Vocal Workshops with Barbara Tanze / Functional Breathing and Pressure Regulation

About the event

Unique vocal workshops with Barbara Tanze (Slovenia) in Warsaw! (Workshops in English, with live translation into Polish) If you want to understand your vocal apparatus more deeply, improve your breathing, release tension, and learn effective practice strategies—this event is for you. For vocalists, singing teachers, speakers, and anyone interested in functional voice work. 📅 When? - SATURDAY, February 28 — group workshop for vocalists - SUNDAY, March 1 — training for singing teachers - MONDAY/TUESDAY, March 2–3 — private sessions with Barbara 📍 Where? Voice Progress Vocal Studio pl. Grzybowski 10/32, Warsaw 🎤 Workshop for vocalists – SATURDAY Duration: 2.5 hours (lecture) + 3–3.5 hours (masterclass) (with live translation and breaks) Lecture: (10:00-12:30) - functional breathing techniques - key aspects of vocal anatomy - strategies for releasing tension - muscle activation and breath coordination - FlexiFlow® exercises for effective airflow and pressure regulation (short break during) Lunch break: 1–1.5 hours Masterclass: (14:00-17:30) (ONLY 9 SPOTS) - individual work approx. 20 min per person (active participation): work on airflow, tension reduction, and breath coordination (break during) During the workshops, we will focus on practical and interactive exploration of the breathing mechanism, learning about the most important muscles, their function, and ways to activate and relax them. We will also discuss the impact of breathing on the nervous system, muscle tension, and stage fright through practical exercises. Finally, we will present a completely new approach to integrating airflow and pressure management using various tools, such as Flexiflow®. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion, as well as individual work with 9 vocalists who want to deepen their functional understanding of their body and voice. 🎤 Workshop with Zofia Prucnal "You Are the Expert: Conscious Practice and Vocal Training at Home" (17:45-19:15) During this practical workshop, we will explore strategies for effective home practice that allow students to fully utilize the knowledge gained during lessons, workshops, and from publicly available materials. We will look at mechanisms, blocks, and habits that make it difficult to reproduce lesson achievements at home and delay or prevent progress—and learn how to overcome them. In this workshop, we will address the missing link—the concept of conscious practice, a sense of agency, vocal awareness, and strategies for effective habit-building in each student's unique home practice situation. You will learn strategies to avoid feeling overwhelmed by too many instructions and to turn off the unhelpful autopilot. You will find out how to block old habits so they don't hinder development along a new path. You will discover ways to practice effectively when your home situation doesn't allow you to freely use your voice. Above all, you will feel confident in managing your own voice, whether you have a guide, teacher, or work solo. 🎤 Training for singing teachers – SUNDAY Schedule: 10:00-13:00 lecture, 13:00-14:30 lunch break, 14:30-18:00 case studies (individual work with Barbara or work with your student, maximum 6 spots, approx. 30 minutes, extra fee) Program: - assessment of the student in terms of airflow and breathing - selection of appropriate breathing exercises - pressure regulation (breath support) using FlexiFlow® - in-depth pedagogical perspective The workshops for singing teachers will allow for a deeper understanding of various breathing muscles, their functions, typical problems, and strategies for resolving excessive muscle tension around vocal structures. We will focus on strategies that can be easily implemented during lessons and tailored to the individual needs of each vocalist. Finally, we will address pressure management from a pedagogical point of view—how can we help our students precisely tune airflow and vocal fold closure without creating compensatory mechanisms or harmful tension around vocal structures? There will be time for questions and discussion, as well as the opportunity for individual work with the teacher or in a teacher-student duo. 🎤 Individual sessions with Barbara Tanze (Monday/Tuesday) During individual sessions, we will focus on individual needs and wishes regarding voice and breathing. We can work on: - Releasing tension around vocal and breathing structures - Exploring possible causes of functional voice problems, such as hyperfunctional dysphonia and others - Better awareness of airflow and vocal fold closure - Resonance strategies for different vocal styles (pop, musical, opera...) - Optimal coordination between generating and releasing pressure - Voice rehabilitation in cases of nodules, paresis, and others - Strategies for alleviating breathing problems that may affect the voice, such as COPD, asthma, cystic fibrosis, and others - Pain/tension in the neck, jaw, temporomandibular joint area - Tongue problems (excessive tension, re-education, etc.) 