Join IVA co-founders Heather Baker and Tom Bathgate as they explore the art and science of singing. From vocal technique and mindset to health, business, and beyond, they bring practical tips and inspiring conversations to help voice teachers thrive.
Each episode features expert guests from around the globe who share their unique insights and experiences. Expect lively chats, actionable advice, and plenty of laughs—with the occasional biscuit tale thrown in!
Listen in and elevate your vocal journey.
With over 257,000 followers on Instagram and a staggering 1.5 million followers on TikTok, it’s safe to say that this week’s guest — musical stage star and voice coach Emily Kristen Morris — has found a way to make social media work for her.
And while some of Emily’s social media success can be attributed to her career (she’s played Bea (https://www.tiktok.com/@emilykristenmorris/video/7192305677233081642) in the Broadway National Tour of “Something’s Rotten”, Elphaba’s (https://www.tiktok.com/@emilykristenmorris/video/7274649646713081134) standby in the “Wicked” National Tour, and Elsa (https://www.tiktok.com/@emilykristenmorris/video/7466878912434359583) in Disney’s “Frozen: The Broadway Musical”), it’s worth noting that her TikTok channel started in 2020 when musical theater wasn’t active due to the pandemic.
So, what does it take to grow such a following and leverage the power of social media? Join us as Emily takes us through her journey and explores the challenges of growing a vocal coaching business online, navigating the ever-changing social media algorithm, and finding a balance between performing and teaching.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
(8:43) How Emily built an online presence on Instagram and TikTok — and how she needed to scale up her business as her social media following grew.
(13:35) The people Emily turned to for business advice — and the entrepreneurial skills she feels voice teachers must learn.
(16:34) How social media has changed the business landscape since the early days of the internet.
(17:25) Why there’s no one “right” way to do social media, even for the experts.
(18:00) The rewards of occasionally sharing personal stories about your music career — and why setting boundaries is important.
(22:39) How Emily manages the challenges of balancing a performing career with a teaching career.
(27:31) The value of running your own teaching business while pursuing a performing career
(29:43) Why being a “social media influencer” can make certain producers nervous about hiring you as a performer
(32:07) Why producers should be excited about using the power of social media to bring more audiences to live performances.
(33:30) How the musical theater industry is currently using social media and influencer marketing to promote itself.
(36:12) Tips and tricks for teachers who want to build a strong online presence
(41:49) How to handle the “haters” and negative comments that crop up on social media.
(44:27) Behind-the-curtain stories about what really happens between scenes in “Wicked” and “Frozen.”
(55:04) Why Emily feels she also owes her vocal coaching business to the IVA community, and how its support has changed her life.
Pro tip: Emily might not respond to all her TikTok comments, but you can reach her by contacting her via email at Emily@EmilyKristenMorris.com (mailto:Emily@EmilyKristenMorris.com).
Follow Emily’s career by checking out her website (https://www.emilykristenmorris.com) and join her Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/emilykristenmorris/?hl=en), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@EKMVocalStudio), and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@emilykristenmorris) channels (if you’re not there already!).
Here at the Vocal Advancement Podcast, we like to show different approaches to finding success. In Season 3 Episode 7, you met Linda Tomkinson (https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/vocaladvancement/episodes/Meeting-Your-Clients-Needs-with-Linda-Tomkinson-e344fee#:~:text=Our%20guest%20this%20week%20knows,talented%20performers%20or%20established%20artists) who built a successful career via word-of-mouth. In this episode, we cover the other side of the coin by showing how voice teachers like Emily Kristen Morris can build careers from huge social media followings.
If there’s a teacher, performer, or researcher who you think would offer a new perspective, be sure to email us at hello@vocaladvancement.com (mailto:hello@vocaladvancement.com) so we can feature them on Season 4!
And make sure to follow us on the Vocal Advancement Podcast and subscribe to our YouTube channel!
About the Institute for Vocal Advancement
The Institute of Vocal Advancement (IVA) was created to provide voice teachers with a support network to provide you with the best teaching tools and strategies to advance your career. Our trainers teach from the empathic mindset, showing you how to improve your own teaching style.
