Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop (VPPW)
July 9–12, 2026
The Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop (VPPW) is designed to provide collegiate and private voice teachers and vocal/choral music educators with unique learning opportunities across musical theater, classical, and contemporary voice pedagogy.
The registration and payment deadline is June 1, 2026.
Who Should Register
This program is intended for collegiate and private voice instructors and vocal/choral music educators. It is open to participants ages 18 and older. No audition is required.
2026 Program Pricing
| Tuition | $912 |
| “Early Bird” Tuition (Available through April 25, 2026) | $849 |
| Tuition for Berklee Students, Faculty, and Alumni | $799 |
| Tuition for NATS Members | $799 |
| Day Pass (per-day rate) | $250 |
Our 2026 workshop is organized to maximize your learning, featuring a mixture of traditional lecture, master class, and mentored teaching modalities. Participants will be grouped in small cohorts for afternoon breakout sessions, to facilitate deeper engagement with peers and receive personalized mentorship from program faculty.
Participants will leave with a systematic, practical approach to working with students across genres, an enriched understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the singing mechanism, and deeper knowledge of current developments in voice pedagogy and speech science.
Participants who complete the full workshop may receive a Boston Conservatory at Berklee certificate of 18 Professional Development Points (PDP).*
*PDPs must be requested at registration.
2026 Faculty and Guest Instructors
Faculty:
- Kayla Gautereaux, Director
- Dr. Emily Siar, Associate Director
- Dr. Amelia Rollings Bigler, Guest Vocal Pedagogy Instructor
- Tara Stadelman-Cohen, Vocal Pedagogy Faculty Member (Boston Conservatory at Berklee)
- Sarah Whitten, Voice and Movement Clinician
- Sara Goldstein, Professor Emeritus of Vocal Arts and certified Alexander Technician
- and more!
Program Schedule
Below, you will find a breakdown of the workshop by day. Our scheduled activities generally run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. with breaks throughout the day. A detailed list of individual session offerings will be available soon.
DAY 1 Systematic Listening and Teaching: Building Your Pedagogical Framework This day introduces the conceptual and perceptual foundations that shape everything a voice teacher does. Participants will explore how systematic vocal pedagogy organizes listening, diagnosis, and intervention, with special attention to how teachers perceive sound and how singers learn motor skills. Drawing on current models of auditory perception and motor learning, we will examine how teachers hear functionally, choose what to address, and guide changes in the voice. This day is ideal for teachers who want greater clarity, consistency, and effectiveness in their teaching process. |
DAY 2 Mapping the Registers: Considering Voice Types, Genre, and Style Registration remains one of the most important, yet challenging, concepts in voice teaching. This day provides a clear, practical framework for understanding how registers function across classical and contemporary styles, including belting. Participants will learn how to identify common registration patterns and pitfalls across voice types, to work with register transitions, and to reconcile laryngeal and acoustic perspectives on registration. This day is designed for teachers who want precise, teachable strategies that hold up across genres. |
DAY 3 Teaching the Whole Singer: Trauma-Informed, Embodied, and Sustainable Singing Great voice teaching requires more than technical expertise—it requires understanding the singer as a complex individual. This day explores how voice, body, emotion, and health interact in learning and performance. Through sessions on trauma-informed pedagogy, co-regulation and studio safety, Alexander Technique, and voice health and injury, participants will gain practical tools for supporting singers in ways that are both effective and compassionate. This day is valuable for anyone seeking to build a more sustainable teaching practice, especially those who work with anxious performers and singers recovering from injury. |
DAY 4 Paths of Practice: Genre, Pedagogy, and Professional Identities There is no single way to be a voice teacher. This day examines how different pedagogical pathways—classical, musical theater, group voice, and independent studio models—shape how singers are trained and how teachers build careers. Faculty will share how genre aesthetics, curricular structures, and professional realities influence teaching choices and studio culture. This day is ideal for teachers who are clarifying their professional identity, expanding into new genres, or reimagining their teaching model. *subject to change |
FAQs
Q. What are the program’s refund policies?
A. No refunds can be given for the non-refundable $100 registration fee paid at the time of registering for the program; however, for any remaining tuition fees paid, a refund may be issued if notice of registration cancellation is sent to bcbextension@berklee.edu no later than two weeks prior to the program’s start date. Refund requests later than this date cannot be issued, as the schedule of events, faculty, and guest artists have been fully committed to by then.
