A Voice Print Assessment shows me your unique starting point. It can take five minutes or be ongoing through your first lesson without it being the main focus. If you are interested in more detail, though some of it may not apply to you, here it is:

You are a person with many aspects, a past and possibilities. I might ask you about your voice and what are your experiences and hopes regarding it. You may well use your speaking voice in your job, but be a beginner as a singer, or a professional singer in any genre. You may wish to sing me a song or a few lines, or explain issues you are having.

I observe your state of being and breathing. When you speak I hear your articulation, vowels and consonants, phonation, speech rhythm, pitch and all the many aspects of the quality of the sound. That may already suggest to me things to explore further once we get into the music room. Certain easy sounds I will suggest you make may reveal more. I am helping you towards Authentic Voice and Performance Freedom right from the start.

I distinguish between your voice/instrument, and how you are playing it. I distingish between sounds that are made in a healthy and sustainable way, and sounds that could damage your voice in the long term, or in the short term. I distinguish between sounds that are not working as you would like because of lack of technique, vs sounds that are not functioning because of an organic issue that might need looking at by a laryngologist. A Voice Print Assessment is NEVER a medical diagnosis.

We may start with a warm-up. I call it a Warm-in, and we may begin with B.R.A.V.E (Body, Respiration, Articulation, Voice, Ears.) I may deal with whatever is the most obvious thing in the way of you expressing yourself as you wish to do. I may reduce constriction in your larynx or pharynx or reduce strain or unnecessary tension elsewhere. If you prefer your voice to be less breathy, we can enable your vocal folds to create a reed that does not leak so much air. You may want to be louder, more resonant, go higher, lower, have breath that lasts longer, and so many other things. Part of my job is to free up your whole voice to enable you to sing whatever you like however you like, although I do advise if a piece is not appropriate for your voice for any reason, or just needs to be in a different key.

Your ear and musicality is another important aspect. People who don’t think they sound good are often people with a good ear and who therefore have more possibilities. You may well have untapped talents, musical and expressive abilities I can help you draw out. Protecting your hearing from loud environments such as some fitness classes is really important. (Noise Induced Hearing Loss, NIHL, is currently the most common, preventable, permanent injury in the world according to the World Health Organisation.)

There are many ways to use a voice, just as there are many ways to dance! I am listening to make sure nothing you are doing is harming your voice. Any voice technique needs to be sustainable for your life and work. I am also listening for vocal possibilities and enabling you to access your full ranges in pitch, tone, breathing etc.

Many aspects of general health can affect the voice or how you play your vocal unstrument. Conversely, singing can be therapeutic. (It also improves oxygenation and circulation, boosts immune and white blood cells, endocannabinoids, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins. see useful links at the bottom of this page.

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When needed, I advise on ways to keep your voice healthy. If I suspect any issues have already occured through your way of using your voice or for other health reasons, I may suggest a GP visit, or that a laryngologist could have a look.

I like to teach people to know their voices as thoroughly as they can. Some health issues can be caught very early if you notice changes in your voice that last more than two weeks, but do not have an obvious cause. Some issues may only be apparent to the ear on high quiet sounds or on a particular note or range of notes. I check everything I can in a first lesson and continue to do that throughout your time with me, even though it is not usually the main focus of the lessons.

Smoking, Vaping and Alcohol are obviously detrimental, but I will still help you to express yourself and get the best from your voice. Some singers have lots to express and can still do that with a damaged or inferior instrument. In contrast, some people with an exceptionally good and healthy voice have no desire to use it to say anything in particular.

Performance anxiety can have many causes and aspects that we can address. The Real over Right philosophy is preventative. Many people practise to get things right, so that they can reproduce that right thing in performance. Unknowingly they have practiced themselves into a Cage, and the moment something unexpected happens in your presentation audition or concert, The Cage you prepared for yourself starts to shrink! (Performance Anxiety Syndrome). I teach people to get things Real over Right, so that they can be completely free and responsive to whatever is. That is Authentic Voice and Performance Freedom.

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