Stay connected with your singing this August

If you're an adult classical singer looking for a way to stay connected with your singing over the summer, my August Intermezzo may be just the thing. It isn't an online course and there isn't a programme to work through. Instead, it's an invitation to spend August in the company of other curious singers, exploring vocal technique, musicianship and the simple pleasure of singing, wherever you happen to be.

When the summer term comes to an end, I know many singers enjoy having a little more space in their diary. But that doesn't mean our interest in singing disappears. Quite the opposite. Without the usual routine of lessons and workshops, there's often a little more time to listen, to reflect and to notice things that become lost in the busyness of term-time.

That's really what my August Intermezzo is about.

Each week during August I'll be sharing a different theme, built around one carefully chosen video from my teaching archive. Alongside it you'll find one of my weekly postcards.

They're simply there to give you another way of looking at the week's ideas, often from a slightly different angle, leaving plenty of room for your own thoughts and observations.

Nothing arrives with a deadline.

Nothing needs to be completed.

Everything remains available throughout the month, so you can wander in and out as it suits you.

You might spend half an hour one morning watching the week's video with a cup of coffee beside you. A few days later you may read the postcard and find yourself looking at your own singing in a slightly different way. If we're chatting together online that week, you might decide to join the conversation. If you're away enjoying a holiday, you'll simply pick things up again when you return. The whole of August stays open, allowing you to enjoy it in whatever way fits your life.

This is the first of what I hope will become a regular feature between the Voice School teaching terms. Rather than filling August with more to do, I'd much rather offer a gentle opportunity to remain connected with singing, to enjoy the company of other thoughtful singers, and to arrive in September feeling inspired by the months ahead.

If you'd like to know more about my August Intermezzo, here's the link to the full information page. It explains exactly how the month unfolds, what you'll receive each week and everything you need to know if you'd like to join us.

And if this is your first visit to the Voice School, I hope you'll also take a look at the Portal Notice Board. I update it regularly throughout the year with articles, listening suggestions, forthcoming events and whatever happens to be occupying my thoughts at the time. It's the best place to discover what life in the Voice School is all about, and you're always very welcome.