Singing Teachers Talk

What if your singing studio could open doors to the industry, too? In this episode, Alexa is joined by talent agent and educator Josephine Lancuba, founder of Studio Talent Collective, to lift the curtain on in-house talent agencies. From creating real audition opportunities for your singers to boosting retention, revenue, and industry credibility, Josephine breaks down how singing teachers can step confidently into talent management. If you’ve ever wondered how to better support your students beyond the studio, this conversation might just have the answer.  
 
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST?  
1:50 Who is Josephine Lancuba? 
9:05 What was the catalyst for having an in-house agency?  
10:55 In-house talent agency advantages for teacher and client  
17:01 How does the industry view in-house talent agencies?  
19:59 Getting the contacts  
23:41 Balancing singing teaching and being a talent manager  
26:25 Helping clients manage rejection  
36:55 Integrating an in-house agency  
55:35 Would would Josephine change from her journey?  
 
About the presenter HERE
 
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS 
Spotlight  
Casting Networks  
Singing Teachers Talk Ep.230 How to Survive Drama School Auditions: 10 Expert Tips 
Studio Talent Collective, The Podcast 
Canva 
Singing Teachers Talk Ep.192 How to Set Better Boundaries as a Singing Teacher 
 
ABOUT THE GUEST 
Josephine Lancuba is an award-winning performing arts business coach and talent management professional. With over 20 years in the arts industry, she has led and managed studios, entertainment, and production-based businesses, including her own dance and musical theatre studio along with its in-house talent agency service. 
A former performer, Josephine spent over a decade appearing on stage and screen before shifting her focus to business and talent development. Today, she helps performing arts studio owners build profitable, joy-filled businesses and guides aspiring talent managers through her world-first course, Talent Manager Bootcamp, as well as her plug-in talent agency, Studio Talent Collective, which enables Studio Owners to create and run their own in-house talent agencies. 
Passionate about the social, emotional, and the physical benefits of the performing arts, Josephine advocates for inclusive, positive opportunities for talent and the industry alike. 
Website 
Instagram: @studiotalentcollective
🎁 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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To kick off the 2026 season, Alexa and Jenevora Williams dive into the fascinating world of motor learning and what it really means for singing and teaching singing. From walking toddlers and chocolate metaphors to the neuroscience behind skill acquisition, the conversation unpacks why learning to sing is far more complex—and far more human—than we often assume. Together they explore implicit versus explicit learning, internal versus external focus, imagination, metaphor, and the role of trust, play, and mistake-making in vocal development. A thoughtful, wide-ranging discussion that invites singing teachers to simplify their language, deepen their listening, and give both themselves and their students permission to learn messily and creatively. 
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST?  
1:59 What is motor control and motor learning?
10:41 What are the stages of learning?
15:48 What is the brain and larynx interface?
18:59 Internal Vs External focus in motor learning
33:35 Choosing metaphorical and imagery based instruction
50:53 Impairment to motor skills
55:09 The future of voice pedagogy integrating neuroscience and imagination
About the presenter HERE
RELEVANT MENTIONS 
Singing Teachers Talk Ep.75 Vocal Rehabilitation for Singers 
Motor Control, Motor Learning and Brain-Computer Interfaces
Heidi Moss Erickson
Hearing Singing: A Guide to Functional Listening and Voice Perception by Ian Howell
Singing Teachers Talk Ep.237 Beyond the Vocal Tract: How the Brain Shapes What We Hear with Ian Howell
Tilting Article
Paul Eckman
PEVoC
Vocal Health Education
ABOUT THE GUEST
Dr Jenevora Williams is an expert in the fields of vocal health and singing teaching. After a successful career in Opera, she turned her attention to investigating healthy and efficient vocal function. The combination of academic study and practical experience has resulted in a unique perception for understanding the human voice. She was the first singing teacher to be awarded a PhD in voice science in the UK, and won the 2010 BVA Van Lawrence Prize for her outstanding contribution to voice research. Her book, Teaching Singing to Children and Young Adults, has been enormously popular with singing teachers throughout the world. 
Jenevora is well-known for her imaginative and rigorous international training courses for singing teachers and voice professionals. She is director of Vocal Health Education and Evolving Voice, training the first generation of Voice Rehabilitation Specialists worldwide. As a teacher of singing, she works with professional singers of all ages in both voice rehabilitation and career mentoring.  W: jenevorawilliams.com
🎁 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

We’re wrapping up 2025 with a conversation that will change the way you think about the voice forever. Physiotherapist Emer Tully from Neuro Tour joins us to unravel the vital — and often underestimated — role of the pelvic floor in singing. From breathing mechanics to alignment, from recognising tightness vs. weakness, to understanding why singers, dancers, teachers and performers of all kinds should care about this powerhouse of stability, this episode is packed with practical insights and surprising - the perfect finale to a year of rich conversations.  
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST?
0:38 Thank YOU!
5:20 Why is the pelvic floor so intriguing?
7:59 The 5 diaphragms
12:01 The function of the pelvic floor
13:53 Pregnancy & performance
16:48 Signs of a tight or weak pelvic floor & the impact on singing
21:16 Helping a singer with a tight or weak pelvic floor
30:07 Advice about the gym and methods of ‘support’ in singing
39:32 Pelvic floor & stress
45:25 Recommended resources
 
