Inhalation hazards and the performing vocalist
Tuesday 10th December 2024, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
Vocal production requires inhalation. But in some performance venues there are chemicals in the air we inhale. Examples include the glycols, glycerine or mineral oil mists in special effects such as haze, fog and smoke. There also is combustion smoke and metal fumes from pyrotechnics, bullet hits (squibs), fire bars and cold spark gerbs. Or there are particles from dust effects, artificial snow, and Holi powders.
While we rarely have to deal with tobacco smoke anymore, there is marijuana and vaping smoke in many locations. In fact, some new information on the hazards of haze fog and smoke chemicals are from studies of vaping since the same chemicals are used in both.
Then there are air pollutants in the dressing and make up rooms including from hair sprays, from powders including talc, from air brush makeups, solvents from lotions, and more.
Next, there are air pollutants from some of the venues themselves. Old buildings may contain lead paint, asbestos sources, or mould. New buildings often contain plastic and resin materials and polymer paints that off-gas chemicals. The ventilation systems in both old and new venues are often less than helpful.
And we can’t ignore the airborne particles that spread infectious diseases which are changing the way we plan events, design ventilation systems, and select air purifiers.
In this course we will look at the respiratory system as a structure that is potentially vulnerable to many types of air pollutants. We will cover the physics needed to understand how particles, gases, and vapours behave in the air. We will review some of the studies of the chemicals encountered in performance venues and view short videos showing typical exposures. Lastly, we will cover strategies to protect ourselves and our voices both on and off the job.
🏷️ Price £30 (UK VAT inclusive)
🎥 Recording automatically sent to all who book (even if you cannot attend live)
▶️ Rewatch as many times as you like
📜 Certificate of attendance available
Monona Rossol
Monona Rossol was born into a Vaudeville family, began working as a professional entertainer at age three, and continues to perform occasionally to this day. She has a BS in Chemistry with a minor in Math, an MS and MFA with majors in art and a minor in music.

Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.
Learn MoreSorry, this is an archived short course...
We have plenty of upcoming short courses coming soon. See details of some of them below or look at the full list of short courses.

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Tuesday 6th May 2025
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Despite strong interest, only a handful of peer-reviewed studies have examined the relationship between mindfulness and voice. Emerging research indicates that mindfulness can help voice users learn to respond to stress more effectively and may help them manage performance anxiety. In this course, we will examine several types of peer-reviewed literature: a) mindfulness studies that indirectly relate to voice work. b) We will review research that examines mindfulness as it relates to voice-adjacent fields (e.g., music performance anxiety and stammering/stuttering). c) We will look at the few published studies that have directly investigated the relationship between mindfulness and voice and d) we will examine directions for future qualitative and quantitative research.

Tuesday 6th May 2025
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Wednesday 7th May 2025
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or Coaching (ACT) is an empirically-supported psychotherapy & coaching intervention for a variety of common issues facing student and professional musicians from across the world. Some of these include performance anxiety, perfectionism & self-criticism, procrastination, and work-related stress & burnout.