NATS Chat Schedule + Replays
NATS Chat, sponsored by Inside View Press, invites guests to discuss various topics in an online webinar. Sessions are often held one Sunday per month of the academic year at 7–8 p.m. ET (6–7 p.m. CT; 5–6 p.m. MT; 4–5 p.m. PT). Kari Ragan is the host and coordinator for NATS Chat. See replays
NATS Chat 2026-27: Upcoming Chats
October 4, 2026
AI and the Voice Studio: Opportunity, Ethics, and Expertise
Featuring Ian Howell, Cary Lee, Kayla Gautereux
Host: Kari Ragan
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the landscape of education, communication, scholarship, and professional practice. As these technologies become increasingly integrated into our daily work, voice teachers are being called upon to consider their impact on teaching, research, publishing, professional communication, and much more. What does this mean for voice teachers in both academic and independent studio settings? How do we navigate the opportunities and ethical questions that accompany these emerging technologies?
Together, we will explore how to harness the benefits AI can offer while considering important questions surrounding accuracy, transparency, privacy, and professional responsibility. We will also examine the aspects of voice teaching that remain uniquely human—perception, artistry, mentorship, relationship, and professional judgment—and consider not only what AI can enhance, but what it cannot replace. Ultimately, this conversation asks how voice teachers can use AI as a tool while preserving the expertise, discernment, and human relationships that remain central to effective teaching.
Register Here
November 8, 2026
Vocal Health the Musical: What a Decade of Singer Data Means for Your Studio
Featuring Adam Lloyd, SLP-D, CCC-SLP, MM, PAVA-RV
Host: Kari Ragan
Is classical technique “healthier” than others? What if the question in vocal health, “Which genre is most at risk?” is the wrong one? This session draws on a decade-long longitudinal study of undergraduate voice majors across classical, musical theatre, contemporary commercial music, and jazz to reframe how we think about singer health in the studio. Attendees will explore patterns in vocal fold pathology, changes in vocal function, and differences in self-perception across training environments. Moving beyond genre-based assumptions, this presentation highlights how vocal load, training habits, and self-monitoring shape outcomes over time. We will focus on practical evidence-based strategies for hydration, pacing, recovery, and vocal hygiene that are clear, actionable tools for teachers. Participants will also gain insight into how to recognize early warning signs, support sustainable technique, and build collaborative relationships with medical and voice care professionals. Designed for teachers working across styles and levels, this session equips attendees with research-informed strategies they can immediately apply to support healthy, resilient singers.
December 13, 2026
A Decade of Change: The Evolution of Acoustic Voice Pedagogy
Featuring Ken Bozeman, Chadley Ballantyne, Ian Howell
Host: Kari Ragan
Over the past decade, acoustic voice pedagogy has moved from the margins of voice teaching into mainstream pedagogical discourse. Advances in research, technology, and teacher education have expanded our understanding of how acoustic principles can inform studio instruction while raising important questions about application, communication, and evidence-based practice. Join Ken Bozeman, Ian Howell, and Chadley Ballantyne for a conversation exploring how acoustic pedagogy has evolved, where it has influenced teaching most significantly, and what opportunities and challenges lie ahead.
NATS Chat 2025-26 Season: Replays
Replays from the 2025-26 season will be shared on this page and in the archives.
May 3, 2026
From Stage to Studio: Bridging the Gap in Voice Pedagogy
Featuring Allen Henderson, Michaela Martens, Cyndia Sieden, Peggy Baroody, Randall Scarlata
Host: Kari Ragan
Many celebrated performers after careers at the MET or on international stages transition into teaching. Yet, some resist adopting science-informed approaches that are becoming more central in modern pedagogy. This NATS Chat brings together a panel of distinguished voice teachers, many with major performance careers of their own, to discuss why this disconnect exists and how we can bridge it. How can we foster mutual respect between artist-teachers and pedagogy-focused educators? How do we create common ground between experiential and evidence-based teaching traditions — ultimately for the benefit of our students?
April 12, 2026
Beyond the Straw: Expanding the SOVT Toolkit
Featuring Nandhu Radhakrishnan & Lynn Maxfield
Co-Hosts: Marci Rosenberg and Kari Ragan
Semi-occluded vocal tract exercises (SOVTs) are widely embraced in voice training and therapy, yet their full potential often remains underexplored. This NATS Chat will go beyond the familiar straw, featuring Dr. Nandhu Radhakrishnan, creator of the Nasal Resistance Technique (NRT), and co-host Marci Rosenberg in conversation with SOVT researcher Dr. Lynn Maxfield. Together, they’ll highlight under-recognized tools, including NRT, the anesthesia mask, puffy cheeks, and the Acapella PEP device while discussing their applications in habilitation and rehabilitation. Whether you're a teacher, clinician, or performer, this session will expand your toolkit and deepen your understanding of semi-occlusion strategies.
