3 May 2026 l ONLINE l "Power with Purpose" with Matt Edwards

When: 03 May 2026 12:00 PM

Where: Online

When voice researchers first began examining the belt voice, the goal was to pinpoint its functional and acoustic qualities. Those early standards emerged when major record labels heavily shaped the sound of commercial singing, and musical theatre teams were defining what contemporary theatre should sound like. But the landscape has shifted. Today’s commercial artists can make virtually any sound they want, and musical theatre now spans everything from classical-influenced styles to country, rock, gospel, and R&B.

Preparing singers to thrive in this modern, wide-open marketplace means teachers need to give them tools that go well beyond “calling,” “placement,” and other foundational cues. This session is designed to help teachers guide students from basic mechanics into specific, intention-driven vocal choices that support authentic, stylistically flexible performance.

What we’ll cover:

The Foundation: A brief review of the technical tools that have historically supported the vocal qualities most often labeled as “belt.”

The Tonal Spectrum: An exploration of tonal possibilities, including speech-like, warm, twangy, nasal, light, heavy, and everything in between.

The Intentional Sound: How to integrate paralingual elements and intention-driven directionality so technical choices remain rooted in meaningful performance.

This two-hour session will offer both theoretical grounding and practical application, beginning with a one-hour pedagogical talk, followed by a 45-minute masterclass working with two singers in real time, and concluding with a 15-minute Q&A.