Voice Finding

“Voice work is for everybody.  We all breathe and the vast majority of us speak…Doing voice and speech work can be, I think, as energizing and liberating as any other kind of physical exercise.  There is no mystique about it.  It is powerful and it is also very simple…As we open our mouths to let sound and words pour forth, we frequently reveal the deepest parts of ourselves…No wonder it can be such a terrifying act to speak! No wonder it is a right attacked and repressed by those who think they are more powerful or articulate or have the right to control how and what we have to say… ‘The right to speak’ is a right we all have.

Patsy Rodenburg ~ The Right to Speak

“To find my own voice is to give truthful expression to how I experience myself and the world I live in.

Marion Woodman ~  Coming Home to Myself

When I am asked about the Voice Work that I do, it is often assumed that it is vocal work to produce a desired sound–whether it is singing, public speaking, or performance.  In fact,  is quite the opposite.

 Voice Work is Voice Finding and more.

 “Voicework is the field of study which defines and develops how, and most importantly why we voice.  It is an experiential practice that has evolved primarily through traditions in the theatre, influenced by the fields of speech pathology, medicine, and most recently through research in neuroscience.”

~Rea Nolan

And, I would add,

Voice Work is an experiential process of Self Discovery.

As a Psychotherapist, I have witnessed the problem of Silence.

Sometimes, beliefs are silenced.

Self-doubt silences.

Fear of judgement silences.

Lack of self confidence in our capacity to express ourselves

in a way that others will respect and understand silences.

 

 

 

 

“While forces in the environment certainly push against finding our own voice, all too often the force that silences comes from within.”

~Marion Woodman

I also know the joys of voice.

I grew up singing.

It seemed so natural to me!

I grew into Theatre Arts, and studied acting, voice, and movement for the stage.

I found freedom there.

I also found freedom and synthesis in BodySoul Rhythms:

the work of Marion Woodman, Ann Skinner, and Mary Hamilton.

And in my recent adventures in Shakespeare

with Ann Skinner and Meg Wilbur–my beloved Voice Teachers.

…this bit of bio is to give you a picture, an image, a glimpse of

how I came to Voice Finding.

…and to share what Voice Finding has to offer.

May I help you to find and free your voice?

 

Art Credit: Deirdre Bennetta (Blue);  Naomi Gerrard (Joyful Voice); Carolee (Bird in Hand)