March 8, 2026
Integrating Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) Into Multidisciplinary Voice Care
Featuring Paulina Soble, Torran Kitts, and Marci Rosenberg
Host: Kari Ragan
A multidisciplinary approach is now the gold standard in treating the performing voice, yet some singers continue to experience unresolved voice-related pain despite expert care. This NATS Chat explores an emerging extension of the traditional care team called Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), which is a neuroscience-based intervention that addresses chronic, neuroplastic pain. When should voice professionals consider pain as a brain-based phenomenon? Could PRT offer answers when progress stalls? Join us for a discussion with PRT specialists and singers who found resolutions to ongoing voice pain through this approach. Together, we’ll examine how pain education and neural retraining might become a vital tool in treating persistent vocal pain in singers and voice users.
February 6, 2026
Beyond Worn Out: Addressing Vocal Fatigue and Effort
Featuring Eric Hunter
Co-Hosts: Ed Reisert and Kari Ragan
Vocal fatigue and elevated vocal effort are common challenges for singers and teachers, yet their causes and interactions remain complex. This presentation draws from extensive research on occupational voice use to examine how vocal effort contributes to fatigue, how individuals perceive and adapt to these sensations, and why these adaptations can sometimes obscure underlying strain. We’ll explore how tracking vocal effort across time, tasks, and individuals can provide actionable insights for preventing fatigue and optimizing rehearsal strategies. Attendees will gain insights for recognizing and managing effort in ways that support more sustainable and effective voice use.
January 11, 2026
Deconstructing Distortion and Exploring Their Uses
Featuring Geddy Warner and Lynn Maxfield
Co-Hosts: Marci Rosenberg and Kari Ragan
This talk will aim to explore a selection of vocal distortion sounds by breaking them down to some of their physiological and anatomical components to make them more approachable and showcase how they can be utilized in both performance and rehabilitative/habilitative contexts. Examples will be provided using both live demonstration of exercises as well as prerecorded lesson samples.
December 14, 2025
Care of the Performing Voice: Less Art, More Science
Featuring Lucian Sulica, MD
Host: Kari Ragan
Caring for the performing voice has long been viewed as an art — personal, nuanced, and rooted in tradition. Yet this lens can sometimes overlook the value of evidence-based practice. In this NATS Chat, we’ll explore how systematic clinical data can bring clarity to treatment, dispel persistent myths, and de-catastrophize vocal injury. We’ll examine emerging research on injury patterns, recovery, and the roles of gender and laryngeal anatomy. Whether you’re supporting injured singers or working to prevent injury, this conversation will offer practical, science-informed strategies to foster healthy, sustainable voice use in the studio and beyond.
November 9, 2025
Vocal Techniques of Cantorial Music and Classic Jewish Repertoire
Featuring Joshua Breitzer, Benjamin Shechter, Ethan Leifer, Yosef Shoshani, Sydney Rose Michaeli
Co-Hosts: Sharon Pesenti and Kari Ragan
The voice of the cantor, or chazzan, draws on ancient traditions of modes, vocal agility, emotional nuance, and a resonant yet lyrical tone. Cantorial music features virtuosic embellishments, trills, portamenti, falsetto, and expressive sighs known as “krekhts” to heighten emotional intensity. A distinguished panel of cantors from the U.S. and Israel will explore pedagogic approaches and stylistic distinctions among European, Sephardic, and modern traditions. Panelists will also share strategies for maintaining vocal health and stamina across extended services. The session will conclude with a brief look at Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ladino repertoire in classical cantorial style.
October 5, 2025
Branding and Business Strategies for Voice Teachers
Featuring Nick Klein and Kelly Scott
Host: Kari Ragan
In today’s digital world, voice teachers are entrepreneurs whose personal brand reflects their values and teaching philosophy. This session will help teachers define a unique brand identity, clarify what sets them apart, and attract ideal students online. Participants will explore how to articulate their brand’s core values, mission, and messaging to ensure consistency across their website, social media, and promotional materials. Whether launching a new studio or refining an existing one, attendees will leave with actionable steps to present their brand authentically — building clarity, confidence, and connection in a competitive, fast-paced digital landscape.
