Welcome to
The Embodima™ School
Hi I’m Nicola Harrison, the founder and director of the Embodima School, where everything is about singing from the body!
We offer training and support to singing teachers and their clients, all singers and top industry professionals. We also offer effective body-based approaches for vocal rehabilitation.
We use transformative approaches to help singers embrace their physicality and learn how to embody the voice – the story – the song. All our work is evidence-based, rooted in anatomy, movement and neuroscience.
Our courses for singing teachers have a fantastic track record, too.
So if you want to get more from your voice and sing with expressive physicality LOOK NO FURTHER! If you want exciting new tools to elevate your teaching practice, come along to The Embodima School!
‘My voice is realms better now than I ever thought possible, thanks to Embodima‘
Eliza Carthy MBE, folk singer & musician
What is Embodima™?
Neuroscience & singing
Embodima™ is a form of embodied cognition for the training singers. Over 12 years of research with neuro scientists and anatomists at the University of Oxford, Cardiff University and UCL has developed and tested this gesture-based approach.
Coordination of singing muscles
Around 100 muscles are activated during singing, most of which are not under our conscious control. Embodima™ gestures create strong and effective motor memories through coordinating complex muscle systems during singing.
Gesture training for singers
The Embodima™ project has developed an entire dictionary of gestures that meets the demands of singing. These shapes have now been reproduced in a picture workbook for singing teachers.
Meet the Embodima™ team
Find out more about the originator of Embodima™, Nicola Harrison, and two Embodima™ trainers, Rebecca Cooch and Rachel Logan.
Don’t just take our word for it
Hear from our satisfied clients about their experiences
“You’re really on to something with Embodima. It’s good to know you have studied all the physiology etc. behind all this.It’s great to learn your Embodima gestures because they actually do change how a person uses their muscles in identifiable ways. The way you’ve made it systematic, and the way you’ve pinned everything down to the real physiological changes, is vital.”
Mx Margaret Jones, concert pianist, composer and vocal coach in W. Australia
“Nicola, your Embodima course is exceptional. The tools you have developed from the hard science are invaluable in the teaching studio: So visceral, practical and effective! You are joining many dots that I have been reading around these last few years-in a highly informed but accessible way. Total admiration for your work and artistry.”
Viv Munday, Vocal coach, singer and researcher, Royal College of Music
“Embodima is an excellent course and the book is an invaluable addition to my vocal teaching toolkit. If you already teach singing with imagery and gesture, then this course will be right up your street. I am ;using the images every day with my students and they are experiencing instant results. Nicola explains things thoroughly and creates a lovely atmosphere in the group. Embodima works for pop, musical theatre and classical. I highly recommend it.”
Susan Hayes, singer & teacher of singing