Hoi An, Vietnam 14 February – 7 March 2027
“The voice gets to the soul of a person more than any other instrument.”
— Bobby McFerrin
This 3-week intensive offers 125 hours of in-person training for singers, choir leaders, music educators, and expressive arts practitioners who want to become confident facilitators of collaborative vocal experiences.
This is not a beginner voice retreat. It is a professional certified training for those who wish to develop the artistry, presence, and practical skill to lead groups into musical connection, creative freedom, and collective transformation.
As the world’s first intensive teacher training dedicated specifically to vocal improvisation, this programme offers a unique opportunity to study the musical, embodied, relational, and pedagogical foundations of vocal improvisation in one immersive programme.
It weaves together three essential dimensions of vocal leadership:
Vocal Improvisation
Circle singing, co-improvisation, beatbox, body percussion, spontaneous composition, deep listening, and collective musical intelligence.
Voice Work
Roy Hart-inspired voice exploration, ancestral voice, embodied voice, emotional expression, breath, resonance, and the full expressive range of the human voice.
Improvisation Practices
Lecoq-inspired theatre, movement, ensemble awareness, presence, play, physical imagination, and the ability to respond creatively in real time.
Deep Vocal Practice
Expand your vocal freedom, musical sensitivity, improvisational range, and confidence in spontaneous creation.
Facilitation Tools
Learn how to structure sessions, guide groups, build trust, and create conditions for musical and emotional risk-taking.
Supervised Practice & Mentoring
Refine your facilitation through guided practice, live leadership, personalised feedback, and expert mentoring.
Collective Creativity
Discover how to hold a circle, listen to the whole, and support groups to create living music together.
• The confidence to lead vocal improvisation with clarity, presence, and creative authority
• A refined toolkit for circle singing, co-improvisation, embodied voice work, and group facilitation
• A deeper and more expressive relationship with your own voice
• The ability to design and guide transformative vocal and improvisation experiences in your own professional context
This training brings together four internationally experienced teachers— Guillermo Rozenthuler, Kate Smith, Tiago Ribeiro, and Dr Swan Dao — to support you in developing your voice, your facilitation, and your own way of leading.
Dr Jessica Bockler is a distinguished psychologist and theatre practitioner with over 25 years of experience in expressive arts facilitation, specialising in embodied approaches...
Dr Jessica Bockler
Psychologist & Educator
Alef Trust | British Psychological Society
Dr Swan Dao is the founder of the Institute of Devotional Arts, which designs learning and healing experiences through the expressive arts...
Dr Swan Dao
Psychotherapist & Educator
University of Cambridge | École Jacques Lecoq
Over three weeks, the training follows a clear progression: embody the voice, facilitate the circle, become the teacher.
Each week combines vocal practice, circle singing, embodied improvisation, facilitation tools, supervised teaching practice, and personalised feedback.
Finding freedom, presence, and musical trust
Deepen your relationship with your voice, body, and the group through circle singing, Roy Hart-inspired voice work, ancestral voice, breath, resonance, movement, and ensemble improvisation.
You will explore rhythm, harmony, groove, vocal colour, emotional expression, and the foundations of collective musical intelligence.
Learning to guide groups into collective creativity
Learn how to structure sessions, guide warm-ups, introduce exercises progressively, build trust, invite participation, and support people through inhibition and creative risk.
Through teaching labs and feedback, you will practise leading circle songs, shaping group energy, and developing your own facilitation style.
Integration, supervised practice, and professional application
Design and lead your own vocal improvisation sessions or teaching segments, with feedback from teachers and peers.
You will refine your ability to hold a group, adapt in the moment, and apply this work in choirs, schools, retreats, festivals, therapeutic spaces, community singing, and creative learning environments.