Check out our webinars in our list of upcoming events (https://www.vocaladvancement.com/en-us/events) and learning how our Teacher Training Programs (https://www.vocaladvancement.com/en-us/become-a-teacher) can help advance your career. Use the code “iva20percent” to get 20% off your first year’s course membership fee!
12 Jun 2025
Meeting Your Clients' Needs with Linda Tomkinson
Linda Tomkinson of the Institute for Vocal Advancement discusses adapting voice lessons to meet individual student goals and re-evaluating teaching beliefs, in an interview about building a long-lasting career.
8 May 2025
Nutrition in Singing with Duncan Rock
Does acid reflux impact your singing performance?
Perhaps you’ve searched the internet and found multiple articles on “The 10 Foods Singers Should Avoid” or medications promising to cure reflux.
But before you start making radical changes to your diet, you might want to listen to this episode’s guest. Duncan Rock is an acclaimed operatic baritone who’s performed with the Metropolitan Opera, The Royal Opera House, English National Opera, and Glyndebourne Festival Opera for over a decade.
More importantly, he’s a nutritionist and registered exercise professional with a Masters degree in Human Nutrition. He now uses his dual passions for singing and health to help performers maintain their health as they enjoy long, successful careers.
According to Duncan, much of what allows singers and performers stay healthy comes not from a specialized exercise regimen or dietary supplements, but a common-sense approach to diet and personal fitness. His holistic take on healthy living makes his advice easy to follow and highly effective for vocal coaches and their students.
Listen as Duncan shares his expertise in nutrition and physiotherapy, and learn:
(4:32) How a music scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama jumpstarted Duncan’s decade-long career as a professional opera singer.
(5:31) How the 2020 pandemic caused Duncan to switch gears and begin working as a nutritionist for the Voice Care Centre in London.
(7:21) How Duncan’s personal experiences with dieticians shaped his common-sense views towards nutrition and healthy diets.
(10:05) Why Duncan initially wasn’t interested in working as a nutritionist for singers — and how this changed.
(15:27) Why good, old fashioned advice on health and nutrition is the most valuable information you can receive in this age of polarized nutritional content.
(16:47) Why singers should maintain balanced diets in an industry with performers like Luciano Pavarotti who don’t always follow healthy eating habits.
(20:43) What research says about how our diets affect our body composition, and how this affects our vocal performance.
(23:22) Why being underweight can potentially be more damaging than being overweight or obese.
(25:36) How nutritionist advice can help performing singers deal with stress and weakened immune systems.
(28:42) The link between eating well and exercising
(33:33) The common-sense approach to managing acid reflux.
(37:36) The problems caused by myths surrounding singer nutrition
(39:55) How the body positivity movement can place negative pressure on singers and performers who change their appearance by adopting healthier habits.
(53:44) How vocal coaches benefit from a basic understanding of vocal nutrition in their classrooms.
Get more nutritional advice from Duncan by visiting his website (https://duncanrocknutrition.com). Interested in a more in-depth consultation? Connect with him via email at duncanrocknutrition@gmail.com (mailto:duncanrocknutrition@gmail.com).
You can also download Duncan’s IVA webinar (https://vocaladvancement.gumroad.com/l/duncan-rock?layout=profile), Nutrition and Exercise for Singers — The Missing Link in Vocal Health and Longevity — from the Institute of Vocal Advancement.
Tom and Heather have a lot of fascinating guests like Duncan lined up for our podcast! Make sure you meet them all by following us on the Vocal Advancement Podcast and see them by subscribing to our YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@vocaladvancement) channel!
Is there a teacher, performer, or researcher you think would make a great guest on our show? Email us at hello@vocaladvancement.com (mailto:hello@vocaladvancement.com) and let us know!
About the Institute for Vocal Advancement
The Institute of Vocal Advancement (IVA) was created to provide voice teachers with a support network to provide you with the best teaching tools and strategies to advance your career. Our trainers teach from the empathic mindset, showing you how to improve your own teaching style.
Learn how our Teacher Training Programs can help advance your career. Use the code “iva20percent” to get 20% off your first year’s course membership fee!
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
53,250
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 55 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
49
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
77
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