In this course, Kate Smith, creator of The Embodied Voice, will unpack the concept of somatics and how she applies it to the field of voice.

We will look at what somatics means, how to apply it in voice work, and why it can be such a powerful tool for deep learning.

Somatics and Embodiment:
A Clarification

Embodiment and somatics have become buzzwords in recent years, but what do they actually mean, and why do they matter?

Embodiment is not simply the act of moving the body. Rather, it refers to being present to sensation and perception—to living through the body as an integrated self in ways that expand how we know, process, and respond to present experience.

Somatics is one way of fostering embodiment — an approach that emphasizes how we learn, how we attend, and how we relate to our own body.

Somatics, therefore, is an approach that grounds awareness in direct bodily experience, privileging perception and curiosity over control or correction.

Applying Somatics to the Voice

Over the years, Kate has been developing an approach to exploring vocal technique through experiential flows that lead participants to slow down, turn inward, and engage with the body in a way that is fundamentally different from a typical vocal warm-up or voice lesson. While not the only element of The Embodied Voice, these moments in her pedagogy have felt increasingly pivotal in creating the conditions for deep change — not by pushing, fixing, or improving, but through listening, attention, and embodied learning.

This course will offer insight into how the brain and body learn through sensitive engagement with attention, pacing, and quality of listening. Drawing on nervous system education, embodied cognition, and movement-based inquiry, we investigate how real change happens — at a cellular, perceptual, and relational level.

Applied to voice, this approach undercuts the idea that we can (or should) control the vocal mechanism from the top down. Instead, it invites a curious, relational process: learning to experience your voice as your body, developing trust in sensation, and becoming fluent in your own internal feedback.

This work asks for responsibility. No teacher can tell you what your body is experiencing. Instead, loose frameworks, targeted information, and gentle propositions guide you toward your own discoveries. From there, expressive movement, vocal improvisation, and emotional expression arise in a very different way: with more honesty, safety, and depth.

The course also situates this work within the lineage of somatic practice, touching on influences such as Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais, and Thomas Hanna, while articulating a contemporary application to voice and expressive work.