WHO AM I?
I’ve always loved performing. I love the feeling of connecting with an audience; of creating an energy that takes them on a journey to another place and time.
I did that for about thirty years in different performance styles. Then an accident (exercising with a stretch bar) resulted in multiple fractures to my upper jaw; knocked out 6 teeth and split my upper lip. Surgery reconstructed the fractures to the mandible and teeth and plastic surgery fixed my lip. The impact also fractured my hard palate.
I was used to overcoming challenging situations in my life at many levels and I felt I would eventually deal with this one too. The problem was the effect of the accident on my voice in a way that no one seemed to be able to help me.
While I decided to end my performing career, I also wanted to learn everything I could about a then relatively new concept of Voice Science which explored the physiology and anatomy of the voice in a way that had not been possible before. I felt even if I couldn’t keep performing I might be able to help others.
I began teaching voice when, after being awarded a series of Graduate Assistantships while studying at college in the USA I worked with voice minors at the university. I was very lucky to have a whole faculty of very experienced voiced teachers to advise and guide me. I’ve been teaching ever since.
I then started learning the Estill Voice Concepts which I trained in for 11 years. I loved learning about the way the voice worked. I also loved learning about different approaches to vocal techniques, especially as they apply to different vocal styles and speech production.
I did eventually work out how the accident had impacted my voice but by then my focus changed to helping singers and speakers understand how their voices worked for them. I strongly believe that while there are some basic concepts that apply to all vocal styles and speech, there are many variations that apply to each individual singer/speaker
Finding the best vocal sound for each singer/speaker is my primary focus. Helping them to understand how to maintain that individuality and ideal vocal production,
is the next most important thing.
I love the moment the student discovers their own sound - it’s magic!
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Whether you’re a singer or speaker, the goal is the same. To help you find the sound that connects to the listener and helps you create magic in a way you can reproduce safely and effectively every time you use your voice.
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That is what I aim to achieve with each and every student.