2026 SATS Practical course – booking page

2026 SATS Practical Course

David Josefowitz Recital Hall, Royal Academy of Music, London

Monday 6th - Friday 10th July

 

Following the outstanding success of our 2024 and 2025 courses (read testimonials below) we are delighted to announce that we will be returning to the Royal Academy of Music again in 2026, this time in the beautiful David Josefowitz Recital Hall.
The past two years' courses have been oversubscribed, meaning we've sadly had to disappoint a number of potential participants. Moving to the Recital Hall means that we can now cater for up to 70 participants in spacious, air-conditioned comfort - a definite boon, given the cloying heat of the past few summers!
The David Josesowitz Recital Hall - an elegant 90-seat air-conditioned space 

 

Testimonials from previous courses

Thank you so much for one of the most inspiring and life affirming weeks of my life. The combination of your rock solid pedagogical foundation combined with compassion and humour is truly unique.
I loved the way you bounced off each other, utilising your different strengths and approaches, and that you encouraged input and questions from the diverse cohort, allowing each person to feel valued and supported.
I loved the interweaving of the science and its practical application, but most of all the warmth and empathy that lie at the heart of your approach.
What a team x

 

The 2025 cohort of singers and teachers

 

What is the course?

An intensive, practical course , based on "Singing and Teaching Singing", Professor Janice Chapman's ground-breaking book on Classical Voice pedagogy.
Unlike some of our previous courses, there will not be a heavy focus on “chalk and talk” lectures.
The course will focus on the practical application of the SATS model, exploring the use of SATS concepts through warm ups, voice building sessions, group discussions, practical exercises, masterclasses in performance, and workshops on repertoire preparation.
Participants will have the opportunity within the course to perform and receive coaching from the team (see below)

 

Coaching opportunities

Each of the first four days will feature six performance slots where singers can work through songs and repertoire and be coached by the Directors. Participants booking one of these slots can indicate the pieces they want to work on and / or the technical issue they want to address. We will then try to schedule coaching slots into the most appropriate days of the week.
The final day of the course (Friday 10th) will feature six teaching masterclass sessions. In these, teachers will have the opportunity to work with course participants in interactive, guided masterclass sessions where teachers who have volunteered to coach are guided by the three Directors who will suggest approaches to try, and give ongoing feedback on the effectiveness of the session. These sessions have proved to be highly enjoyable and successful for both teachers and singers.
The coaching opportunities will be limited to a maximum of 36 (4x6 + 6x2) and can be booked for a small additional fee of £50 - see below. They will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.

 


Who is the course aimed at?

Teachers, singers and singers who teach.
Familiarity with Professor Chapman's work (Singing and Teaching Singing) is recommended but is not a prerequisite of attendance as all concepts will be thoroughly covered during the week.


When is the course?

Dates: Monday 6th July  – Friday 10th July 2026
Times: 1030 - 1800
Venue: Royal Academy of Music, Marylebone Rd, London NW1 5HT

 

Fees

All 5 days (Monday - Friday) £800 Early Bird rate until 31/1/26 (Full price £900 from 1/2/26)  

 

RESERVE YOUR PLACE NOW

Spaces on the course will be limited and we expect demand to be high.

To reserve your place, please pay a £200 deposit by clicking the button below.

Pay Deposit (£200)

(see terms and conditions of booking at foot of page)

Book Coaching session (£50)

(please follow up with an email stating Singer or Teacher slot)

 

Catering

The Royal Academy has an excellent cafeteria serving hot and cold food. The cafeteria will be open from 0830 to 1530 each day, and the course is timed to ensure all breaks are taken during these hours.

As the Academy is very well placed within Marylebone, there are a number of cafes, restaurants and delicatessens within easy walking distance.

Each day will incorporate a 90 minute lunch break, giving all participants ample time to relax and mingle over lunch.

 

Accommodation

We understand that City Centre accommodation in London can be both difficult to find and also prohibitively expensive. This has sometimes deterred potential participants from signing on to our courses.

For 2024 and 2025, we were delighted to partner with the International Students House, which is just 4 minutes walk away from RAM. ISH offered course participants a very generous rate for high quality, comfortable City Centre accommodation.

We have agreed a similar arrangement for 2026, with both en suite and shared facilities available, as listed below:

  • Single with shared bathroom - £57.00 per room per night
  • Single en suite - £65.00 per room per night

ISH can also provide Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner for residents at a very reasonable rate:

  • Breakfast - £7.00
  • Lunch – 8.00
  • Dinner - £9.50

(prices subject to confirmation from ISH)

If you want to take advantage of this accommodation offer, please contact us at info@classicalvoicetraining.com when paying your deposit and we will put you in touch with the International Students House administration, with whom you can request your room. PLEASE NOTE that we can only offer this rate as long as ISH have availability.

 

 

 

Presenters

Professor Janice Chapman (SATS 4 Author: Chapters include Pedagogical Philosophy, Primal Sound, Postural Alignment, Breathing & Support, Phonation and the Speaking Voice, Laryngeal Registration, Resonance, Articulation, The Exercises, Artistry & Performance, Working with the Professional Singer, From Performer to Pedagogue: A Multidisciplinary Route. Classical Voice Training Workbook)

James Platt (SATS 4 Contributing Author, co-author of Classical Voice Training Workbook)
(SATS Contributing Author: Chapters include Breathing & Support, Phonation & the Speaking Voice, Laryngeal Registration, Resonance, Articulation, Applied Vocal Acoustics and Acoustic Registration, The Exercises, Glossary)

Andrew Follin (Classical Voice Training Director, co-author of Classical Voice Training Workbook, SATS 4 Contributor, Estill Master Trainer,  Private Vocal Coach specialising in CCM and MT.)

