Human Compatible Learning Center | Scholarships for Voice Educators

Our Mission

When we invest in teachers, we change lives.

As Leon wrote in Bodymind & Voice: Foundations of Voice Education:

"Physicians change the anatomy, the biochemistry, the physiology, and the health of people. SO DO TEACHERS."

The Human Compatible Learning Center is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing access to continuing education resources that are compatible with neurobiopsychosocial impacts on human learning for voice practitioners and educators.

We are named for a conviction: that learning works best when it works with how human beings actually learn. That conviction came from our founder, Dr. Leon Thurman, Ed.D. — who dedicated his career to making voice science accessible to every teacher, at every level.

20+

Scholarships awarded in our first year

Countries reached: Argentina, China, Mexico, Middle East, Philippines, USA, and more

100%

Of donations go directly to scholarships

World-class courses available this year

Become a Supporting Member

About HCLC

Our Story

Human Compatible Learning Center was founded in 2022 by Leon Thurman, DMA and Beth Falcone, M.M. to carry the work of the VoiceCare Network into its next chapter. For nearly thirty years, the VoiceCare Network had given classroom teachers, choral conductors, voice teachers, clinicians, and performers a safe place to learn practical voice science. When it folded after the pandemic, its community lost a home. And so did Bodymind & Voice — all 877 pages of it. Co-authored by more than eighteen voice scientists, physicians, and educators, it had been called the most comprehensive resource on the science and practice of voice education available to voice teachers, conductors, and singers.

Bodymind & Voice: Foundations of Voice Education — the landmark text co-edited by Leon Thurman — is now available again, and HCLC is its home. A new purchasing option is coming soon — sign up to stay tuned.

We began with the VoiceCare BookClub, a free gathering designed to keep the community connected. It was a place where VoiceCare Network alumni could find each other again. Over time it grew into something larger: a thriving hub for voice educators worldwide to learn, share, and support one another.

Today, HCLC supports voice educators through scholarships, professional development, and community programming — including the annual Leon Thurman Human Compatible Learning Award, which funds educators attending transformative training programs each year.

What Is Human Compatible Learning?

The phrase "Human Compatible Learning" was coined by Leon Thurman, Ed.D. — educator, scholar, and co-editor of Bodymind & Voice: Foundations of Voice Education, a landmark text used as a university resource for over twenty years.

Leon's core conviction was that teaching works best when it works with how human beings actually learn. He and his collaborators drew on the neuropsychobiological sciences to document what actually happens when people learn — and what that means for anyone who teaches voice.

The implications are profound. As Leon wrote in Bodymind & Voice:

"Physicians change the anatomy, the biochemistry, the physiology, and the health of people. SO DO TEACHERS."

Leon held a Doctor of Musical Arts and believed deeply that voice science belonged in every classroom and studio — not locked away in academic journals. He devoted his career to translating complex research into practical, accessible knowledge for teachers at every level. And he understood that the stakes were real:

"When we help people with their voices, we are influencing their neuroanatomy, biochemistry, and physiology. 'Technique lists,' 'tricks' and 'method procedures' alone, while helpful up to a point, ultimately limit us into roles that are like TV repair technicians. Deep contextual knowledge and experience empowers us to design learning experiences that help people develop such life-abilities as empathic relatedness, constructive competence, and self-reliant autonomy."

Leon believed that voice education, grounded in science and carried out with genuine knowledge of how human beings learn, could change lives — not just voices.

"Vocal self-expression really cannot be separated out from everything that we human beings are and may become."

— Leon Thurman, Ed.D., Bodymind & Voice: Foundations of Voice Education (Revised Edition, 2000)

All quotes are drawn from Bodymind & Voice: Foundations of Voice Education, co-edited by Leon Thurman, Ed.D. and Graham Welch, Ph.D. (Revised Edition, 2000). Copyright held by Human Compatible Learning Center.

Read the chapters that inspired HCLC

A password-protected excerpt from Bodymind & Voice by Leon Thurman.

Read the Chapters

Award

The 2nd Annual Leon Thurman
Human Compatible Learning Award

The Leon Thurman Human Compatible Learning Award is a full-tuition scholarship for independent voice teachers and clinicians who want to deepen their knowledge through world-class continuing education — but may not have institutional support to get there.

Named in honor of HCLC's late founder, Dr. Leon Thurman, EdD, the award is given annually to recipients from around the world. The committee is carefully reviewing all 2026 submissions and will contact candidates no later than May 16. Public announcements will follow later in May.

