This is a 3-week live course scheduled for the following dates and times:
Thursdays, November 5, 12, and 19, 2026
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. PST
What You’ll Learn
Stage fright is one of the most common challenges singing teachers face with their students, and one of the least addressed in teacher training. This course gives singing teachers a practical, structured approach to understanding, identifying, and addressing performance anxiety in their singers.
Grounded in current research in performance psychology, nervous system regulation, and acceptance-based approaches, the course moves well beyond generic relaxation tips. Teachers will leave with a repeatable assessment framework, a toolkit of evidence-based techniques, and the skills to integrate this work directly into their lessons and song application, including adapting to each student’s unique learning style, personality type, and anxiety profile.
Each session combines short input from the facilitator with group discussion, case studies, and activities designed to make the material immediately applicable. Between sessions, participants are encouraged to try techniques with real students and bring those experiences back to the group.
This course is for teachers who:
- have students who experience stage fright in any form – from mild nerves to severe performance anxiety
- are already using informal approaches and want a more structured, consistent framework
- want to feel more confident addressing performance anxiety within the context of their teaching
No prior specialist knowledge in psychology or performance science is required. The course assumes some teaching experience.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Explain the physiological and psychological mechanisms behind stage fright, including how the nervous system responds to performance stress
- Identify stage fright in their students – recognising physical, emotional, and behavioural signs across different levels of intensity
- Apply a structured Order of Assessment to select strategies appropriate for each individual student
- Use a range of evidence-based psychological and physiological techniques, adapted to the student’s learning style and personality type
- Integrate performance anxiety strategies into lessons and directly into song application
About Laura
Laura joined IVA in 2013 and holds an Advanced certificate, and has been teaching singers for over a decade to sing and perform. Her students successfully get professional singing jobs, placed in musical theatre college courses, win prizes at international competitions, and are cast in amateur musical theatre productions. Since achieving her Master’s degree from the University of Edinburgh in 2019, she’s also been teaching performance anxiety skills to all of her students and seeing a huge increase in confidence! Laura is also a graduate of Jamie Catto’s ‘Bring It’ Teacher Training, and currently is a Breathwork Facilitator with Breathing Space. She specialises in teaching adult students of all abilities in her voice studio, and facilitates both 1:1 and group sessions for wellness, performance anxiety, and breathwork. You may also know her as part of the IVA Support Team!