi Moss Erickson, the conversation unpacks how singing is both incredibly complex and beautifully instinctive revealing why play, imagination, and even a bit of “crazy” can unlock better vocal performance. This episode challenges singers and teachers alike to embrace a more brain-friendly, joyful approach to vocal training.
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST?
4:19 Is singing really that complex?
7:58 Nature Vs. Nuture
10:19 Brain data for singing
12:03 The order of things: The Holy Grail P1
23:10 Integral parts to the brain’s prediction for singing
29:42 Neurodiversity inclusivity
34:02 The role of intention
39:12 The order of things: The Holy Grail P2
46:26 The brain and learning expectations
54:29 Who needs to understand ‘singing in the brain?’
About the presenter HERE
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS
The work of Richard Miller
Erich Jarvis
Heidi’s Singing in the Brain Series
The work of Ingo Titze
Voce Vista
Singing With Your Whole Self by Samuel H Nelson & Elizabeth L Blades
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.63 Developing a Singer’s Self Awareness And Clarifying Intention
Edward Chang UCSF
Journal of Singing 
ABOUT THE GUEST
Heidi Moss Erickson is an acclaimed soprano, educator, and scientist who has performed on major national and international stages and with leading regional opera companies. A strong advocate for contemporary music, she has premiered works by renowned composers and collaborated with artists such as Jake Heggie and Tarik O’Regan.
She has earned top honors in prestigious vocal competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Her academic background in voice, biology, and neuroscience has also led to contributions to significant scientific publications.
After a rare nerve injury, Erickson developed an innovative, neuroscience-based approach to vocal pedagogy, now applied across multiple musical genres. She teaches and lectures internationally and shares her work through publications, courses, and her “Singing in the Brain” series.
Committed to accessibility, she founded a non-profit providing voice lessons to underserved communities and continues to connect science and singing through her research and writing.
SEE FULL BIO HERE
Website
🎁 Free Resource: Get your copy of How to Assess the Singer’s Voice with Confidence — a practical guide to help you understand what’s going on in any singer’s voice.  >>> DOWNLOAD HERE
At BAST Training, we help singers turn their experience into a meaningful teaching career. Building the confidence, knowledge, and real-world skills to teach with confidence, clarity, and compassion.
“The BAST Advanced Foundation has given me more than the tools I need to teach — it’s given me confidence, a community, and a future.” Jess McGlinchey, UK
Start with the foundations >>> ENROL NOW
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Get the honest lowdown before you buy in this fun, insightful review episode of Stop Faking It! Sound. Alexa breaks down whether this book really delivers for singing teachers and vocal coaches, without the usual dry, sleep-inducing science. Along the way, Alexa unpacks key concepts in a way that actually sticks, complete with stories and real-world examples. If you’ve ever felt intimidated by sound science or wondered which resources are truly worth your time and money, this episode will help you decide with confidence. 
 
About the presenter HERE
 
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS 
(NSTA) National Science Teaching Association  
Evolve by Chris Johnson 
Brian Diskin 
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.248 Thyroid Tilt Under the Microscope: Perception vs Physiology 
Ken Bozeman 
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.146 How to Understand and Apply Vocal Acoustic Pedagogy 
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.172 Understanding Acoustic Registers  
Chadley Ballantyne 
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.52 Getting to Grips with Vocal Acoustics  
Ian Howell 
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.237 Beyond the Vocal Tract: How the Brain Shapes What We Hear  
 
ABOUT THE GUEST 
Alexa runs a singing tuition practice in the South of England, and is a singing tutor at one of the UK’s leading performing arts schools – Italia Conti, where she also regularly panels auditions and assessments. Alexa is the host of the BAST Training Singing Teachers Talk podcast, acts as mentor and unit tutor for the BAST Training Level 5 qualification, and has presented on topics of Musical Theatre repertoire, authentic Musical Theatre performance, and imposter syndrome for Vocology in Practice and The Sing Space.  
 
SEE FULL BIO HERE
 
Website 
Instagram: @AlexaTerryVocalCoaching  
🎁 Free Resource: Get your copy of How to Assess the Singer’s Voice with Confidence — a practical guide to help you understand what’s going on in any singer’s voice.  >>> DOWNLOAD HERE
At BAST Training, we help singers turn their experience into a meaningful teaching career. Building the confidence, knowledge, and real-world skills to teach with confidence, clarity, and compassion.
“The BAST Advanced Foundation has given me more than the tools I need to teach — it’s given me confidence, a community, and a future.” Jess McGlinchey, UK
Start with the foundations >>> ENROL NOW
basttraining.com | Stay Updated