About the presenter HERE
 
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep. 201 Working with Hypermobile Singers with Sarah Algoet
Jennie Morton
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.69 Understanding Pregnancy for the Singer and the Self-Employed with Sarah Joyce & Cat Ogden
Feldenkrais
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.183 How to Fix Your Inhale and Transform Your Singing with Lucinda Allen
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.191How to Set Up the Best Exhale for Singing with Lucinda Allen
Duncan Rock
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.120 Understanding Singing and Fitness with Duncan Rock
Anatomy of Voice by Blandine-Calais-Germain & François Germain
Dr Sara Reardon
Michelle Edminson @mvmt.101
Jane App

ABOUT THE GUEST

Emer is NEURO TOUR’s London Associate Director of Education. She qualified from Manchester University with a BSc Physiotherapy degree, and is HCPC accredited as well as a member of the CSP. She is a Vocal Specialist and a Certified Women’s Health Practitioner. She has an advanced medical acupuncture certification; APPI Matwork & Reformer Pilates training & specialises in vocal/ TMJ physiotherapy. 
Website 
Instagram: @physio.emer 
🎁 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

Thinking about taking your teaching to the next level, diving deeper into your specialist interests, or even writing a degree of your own? In this episode of Singing Teachers Talk, Alexa is joined by educator, performer, and MA creator Kaya Herstad-Carney, who pulls back the curtain on what a master’s degree in the performing arts really offers. From choosing the right pathway and understanding learning outcomes to balancing study with real life, Kaya shares how her own master’s shaped her career, the unexpected opportunities it opened, and what she’s learned from writing not one but two MA programmes. Whether you’re a singing teacher, performer, or creative professional considering postgraduate study, this conversation is packed with insight, encouragement, and the honest realities behind levelling up your education.
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST?
2:27 Why did Kaya do a masters degree?
5:37 What is the advantage of studying for an MA?
10:10 How to choose an MA course
19:19 Juggling a part time MA
21:46 What If I’m not very academic?
26:11 Writing an MA degree
34:22 Marking degree assessments
39:07 Common errors in MA submissions
41:13 Making your MA decision
About the presenter HERE
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS
WaterBear The College of Music
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.154 Managing Imposter Syndrome, Low Confidence and Overwhelm as Singing Teachers with Alexa Terry
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.222 The Rise of AI: What It Means for Singers & Teachers with Rachael Drury
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.226 The Rise of AI: Practical Tools and Strategies for the Singing Teacher with Rachael Drury
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.56 Taking the Academic Route with Debbie Winter
Voice Study Centre
Arts Council
ABOUT THE GUEST
 Kaya is a higher education leader, vocal pedagogue, and award-winning artist. From September 2025 she becomes Head of Education (Online) at WaterBear College of Music. With an MA from LIPA/Hope and Fellowship of the HEA, she specialises in student-centred learning and CCM vocal habilitation, and has taught at ACM, LIPA, University of Liverpool, and BAST Training. She sits on the Vocology in Practice Advisory Board, researches voice, wellbeing, and sustainable careers, and performs internationally as a singer-songwriter, including with John Grant and Ringo Starr.
SEE FULL BIO Here
Website
Instagram: @kayamusic
🎁 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

Thinking about becoming a singing teacher but not sure what’s holding you back? In this episode, Alexa and Line break down the most common barriers aspiring singing teachers face. Learn how to get started with what you already know, build confidence step by step, choose the right training, and grow your teaching practice with clarity and purpose. If you’re ready to take the next step in your singing teaching journey, this conversation will help you move forward with confidence. 
 
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST? 
0:31 How did Line become a singing teacher?  
4:22 I don’t know enough & imposter syndrome 
11:26 There’s too much choice 
18:26 I don’t have the piano skills 
23:37 I don’t have confidence in my own voice  
28:25 I’m just not qualified  
31:26 What about money?  
36:51 My schedule is already busy  
40:59 I don’t know how to start a business  
46:10 What if I hurt a student’s voice?  
 
About the presenter HERE
 
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS   
Line Hilton  
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.237 Beyond the Vocal Tract: How the Brain Shapes What We Hear with Ian Howell 
Hearing Singing - A Guide to Functional Listening and Voice Perception  
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.111 Essential Piano Skills for Singers and Voice Teachers with Brenda Earle Stokes  
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.158 How Music Theory and Keyboard Skills Can Transform Your Singing Teaching with Amy Walton  
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.88 Pros and Cons of Singing Teacher Qualifications with Line Hilton 
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.229 Ways to Make More Money as a Singing Teacher with Zoe Stibi 
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.227 Following Your Bliss: How to Align your Life and Business with Gemma Sugrue  
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.220 Time Management: Making Time When There Isn't Any with Line Hilton & Alexa Terry 
Chris Johnson 
🎁 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