Q. I am a current faculty member at Berklee. Am I eligible for any tuition benefits as a result of my status?
A. Yes, as a Berklee faculty member, you may qualify for some tuition benefits. To begin the process of determining eligibility, please review the faculty tuition benefits page (login required) for more information.
Q. What housing options are available to me if I’m attending from out of town?
A. While Boston Conservatory at Berklee is not able to provide on-campus housing for VPPW participants, there are a number of options available near campus (listed below).
Please note that Boston Conservatory at Berklee does not officially endorse any of these businesses; this list is offered solely for your convenience, based on proximity to campus.
Nearby Hotels:
- Taj Boston – 15 Arlington St., Boston | (617) 536-5700
- Sheraton Boston Hotel – 39 Dalton St., Boston | (617) 236-2000
- The Colonnade Hotel – 120 Huntington Ave., Boston | (800) 962-3030
- The Midtown Hotel – 220 Huntington Ave., Boston | (617) 262-1000
- Hilton Boston Back Bay – 40 Dalton St., Boston | (617) 236-1100
Bed and Breakfasts:
- The College Club of Boston – 44 Commonwealth Ave., Boston | (617) 536-9510
- Oasis Guest House – 22 Edgerly Rd., Boston | (617) 267-2262
- The Charles Hotel – 1 Bennett St., Cambridge | (617) 864-1200
Other Hotels and Motels:
- Le Méridien Boston Cambridge – 20 Sidney St., Cambridge | (617) 551-0444
- Hyatt Regency Cambridge – 575 Memorial Dr., Cambridge | (617) 492-1234
- Boston Marriott Cambridge – 2 Cambridge Center, Cambridge | (617) 494-6600
- Langham Boston Hotel – 250 Franklin St., Boston | (617) 451-1900
- Millennium Bostonian Hotel – 26 North St at Faneuil Hall, Boston | (617) 523-3600
- Best Western Boston—The Inn at Longwood Medical – 342 Longwood Ave., Boston | 1-800-GOT-BEST
Pro tip: For participants looking for more economical accommodations, we suggest exploring these options:
- Airbnb: A great way to find budget-friendly private rooms or shared apartments. You can often find lower rates by looking in neighborhoods slightly further from the Back Bay that are still accessible by the MBTA.
- Found Hotel Boston Common: Offers a mix of private and shared rooms in a historic building, often at a lower price point than traditional hotels.
- HI Boston Hostel: A highly rated hostel located near the Theater District, providing affordable dormitory-style and private rooms.
- The Revolution Hotel: A stylish, budget-conscious hotel in the South End with various room types, including options with shared "European-style" bathrooms to keep costs down.
Q. What parking options are available near the campus?
A. While we do not have dedicated on-site parking, finding a spot nearby is easy. Many of our regular faculty and staff recommend using the following local garages, all within a short distance of our facilities:
- The Hynes Auditorium Garage
- The Prudential Center Garage
- The First Church of Christian Science Garage
- The Haviland Street Garage
- The Westland Avenue Garage
- Somerset Parking (Pilgrim Parking)
Pro tip: For the smoothest experience, many visitors use SpotHero. This service allows you to compare rates and reserve your parking space in advance at various lots and garages throughout the area, ensuring you have a spot waiting for you when you arrive.
Q. Can I receive Professional Development Points (PDPs) if I only attend a portion of the workshop?
A. No. In order to qualify for 18 PDPs, participants must declare their intent to earn them at the time of registration as well as attend for the complete four-day workshop.