Michael Pugh (Repetiteur / coach with singers in role preparation on the staff of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.)

Course content

This 5-day course will focus on the practical application of the SATS model for singers who teach and teachers who sing. Unlike many of our previous courses, there will not be a heavy focus on “chalk and talk” lectures. We will focus on applying the SATS concepts through warm ups, voice building sessions, group discussions, practical exercises, masterclasses in performance, and workshops on repertoire preparation. We want to explore how singers learn most effectively and how teachers can help structure the learning process optimally.

This course will give is participants an insight into the process of artistic and technical preparation required for learning song, oratorio, and operatic repertoire.

The first two days will focus on the practical application through the lens of phonation types (breathy, flow, pressed), how to efficiently combine phonation and airflow through manually-and semi-occluded vocal tract techniques (MOVT’s & SOVTs), the application and diagnosis of airflow and the support structures, assessing and optimising postural alignment and how to build core stability. We will also explore Primal Sound as both a trigger to elicit holistic voluntary emotional vocalisation, and as a tool to appropriately shape the vocal tract for different voice qualities, pitch ranges and dynamic qualities whilst maintaining efficient singing.

The final three days of the course will focus on the addition of language, repertoire and musical and vocal style into the process. We will focus on laryngeal and acoustic registers, (the passaggi, chest voice, voix mixte, head voice and whistle register), optimising articulation for resonant singing, and the practical application of vocal acoustics and vowel migration.

We would ask singers and teachers to bring a variety of repertoire to work on. This will enable all participants to engage in the process of technical preparation, to develop their listening and diagnostic skills, and to increase their knowledge of the singer’s journey through technique to performance. We will explore these concepts through a variety of repertoire for different voice types thereby increasing our diagnostic and listening skills and improving our journey from practice to performance.

We will discuss working with a conductor, vocal coach, and director, and the journey between building voices and developing and honing artistry and performance techniques.

This course is perfect for:

  • singers who are preparing for auditions
  • teachers who prepare singers for auditions
  • singers and teachers who want to improve their singing and teaching skills
  • Vocal coaches and voice professionals who would like to explore a singer’s technical and artistic preparation.

 

New and updated content 

The Fourth edition of SATS represents a major update of the model, having 620 pages compared to the 350 pages of the Third Edition.

SATS 4 contains extensive new material and significant revisions to existing material, which we will cover in detail on the course.

These include:

Chapter Four – Breathing and Support – Janice L. Chapman, Ron Morris, and James Platt
A significant update to our breathing and support pedagogy, this chapter includes the role breath management in singing, and the role of Accent Method as a remedial tool for singers.

Chapter Five – Phonation and the Speaking Voice – Janice L. Chapman, Ron Morris, and James Platt
This update uses the most recent scientific explanations of phonation, phonation patterns, Bernoulli effect, and onsets and offsets.

Chapter Six – Laryngeal Registration – Janice L. Chapman, Ron Morris, and James Platt
A brand new chapter on laryngeal registration which outlines and defines in detail the physiological configurations of laryngeal mechanisms (M0, M1, M2, M3 etc.) and their practical application.

Chapter Seven – Resonance – Janice L. Chapman, Ron Morris, and James Platt
The resonance chapter includes updates in the areas of Singer’s Formant Cluster, The Open Throat & Collar Connection and Maintaining Pharyngeal Width.

Chapter Eight – Articulation – Ron Morris and Janice L. Chapman; James Platt contributed to the section on Pedagogical Application
The Articulation chapter includes further refinements in vocal tract vowel locations, helping to train those with an inability to roll an “R” (tongue trill), the Gross Oral Posture for Singing, the retroflex “r” as an awareness tool, refined Tongue Twister Exercises.

Chapter Nine – Applied Vocal Acoustics and Acoustic Registration – James Platt and David M. Howard
A brand new chapter exploring the practical application of vocal acoustics within the SATS framework. This chapter aims to give singers and teachers an acoustic “tool box” for immediate practical application and problem solving.

Chapter Ten – The Exercises – Janice L. Chapman, Ron Morris, and James Platt
A new chapter including all of our previous SATS exercises but with the addition of many new ones. This chapter presents a detailed description of the exercise, its rational and pedagogical application and includes lots of diagnostic tips.

Included resources

All 5 day course participants will receive a FREE copy of Classical Voice Training's 180 page Workbook, plus a printed summary of all the exercises used in SATS. Together, these are worth over £100 and are only available to course participants.

 

Terms and conditions of booking

A non-refundable deposit of £200 must be paid in advance, and no later than 1st June 2026, to confirm your place. The remainder of the course fee must be paid to Classical Voice Training Ltd. by 1st July 2026. If availability permits and a booking is made after 1st June 2026 the course fee must be paid in full at the time of booking to secure a place.

Cancellations

Please note that cancellations made within two weeks of the start date of the course will be subject to a 100% cancellation fee. Cancellations made within one month of the start date will be subject to a 75% cancellation fee. Cancellations made up to two months before the scheduled course will be subject to a 50% cancellation fee. Cancellations made before 1st May 2026 will be fully refunded minus the £200 deposit (see above).