Applications Closed Candidates will be contacted by May 16

Available Courses

Online & In-Person

Acoustic Vocal Pedagogy Workshop (AVPW)

3D (in-person): June 7–12

Online Course with Self-Guided Videos and Synchronous Faculty Sessions in July

Videos available June 1 – December 31, 2026

Online & In-Person

OCU Vocal Pedagogy and Vocology Intensive

June 22–26

Online & In-Person

Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop — Boston

July 9–12

Online & In-Person

Westminster Voice Pedagogy Institute

July 20–24

Online & In-Person

PAVA Symposium (Pan American Vocology Association)

October 9–11

In-Person Only

Group Voice Pedagogy Intensive — Coastal Carolina University

June 15–18

In-Person Only

The CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute — Shenandoah

July 11–16

Become a Supporting Member

Class of 2025

Leon Thurman Award Recipients

Educators who came from around the world, brought everything they had, and left changed.

Meet the Recipients →

In Their Own Words

What the award meant to them

Amir N.

Voice Teacher · Founder, H. Vocal Ensemble & LV Studio · Middle East · Class of 2025

Today, writing on the 39th day of a complete internet blackout, and in the midst of a war — I feel a deep responsibility to ensure that my voice, and my gratitude, reaches you. I realized something deeply meaningful: that I am not alone — and that we are not alone. Creating and sustaining such foundations is, in itself, an extraordinary gift.

I received an email last year from the Embodied Music Lab — an email I could not have imagined would alter the course of my life so profoundly. Filling out the open call application for a scholarship offered by the Human Compatible Learning Center, I did not yet realize how meaningful this opportunity would become.

When I applied, I did not fully grasp whether the work I had been doing in my own country would hold any significance beyond its borders. For years, I have been working to develop and disseminate a science-informed approach to vocal pedagogy in Iran — a context where academic infrastructure for this field is limited. At the same time, I have been engaged in an ongoing struggle against systemic and ideological restrictions that limit women's right to sing and to receive vocal training. This has not only been a professional path, but a deeply personal and collective one: building a community of teachers and singers who learn together, support one another, and continue to grow — while also reclaiming the fundamental right to sing freely.

It was through encountering the philosophy of education inspired by Leon Thurman, and through learning about the vision behind HCLC, that I began to understand why this opportunity was extended to me. More importantly, I realized something deeply meaningful: that I am not alone — and that we are not alone. Creating and sustaining such foundations is, in itself, an extraordinary gift.

Being among the co-awardees from different parts of the world was both humbling and inspiring. Each of them represented a unique and meaningful contribution, and through the efforts of HCLC — along with the generous support and coordination of Beth Falcone — we have become part of a growing network and community committed to advancing a shared cause.

Thanks to the Leon Thurman Scholarship, I was able to participate in the Acoustic Vocal Pedagogy 2025 course, which I consider one of the most current and impactful short-term programs in this field. Today, my teaching has become not only more effective, but also — perhaps surprisingly — simpler and more intuitive. I can clearly see the impact of this learning not only in my own singing and teaching, but also in the broader community of classical voice teachers and singers in Iran with whom I am connected.

Beyond pedagogy, this experience has also strengthened us in our ongoing efforts to advocate for women's right to sing. It has empowered our community — both practically and intellectually — to continue this work with greater clarity and resilience.

For all of this, I remain deeply and sincerely grateful.

Angelique Clay Everett, DMA

Associate Professor of Music, University of Kentucky · United States · Class of 2025

Without the support of the scholarship, I would have had to postpone my participation for another year. Your foresight and passion in establishing this scholarship in your teacher's name and memory have made a lasting difference — not only in my life but in the lives of many others.

Brandon Marcus

Voice Teacher · Alabama, USA · Class of 2025

I was floored by the amount of face to face opportunities provided. Being able to work with these clinicians in a 1:1 setting really helped solidify the knowledge I was taking in. As a budding small business owner, receiving the Leon Thurman Award was incredibly helpful. I am infinitely grateful.

Jasmine Davis

Voice Teacher · United States · Class of 2025

Karina Villarruel

Singer & Music Educator · Argentina · Class of 2025

This training has helped me deepen my knowledge of acoustics and vocal pedagogy, improving my own singing as well as the quality of my classes. And Kenneth, Ian, and Chadley set an example of how to interact with students — which may be the most lasting gift of all.

Natalia Garcia Cervera

Singer, Teacher & Choir Conductor · Argentina · Class of 2025

I was deeply moved by the respect, care, and empathy with which they shared their expertise. There were no 'silly questions,' only a genuine commitment to nurturing our curiosity. Receiving this scholarship has been crucial for me at this point in my career. I am profoundly grateful.

Empowering Voice Educators to Change Lives

VoiceCare BookClub

When we invest in teachers, we change lives.