Founded by mezzo-soprano Catherine Hopper, Vocal Boot Camp is a growing community of singers who want to learn about their voice, develop their sound, and feel more confident in their singing.
Earlier this month, 160 people took part in a series of Zoom sessions over five days, with as many as 100 singers interacting live at any one time. Following this initial success, and with sessions made available on-demand for two weeks afterwards, the organisation is now consolidating and planning next steps.
‘Vocal Boot Camp has organically grown into a business from something I felt I needed as a singer and which I wanted for the singing community. It fulfilled its purpose with five very different teachers, who are very much at the top of their game, offering a variety of perspectives into vocal technique. Afterwards people told us they felt revived and proactive about their singing.’
Catherine Hopper, Founder, Vocal Boot Camp
The course was not a replacement for the detailed work of a singing teacher, neither was it tailor-made to the needs of each participant. Instead, it offered fresh perspectives to professional singers who already had a technical understanding of vocal production, but who wanted a boost and to be inspired. At the start of each session participants would warm up together, followed by the talk and then a live Q&A, all lasting up to an hour each day and giving access to teachers you may not be able to work with on a regular basis.
A course has also been launched for the amateur choir singer to get ready for live choir rehearsals. Back to Choir, will cover posture, breathing, breath control, range and tone, and is the full vocal workout needed to feel confident in your voice again. With the premise ‘Singers have been silent for a year, but now it’s time to get your voice back’, this initiative has many benefits for singers of all ages and stages.
There are many ideas being developed for further courses, including a more holistic approach for professional singers; considering mind and body and not just vocal production. Feedback shows there is an appetite for experiencing these courses as a singing community, and future plans will reflect what professional singers want in these times, not least a little bit of motivation to get back to the practice room and to be ready for when work starts coming in again. Visit the Vocal Boot Camp website for further information and updates.