Celebrating Another Alumni Achievement: Christabel Heasman-Cossins Published in Music & Science!
Wednesday 4th June 2025
Voice Study Centre
Another Alumni Publication!
We're excited to share that our wonderful alumna, Christabel Heasman-Cossins, has recently had her paper published by Music & Science!
The paper, titled
provides insights for vocal coaches and singers into the efficacy of sung improvisation as a tool for reducing music performance anxiety. It also contributes to a deeper understanding of the vocal coach’s role in addressing this issue.
And the paper features co-contributors — our very own Debbie Winter, and Dr David Juncos!
Christabel has also recorded a vodcast with Music & Science Journal, set to be released soon. Stay tuned!
Huge congratulations, Christabel!
Christabel has worked professionally as a contemporary commercial music (CCM) singer since leaving school. Her extensive performance experience spans roles as a session singer, lead vocalist and band leader, backing vocalist, top-line writer, voice-over artist, and band agent, working across genres including soul, pop, dance, and jazz.
Alongside her singing career, Christabel has worked as a vocal coach for over 20 years, delivering 1:1 coaching, teaching in schools and performing arts institutions, and leading amateur and community choirs. She currently divides her time between private vocal tuition, choir leadership, and ongoing professional performance work.
In addition to her work in music, Christabel is also involved in her family’s business, Indian Summer, a well-established restaurant in Brighton, UK—where she leads on brand and interiors design and occasionally works front of house. In addition to her work in music, Christabel is the founder of WHOLE Coaching, a transformational coaching framework that supports individuals and organisations in reconnecting with what matters, letting go of outdated identities and unhelpful patterns, and cultivating the clarity, courage, and psychological flexibility to live and lead with deeper alignment.
The framework is structured around five core principles: What (identifying what truly matters), Honest (cultivating honest awareness of inner experience), Ownership (taking responsibility for choice and change), Live what matters (turning values into action), and Embodiment (integrating change at a felt, behavioural level).
Christabel holds a BA in Humanities (University of Brighton), a PGCert in Professional Practice (Vocal Pedagogy) (Cardiff Met), an MA in Contemporary War and Peace Studies (University of Sussex), and an MA in Performance Coaching for Performing Artists (University of Wales Trinity St David). She is currently on the Pathway to PhD by publication with the Voice Study Centre.
Christabel Heasman-Cossins
Heasman-Cossins, C., Winter, D., & Juncos, D. (2025). Using Vocal Improvisation Within the Vocal Coaching Studio to Mitigate Music Performance Anxiety: An Exploratory Study of Three Cases. Music & Science, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/20592043251327047 (Original work published 2025)
Recent Posts
Student Interviews
Negotiating Authenticity: Tre Cooper Explores Cross-Genre Singing and Stylistic Decision-Making
Voice Study Centre
Friday 23rd October 2026What does it mean for a singer to sound authentic when performing in a genre outside their usual style? And how can voice teachers help singers develop stylistic versatility without losing their individual artistic identity?
Read More...
After The Session
After The Session: Practical Magic*: The Art & Science of Balancing Voices with SOVTs and VFEs with Melanie Tapson
Voice Study Centre
Thursday 22nd October 2026What makes a vocal exercise effective? Is it the tool itself, the way we use it, or our understanding of what happens when we put it into practice? In Practical Magic: The Art & Science of Balancing Voices with SOVTs and VFEs, voice teacher and professional singer Melanie Tapson explored the science behind two widely used approaches to voice training: Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises (SOVTs) and Vocal Function Exercises (VFEs). Combining scientific explanations with practical demonstrations and interactive activities, the session examined how these techniques can support vocal efficiency, stamina and sustainable voice use. Rather than treating exercises as a one-size-fits-all solution, Melanie encouraged participants to understand what each exercise does, how individual voices respond and how to adapt techniques to achieve meaningful results.
Read More...
After The Session
After The Session: Introduction to Vocal Acoustics for Spoken and Sung Voice with Gökçe Kutsal
Voice Study Centre
Wednesday 21st October 2026How can understanding the science of sound help us become more effective voice teachers, singers and researchers? In our recent two-part course, Introduction to Vocal Acoustics for Spoken and Sung Voice, Gökçe Kutsal explored the fascinating relationship between the physics of sound and the way we produce, hear and understand the human voice.
Read More...