Singing Teachers Talk

What happens when singing teachers step away from screens and come together in one room? In this episode, Line Hilton shares why BAST is bringing back live, in-person singing teacher training with a special intensive weekend in Manchester, exploring the power of community, CPD, vocal pedagogy, networking, and hands-on learning. Discover who the event is for, what topics will be covered, and why investing in your development as a singing teacher could transform both your confidence and your teaching. Plus, find out how to get your tickets, access an exclusive podcast discount, and join us on 20–21 June. 
 
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST? 
1:36 What happens in a room full of singing teachers that can’t happen online?  
3:00 What has BAST been cooking up?  
7:11 How to get a ticket 
8:37 The BAST Intensive schedule  
11:17 What might I take away from a weekend intensive event?  
14:32 What if I don’t know anyone?  
17:15 What is Line the most excited about?  
 
About the presenter HERE
 
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS   
Line Hilton  
Focus On Events 
Manchester College 
 
GET YOUR TICKETS FOR THE BAST MANCHESTER INTENSIVE 2026 HERE 
YOUR SPECIAL DISCOUNT CODE: STTINTENSIVESPECIAL 
🎁 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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How important is it that the singing teacher can actually demonstrate the sound they are asking of the singer? This week, Line and Alexa are unpacking the hidden realities behind vocal demonstration, and why giving a demo isn’t always that simple. From physiology and hormones to stamina preservation, this conversation might just make you rethink the expectations we place on ourselves as singing teachers, whilst also recognising the very real importance of keeping our own voices ready.  
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST? 
2:33 How important is it for a singing teacher to demonstrate?  
4:32 When should a singing teacher demonstrate?  
6:33 Demonstration and physiology 
10:49 Demonstration and the opposite sex 
15:48 Demonstration and illness  
20:55 Demonstration and injury 
25:54 Demonstration and the working singer    
31:00 Demonstrating and hormones 
 
About the presenter HERE
 
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS   
Line Hilton  
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.254 Lessons Learned in the First Year of Teaching Singing with Mark Lowman 
Vocalzone 
Vocalzone, Saviours or Destroyers? Article   
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.257 Inside the Voice Clinic: Common Vocal Problems & What Happens Next with ENT Mr Nicholas Gibbins 
Ejae  
Renée Fleming 
Singing and The Premenstrual Voice Article  
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.102 Understanding Singing and Menopause with Joanna Bozeman 
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.201 Working with Hypermobile Singers with Sarah Algoet 
🎁 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

In this episode, Alexa dives into the often-misunderstood world of legit musical theatre singing, unpacking what the style really means, why so many performers feel lost when approaching it, and how teachers can guide singers through the journey with confidence. From Golden Age roots to contemporary legit crossovers, she explores key vocal characteristics, common challenges, and practical repertoire suggestions to help singers build versatility without overwhelm. 
 
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST 
0:42 Defining ‘legit’ 
4:16 Common technical challenges  
5:44 10+ ‘legit’ song ideas 
 
About the presenter HERE
 
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS 
musicnotes.com 
So You Want To Sing Musical Theatre by Amanda Flynn  
NATS 
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.133 Mastering Belt in Musical Theatre 
 
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, mentors 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 Practise 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

What are the most common vocal issues singers actually face, and how can we prevent them without falling into the trap of overthinking every tiny symptom? In this engaging and refreshingly honest chat, ENT voice specialist Nick Gibbins breaks down the patterns he sees in clinic, alongside practical insights on building vocal stamina and injury prevention. The conversation tackles what can actually be detected via laryngostroboscopy, reflux, hypermobility, rehabilitation, and Nick also tackles some questions from you, the listeners. Expect expert knowledge, myth-busting, and plenty of down-to-earth, relatable discussion that every singer and teacher will benefit from hearing.
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST?
5:21 What singers does Nick see in clinic?
8:16 Patterns of challenge and injury in singers
13:06 Reflux
17:38 Preparing for vocal load increase
24:10 What can you actually tell about a singer via laryngostroboscopy?
26:46 Hypermobility
36:25 Surgery and recovery
41:08 Singing teachers and rehabilitation
47:52 Can you feel your vocal folds?
54:22 Vocal hygiene without the hype

About the presenter HERE
 
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS
Declan Costello
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.87 87 How to Manage Allergies and Upper Respiratory Infections
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.201 Working with Hypermobile Singers
British Laryngological Association
CEORL-HNS Congress
ABOUT THE GUEST 
Mr Nicholas Gibbins is a Consultant Laryngologist and Head & Neck Surgeon at the University Hospital Lewisham. Trained in London and the South-East of England, Nick has built a reputation as an excellent surgeon, teacher and lecturer. Patient outcomes are a key focus for Nick and, along with the whole of the renowned voice team at Lewisham, has built the largest Voice Database in Europe to analyse outcomes.
His key interests in the voice are the diagnosis and treatment of vocal fold scars and sulci, and the care and treatment of the professional voice. More recently he has been sought after to lecture on musculoskeletal problems that can either originate in the larynx causing muscle tension imbalance or that arising distally and effect the biomechanics of the voice. He has built a team that can address all these issues that includes speech therapists, osteopaths, vocal rehabilitation coaches, kinetic chain specialists, gastroenterologists, neurologists and more.
He writes and publishes regularly and is the current Editor of the Chapter on the Larynx for Gray’s Anatomy (43rd Ed). His term of office as President of the British Laryngological Association began in 2025.
🎁 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

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
basttraining.com | Stay Updated