08:00 – 09:00
Breakfast
09:00 – 10:15
Morning Voice Practice
10: 30 – 12:00
Circle Singing & Vocal Improvisation
12:00 – 14:30
Lunch & Rest
14:30 – 15:45
Circle Singing & Vocal Improvisation
16:15– 17:30
Improvisation & Facilitation Lab
18:00 – 19:00
Dinner
20:00 – 21:00
Evening Integration
Finding freedom, presence, and musical trust
Deepen your relationship with your voice, body, and the group through circle singing, Roy Hart-inspired voice work, ancestral voice, breath, resonance, movement, and ensemble improvisation.
You will explore rhythm, harmony, groove, vocal colour, emotional expression, and the foundations of collective musical intelligence.
Learning to guide groups into collective creativity
Learn how to structure sessions, guide warm-ups, introduce exercises progressively, build trust, invite participation, and support people through inhibition and creative risk.
Through teaching labs and feedback, you will practise leading circle songs, shaping group energy, and developing your own facilitation style.
Integration, supervised practice, and professional application
Design and lead your own vocal improvisation sessions or teaching segments, with feedback from teachers and peers.
You will refine your ability to hold a group, adapt in the moment, and apply this work in choirs, schools, retreats, festivals, therapeutic spaces, community singing, and creative learning environments.
08:00 – 09:00
Breakfast
09:00 – 10:15
Morning Voice Practice
10: 30 – 12:00
Circle Singing & Vocal Improvisation
12:00 – 14:30
Lunch & Rest
14:30 – 15:45
Circle Singing & Vocal Improvisation
16:15– 17:30
Improvisation & Facilitation Lab
18:00 – 19:00
Dinner
20:00 – 21:00
Evening Integration
“The improviser has to understand that his first skill lies in releasing his partner’s imagination.”
— Keith Johnstone
A Riverside Ecolodge near Hoi An
Nestled along the gentle Thu Bon River, our ecolodge offers a peaceful retreat into the beauty of the Vietnamese countryside. Just a short distance from Hoi An — a UNESCO World Heritage town known for its historic architecture, colourful lanterns, and riverside cafés — the venue combines rural tranquillity with a rich cultural atmosphere.
Surrounded by bamboo groves, rice fields, village paths, and lush riverside landscapes, it invites you to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with your natural voice. It provides an intimate and inspiring setting for deep practice, listening, rest, and meaningful connection.
The closest airport is Da Nang International Airport, which has regular domestic flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as some international connections. We will pick you up from the airport.
Nourishing traditional Vietnamese food will be provided throughout the training. Meals will be fresh, colourful, and balanced, with plenty of herbs, seasonal vegetables, rice, broths, and fruit.
Vietnamese cuisine is often considered one of the world’s healthiest food traditions, thanks to its freshness, lightness, and balance. We are happy cater to special diets.
Submit Your Application Today
Designed for depth and focus, this all-inclusive training is limited in size and offered by application only. We are selecting participants ready to engage seriously with expressive and embodied work.
Single Room
FREE
€ 3,350
€ 3,350
Very limited availability
Accommodation for 5 days/4 nights
Private access to the retreat centre
All meals, snacks, and drinks
All materials and classes (33+ hrs)
Shared Room
FREE
€ 2,550
€ 2,550
€2,250 Early Bird (save €300)
Early Bird ends 28 Feb
Accommodation for 5 days/4 nights
in a double ensuite room (2 people)
Private access to the retreat centre
All meals, snacks, and drinks
All materials and classes (33+ hrs)
I discovered creative ways to express sensitive, deeply personal topics, and returned feeling empowered with valuable tools and inspiration gained from both participants and teachers.
Amy Tessler | Trauma Psychotherapist | Canada
My experience was deeply insightful. It offered a refreshing perspective that complemented my background in healthcare, allowing me to reconnect with the true essence of therapy.
Dr Soukeyna Debiens | Medical Doctor | Canada
I felt inspired and supported by incredible artists who make art in a different way. I was reminded of the reason why I create and share my creativity.
SANDRA LEPIK | VISUAL ARTIST | ESTONIA
The techniques were accessible yet powerful, simple yet transformative. The experience was unexpectedly moving, personally enriching, and collectively empowering — I feel really grateful for it.
Dr MIKE SANDEL | Psychiatrist | SPAIN
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