Singing and Postnatal Mental Health
Tuesday 30th January 2024, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (London Time)
This session will focus on how singing and songwriting can support postnatal mental health. We will cover four main areas:
- Why postnatal mental health is a public health priority in the UK, and what it feels like to experience illnesses such as postnatal depression
- Why music, and specifically singing, is increasingly used to support wellbeing and why it might be particularly relevant in the postnatal period
- Drawing on studies led by the Royal College of Music, London, we will consider cutting-edge evidence for how group singing can speed up recovery from postnatal depression and how online songwriting can reduce postnatal loneliness
- Finally, participants will be invited to consider how the findings could support their own practice. Ideas will be shared about how the presented research has sparked new singing initiatives around the world, and attention will be given to the challenges as well as the possibilities of such work. Following the presentation, participants will have the opportunity to share their responses and ask questions
The session aims to raise awareness of the potential for singing to support new parents, drawing on robust research evidence with both parents and singing leaders.
Professor Rosie Perkins
Rosie Perkins is Professor of Music, Health and Social Science at the Royal College of Music, London. Rosie is based in the RCM’s Centre for Performance Science, where her research investigates two broad areas: how music and the arts support societal wellbeing and how to enhance artists’ wellbeing and career development.
Sorry, 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.
Monday 12th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Tuesday 13th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday 14th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Thursday 15th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Tuesday 20th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday 21st January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
(London Time)
Level One Certificate in Accents and Phonetics
Louisa Morgan
Are you a voice, acting, or singing coach looking to expand your expertise and add accents and phonetics to your teaching repertoire? This 6-session course covers essential topics such as articulatory, acoustic, and auditory phonetics, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and ethical approaches to accent and dialect coaching. By the end of this course, you'll be equipped with the knowledge and practical skills to start to bring phonetics and accent coaching into your coaching and provide more comprehensive support to your clients.
Monday 12th January 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)
Emerging and Developing Voice: Singing and Speech
Karen Brunssen
How does the singing voice influence the speaking voice? How does the speaking voice influence the singing voice? When is there a disparate relationship between the two? Can they help each other? Can one harm the other? How can we use them positively in the voice studio. During this short course we will consider the voice as we sing and as we speak. The acquisition of language is a very interesting journey from birth through old age. We will broach the topics of “lexical” which refers to learning words, and “semantic” which is how we use words in the context of language.
Monday 12th January 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Perfectionism: A Theoretical & Clinical Overview
Dr David Juncos
What exactly is meant when we label ourselves or someone we know a perfectionist? It is a good to be this way? Or are you setting yourself up for failure? Can a performance psychologist or a other performance-related practitioner help you if you’re a perfectionist? In this short course, you will learn how perfectionism is defined according to popular models in clinical psychology, and whether it is maladaptive or adaptive. You will also learn how perfectionism impacts on music performance anxiety, in addition to other areas of importance for performing musicians, like work-related stress and burnout, and procrastination with one’s practice.