An Audience with Elizabeth Benson and Kate Rosen

Fat Liberationist Teaching

Moderated by Jenna Brown

4th May 2025, 6pm UK time

This event is free for VHE Members and £10 for non-members. 30-days access to the catchup recording is available.

Issues of Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are becoming more present and visible in vocal pedagogical spaces. There have been numerous advances in the training, resources and opportunities for practitioners to up-skill, challenge their biases and improve the personalisation of their teaching to offer more inclusive and safe learning spaces. Whilst there has been much discussion and action on physical and mental special educational needs in music education, and increased understanding of learners mental health and wellbeing generally, other areas of inclusion such as race, gender and size require more attention.

In this talk we explore our biases (whether conscious or unconscious) towards fat singers. Recognising the colonial and racial antecedents of fat oppression, this session challenges us to consider how we work with fat singers in our studios and other areas of our professional singing lives.

This discussion aims to provide a safe space for us to learn from the experiences of our two guests, and encourages attendees to consider how they might make their teaching space even more inclusive for people of all shapes and sizes.

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Elizabeth Benson

Dr. Elizabeth Ann Benson is a dynamic scholar, performer, and educator, known for her expertise in contemporary voice pedagogy. Her book Training Contemporary Commercial Singers has been praised as “a remarkable and long-awaited contribution” (Journal of Singing), and her research has appeared in top journals including Voice and Speech Review, The Journal of Singing, and American Music Teacher. She is a frequent presenter at major conferences and guest speaker for organizations like the Grammy Awards MusiCares, NATS Chat, and the Voice Study Centre.

Her current research explores equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in the voice studio. She co-authored impactful articles on anti-fat bias and anti-racism in voice teaching, with one selected for Routledge’s Voice and Identity collection (2024). She holds three U.K.-based certifications in vocal health and is a PAVA-Recognized Vocologist.

As a sought-after clinician, she’s led master classes for NYSTA, regional NATS chapters, and universities nationwide. Elizabeth earned her MM from New England Conservatory and her doctorate from CUNY Graduate Center. A past recipient of the NATS Emerging Leader Award and the College of Liberal Arts Diversity Fellowship, she now leads national mentoring programs for NATS and the Music Theatre Educators’ Alliance.

Kate Rosen

Kate Rosen is a singer, voice teacher, advocate, size accessibility consultant, and researcher. Along with co-author Dr. Elizabeth Benson, her work on fat liberation in the voice studio has been published in The Journal of Singing and in Voice and Speech Review. She has presented on this topic for the Pan American Vocology Association, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Musical Theatre Educators Alliance, the Speakeasy Cooperative, the Association for Popular Music Education, and more.  Kate earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory and her Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, both in Voice Performance.  She maintains a private studio outside of Detroit, MI, and is the co-founder of community organization Fat Folks Detroit.  She also provides size accessibility consulting to increase opportunities for fat people to participate in events and gatherings, working with organizations including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Jenna Brown, Moderator

Jenna Brown is a British classical mezzo-soprano working in solo concert and consort work. She is a qualified voice rehabilitation specialist, and runs Bristol Voice Care providing teaching, rehabilitation and vocal massage. She holds an MSc in Education from Oxford where she focused on Inclusive Practice when teaching children and young people. Jenna also completed an MA in voice pedagogy with Voice Study Centre, where her researched focused on the ethics of singing teaching and voice rehabilitation. Jenna is currently a UKRI ESRC funded doctoral researcher at the Institute of Education, University College London. With a first degree in Theology and Philosophy, her work explores philosophical approach to voice pedagogy and voice science. Jenna is an editorial board member and peer reviewer for Music Scientiae, The Journal of Voice, Voice and Speech Review and The Cambridge Educational e-Journal. She is also Editor and trustee for the UK Association of Teachers of Singing, and a research group associate for the British Voice Association. Jenna has published in all the major voice journals, as well as other international philosophy, and music education journals. She regularly presents and lectures internationally at conferences, workshops and University post-graduate courses. She is a founder members of the Transformational Voice Research Network, which advocates for a multi-disciplinary and inclusive approach to voice research and practice.

4th May 2025, 6pm UK time

The event focuses on creating a teaching environment that is inclusive of all shapes and sizes.  In order to keep our guests safe, we will be setting some parameters for the Q&A

This event is free for VHE Members and £10 for non-members. 30-days access to the catch-up recording is available.

Book Now