Ever wondered what really happens in that all-important first year of teaching? The leap from passion to profession, from ‘maybe one day’ to ‘this is it’ - it’s rarely a straight line. In today’s episode, we’re diving into the journey of Mark Lowman - from a career in hospitality and travel to stepping into life as a vocal coach. What does it take to start from scratch, build a studio, and back yourself when imposter syndrome creeps in? This is an honest look at that first year: the turning points, the practical steps, and the mindset shifts that make it all possible. It’s about more than technique - it’s about courage, reinvention, and finding your voice not just as a singer, but as a teacher. Let’s get into it.
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST?
0:50 A bit about Mark
9:05 Putting ‘transferable skills’ to use
11:26 Choirs: Managing different personalities, needs and abilities
16:50 Demonstration: The challenge as a male presenting singing teacher
21:20 The first steps to becoming a singing teacher
27:38 Managing imposter syndrome
35:04 What has changed Mark’s mind on?
39:03 Mark’s mission
47:32 What keeps Mark excited about teaching?
About the presenter HERE
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS
Vocalize Choirs
Singing Teachers Talk Ep.102 - Understanding Singing and Menopause
Singing Teachers Talk Ep.247 - The 5-Day Challenge: Clarity, Confidence and Getting Started as a Singing Teacher
Singing Teachers Talk Ep.154 - Managing Imposter Syndrome, Low Confidence and Overwhelm as Singing Teachers
Chris Johnson Vocal Coach
Singing Teachers Talk Ep.195 How Unlocking Your True Values Can Transform Your Teaching and Life
Singing Teachers Talk Ep.227 Following Your Bliss: How to Align Your Life and Business
Teach Voice
ABOUT THE GUEST
Mark Lowman is a vocal coach and performer with over 15 years of international experience across the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. After a successful career in the travel industry leading events, sales, and marketing teams, he moved into coaching and personal development.
His passion for music began as a hobby, later performing with choirs and bands, and he started vocal coaching in 2018 with Vocalize Choir, which has since grown into a thriving, successful community. After training with leading vocal coaches and completing the BAST 20-Hour Course, he transitioned to full-time teaching.
In 2025, he founded Mark Lowman Vocals, now supporting over 50 students across Dorset in its first year.
Website
Instagram
Facebook
🎁 Free Resource: Get your copy of How to Assess the Singer’s Voice with Confidence — a practical guide to help you understand what’s going on in any singer’s voice.  >>> DOWNLOAD HERE
At BAST Training, we help singers turn their experience into a meaningful teaching career. Building the confidence, knowledge, and real-world skills to teach with confidence, clarity, and compassion.
“The BAST Advanced Foundation has given me more than the tools I need to teach — it’s given me confidence, a community, and a future.” Jess McGlinchey, UK
Start with the foundations >>> ENROL NOW
basttraining.com | Stay Updated

Line Hilton hosts the Singing Teachers Talk podcast and challenges the continued, vague use of “support” and appoggio in breath management teaching, arguing that research shows no single correct breathing strategy among elite singers and that singers often misidentify what their respiratory muscles are doing. She explains how singing uses much larger lung-volume ranges than speech, often requiring controlled braking against passive recoil rather than pushing more air, and notes that trained singers don’t have bigger lungs—just better coordination. Drawing on sources including Miller, McCoy, Titze, Sundberg, and EMG research, she reframes “support” as task-specific breath management shaped by genre, physiology, and performance demands, and offers practical studio strategies such as audiation, mental rehearsal, the Underwood method, SPLAT, physiological sigh, sustained S/counting, straw phonation, gestural calibration, score marking, CO2 tolerance work, and respiratory hygiene. 
 
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST? 
00:19 Why the term support bothers me 
01:47 What the research says 
04:23 Why breath is complex 
08:42 The problem with support 
14:55 Reframing as Breath Management 
15:32 Studio tools and exercises 
23:43 Bigger picture  and hygiene 
24:42 Key takeaways and language shift 
 
About the presenter HERE
 
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS   
SEE WEBSITE FOR FULL LIST OF RESOURCES HERE
 

🎁 Free Resource: Get your copy of How to Assess the Singer’s Voice with Confidence — a practical guide to help you understand what’s going on in any singer’s voice.  >>> DOWNLOAD HERE
At BAST Training, we help singers turn their experience into a meaningful teaching career. Building the confidence, knowledge, and real-world skills to teach with confidence, clarity, and compassion.
“The BAST Advanced Foundation has given me more than the tools I need to teach — it’s given me confidence, a community, and a future.” Jess McGlinchey, UK
Start with the foundations >>> ENROL NOW
basttraining.com | Stay Updated

This week, Alexa is joined by Dr Luciano Simões to explore cross-training as a modern vocal pedagogy through a Latin American lens, unpacking how singers can develop flexibility, resilience, and stylistic authenticity across different genres. Drawing on the rich hybridity of Latin American music Luciano shares how cross-training equips singers to navigate diverse vocal demands with both technical freedom and cultural awareness. This conversation challenges the idea of fixed vocal identities, inviting teachers and singers alike to embrace versatility, curiosity, and the vibrant diversity of global vocal styles. 
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST?  
2:10 Who is Dr Luciano Simões?  
6:42 Understanding Latin American music  
21:13 What functional technique is included in cross-training?  
27:57 What does a cross-training singing lesson look like?  
37:41 Technical conflicts in cross-training  
 
About the presenter HERE
 
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS 
Jeanie LoVetri 
Alexander Technique 
Feldenkrais 
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.245 Technique Meets Artistry: Working with Contemporary Singers 
 
ABOUT THE GUEST 
Dr. Luciano Simões is a baritone, voice pedagogue, conductor, and researcher with over 30 years of teaching experience. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Michigan State University, alongside advanced degrees in choral conducting and musicology, and has undertaken postdoctoral research on Fado and musical theatre belting. He previously taught at institutions including the Latin American Integration University, where he developed a pioneering cross-training voice programme based on Latin American styles. 
Now based in Germany, he runs an independent voice studio and lectures internationally on cross-training and hybrid vocal technique. His work has been presented at major global conferences and published in leading voice journals. As a performer, he has sung across genres from opera to Brazilian jazz and maintains an active profile in both solo and choral music. 
SEE FULL BIO HERE
Instagram: @lucianosimoes_dma 
🎁 Free Resource: Get your copy of How to Assess the Singer’s Voice with Confidence — a practical guide to help you understand what’s going on in any singer’s voice.  >>> DOWNLOAD HERE
At BAST Training, we help singers turn their experience into a meaningful teaching career. Building the confidence, knowledge, and real-world skills to teach with confidence, clarity, and compassion.
“The BAST Advanced Foundation has given me more than the tools I need to teach — it’s given me confidence, a community, and a future.” Jess McGlinchey, UK
Start with the foundations >>> ENROL NOW
basttraining.com | Stay Updated