Spotlight Seminars > Co-Vo Summer Conservatory

Co-Vo Summer Conservatory 2026

Conservatory-level training for singers who want to deepen their vocal technique

Inaugural Session: Breath Support Practicum

In this four-part practicum, Dr. Julia Nielsen guides singers through a deeper study of breath support and its application to repertoire.

Through live demonstrations, guided practice experiences, and the observation of singers working over time, participants will learn not only what to do, but how to diagnose and solve common breath-related challenges in repertoire.

Why so many singers still feel uncertain about breath support

If you're a singer who's been around the block a few times, you've probably heard it all when it comes to breath support:

Push out. Pull in. Stay expanded. Relax more. Engage more. Don’t think about it. The breath will take care of itself!

The reason this topic remains so confusing—even for highly experienced singers—is that all of this advice is true in certain contexts…and unhelpful or misleading in others.

In other words, singers are often taught partial truths as though they were universal truths.

Breath support is not one fixed muscular action, one ideal sensation, or one correct strategy that applies equally to every singer and every musical situation.

At the same time, there are underlying principles that apply to all singers. And skilled singers learn to apply those principles flexibly—to their own voices, their own tendencies, and the changing demands of repertoire.

In the Breath Support Practicum, we’ll move beyond one-size-fits-all answers to develop the kind of diagnostic thinking experienced voice teachers use every day—so you can better understand your own coordination, solve breath-related problems more effectively, and apply technical principles more skillfully in your repertoire.

What You’ll Learn & Experience

How Breath Support Actually Works

We’ll begin with a conservatory-level exploration of the anatomy and physiology of breath support: how the breathing mechanism functions during singing, how breath pressure is regulated in the body, and how skilled singers coordinate inhalation, onset, and airflow throughout a phrase.

But this is not anatomy for anatomy’s sake. Every concept will be connected directly to diagnosis, application, and practical problem-solving in singing.

Guided Practice on a “Laboratory Piece”

You’ll select a piece of repertoire (solo or choral) to work with throughout the practicum: a “laboratory piece” where breath support concepts can be explored, tested, and refined over time.

Throughout the series, you’ll participate in guided practice experiences using this piece of your own repertoire while muted on Zoom. Rather than simply discussing technique intellectually, you will repeatedly apply breath support strategies directly to the music you are already singing.

The Breath Breakdown Framework

One of the central tools of the practicum is the Breath Breakdown Framework: a practical checklist that breaks down how healthy breath coordination is built and what to check when that coordination begins to break down.

Live Demonstration Singers

During the live practicum meetings, selected singers will work with Julia in a masterclass format to demonstrate the same concepts, frameworks, and practice strategies being explored by the group. You’ll observe these singers working through technical questions over time: experimenting, refining, adjusting, and learning how breath coordination functions inside actual repertoire—not just in exercises.

What’s Included

• Four 90-minute live Zoom sessions
  We’ll meet June 27, July 11, July 24, and August 8. Each session includes a structured presentation, practice experiences, demonstration singers, and time for Q&A.
  

• Video replays you can work through at your own pace
  Can’t make it live? No problem. All sessions are recorded and available for replay through October 31, 2026.
  

• A downloadable comprehensive breath workout
  You will receive a guided breath workout video designed to reinforce key concepts from the practicum through targeted vocal exercises focused on inhalation, onset, airflow regulation, and breath support coordination. The workout may be downloaded for continued practice and reinforcement.
  

• A companion workbook for guided study and application
  You will receive concise companion materials for each session, including key diagrams, diagnostic frameworks, guided exercises, and practical tools to support ongoing study, experimentation, and repertoire application.
  

• A reading list for deeper study

  You will receive a curated reading list of selected books, articles, and excerpts related to the science, pedagogy, and motor learning principles underlying breath support in singing.
  

• OPTIONAL: A one-on-one 40-minute Zoom lesson with Dr. Julia
  This optional private lesson add-on ($110) gives you the opportunity to work one-on-one with Dr. Julia on your breath support coordination. Limited to the first 20 singers who request a lesson. Learn more here.

The Breath Support Practicum is designed as a cumulative four-part series, and registration includes all four sessions.

Bootcamp Dates & Times:

Saturday, June 27 10:30am–12:00pm PT

Saturday, July 11 10:30am–12:00pm PT

Saturday, July 25 10:30am–12:00pm PT

Saturday, August 8 10:30am–12:00pm PT

Cost: $295 for the series (workbook included)

Level: All levels

Video replays available! All participants are encouraged to attend all four live events. However, recordings of all meetings (and all practice videos) will be available to all registrants for three months after the final meeting, through October 31, 2026.