💰 PARTICIPATION COSTS Group workshops for vocalists — SATURDAY Passive participation: - until January 15 — 500 PLN - after January 15 — 650 PLN Active participation (+ individual work with Barbara during the workshop, approx. 20 min): - until January 15 — 600 PLN - after January 15 — 750 PLN Training for singing teachers — SUNDAY - until January 15 — 500 PLN - after January 15 — 650 PLN - individual work with Barbara during the Sunday workshop, or work with your student, approx. 30 minutes — +150 PLN PACKAGES SATURDAY + SUNDAY: - until January 15 — 900 PLN - after January 15 — 1000 PLN additional options for the package: - individual work with Barbara during the Saturday workshop, approx. 20 min — +100 PLN - individual work with Barbara during the Sunday workshop, or work with your student, approx. 30 minutes — +150 PLN PRIVATE SESSIONS (Monday / Tuesday) 400 PLN / 50 min 📝 Registration Group workshops: https://forms.gle/AsviUzLgoWo3BDke9 (WAITING LIST) Individual lessons: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=36258878&appointmentType=category:Barbara%20Tanze 📞 Contact / questions: Dominik Sieńko — dominik@voiceprogress.com / +48 602 685 721 Underage vocalists (15+) with parental consent. ABOUT THE LECTURERS BARBARA TANZE: Barbara Tanze was born in Munich and grew up in Germany, the USA, and Switzerland. She has lived in Slovenia since 2006. Barbara graduated from the Conservatory in Lausanne (HEM) in Switzerland, earning a master's degree in vocal performance and vocal pedagogy in 2006. She has many years of experience as a soloist on the opera stage, as well as in concert singing and acting in various productions throughout Europe. Continuing her education to deepen her knowledge of the human body, Barbara completed an advanced certification program in MDH breath coordination in Lausanne, Switzerland, a 3-year professional certification training at the Academy of Manual Therapy in Ljubljana, Slovenia, as well as advanced functional training with Walt Fritz in voice, neck, and swallowing disorder therapy. She is also a certified Breath Science Practitioner and participates in professional development at the School of Breath Science. In 2013, Barbara founded the Voice Up Institute, dedicated to research and education in breathing and voice. Since then, she has conducted a series of case studies related to breathing and voice, involving teachers, speakers, and vocalists. Her first book, "Take a Deep Breath, Charlie" (published in July 2023 by New Voices Publishing, UK), is an interactive children's book aimed at raising awareness of the importance of effective breathing and healthy voice use in educational settings. She regularly conducts workshops in schools and kindergartens, as well as in public institutions and corporations. In 2021, she obtained a patent for a new device for measuring breath flow called "Flexiflow®", designed for voice learning and rehabilitation, as well as for increasing breath awareness. She collaborates in creating online content for voice health education (anatomy and functional breathing) and has participated in MVT (Modern Vocal Training) teacher training as an external consultant. Barbara is a faculty member at the Academy of Music/University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, where she teaches future singing teachers functional breathing and vocal anatomy. In addition to her work with voice, Barbara conducts extensive research on the impact of effective breathing on sports performance, working with both amateur and professional athletes in Slovenia and worldwide. As a therapist, she regularly meets with clients with respiratory problems such as COPD, asthma, EILO, EIB, and functional voice and joint disorders. ZOFIA PRUCNAL: Zofia has been training vocalists and bands since 2013. Her clients include both amateurs and professional vocalists from musical theaters and commercial stages, as well as singing teachers, speakers, actors, and vocalists needing voice rehabilitation. She has also consulted for MTV Poland and TVP projects and conducted vocal workshops in Poland and abroad. Since 2018, she has served as Regional Mentor in Poland for the international Modern Vocal Training Institute program. Constantly studying various methods and approaches in voice teaching, she is passionate about finding effective ways to use the unique qualities and perspectives of students in the learning process. Considering not only students' voices but also their daily realities, practice habits, psychological traits, experiences, and personalities, she has created an effective approach that helps students gain confidence as self-trainers during home practice. She has performed and recorded as a supporting vocalist, as well as in independent projects. She participated in The Voice of Poland in 2025. She has successfully performed and led vocal groups of various levels, seeing this as a unique opportunity for vocalists to develop their musical sensitivity. Recently, she has started dedicating more time to her own singing, and her solo material is in progress.