It all started with me asking a question many decades ago:
“Is it possible to teach people how to use their voices without damaging them emotionally?”
In the beginning…
When I started coaching vocalists back in 1990, I went about it much like I had been taught. Using an ego-driven model (my ego doing the driving), I focused on teaching the same textbook list of vocal mechanics and technique for each and every client, no exceptions.
I had watched the professors at the universities I attended do this. They would turn out fabulous singers from their studios who showed certain technique traits that were the trademarks of that particular professor. The singer would set their feet ‘just so’ or hold their head, mouth and jaw in a snarl, making it easy to spot, “Oh, they study with Dr. So-and-So!”
It was not uncommon to see vocalists dismissed from a studio if they didn’t toe the line. Lessons were filled with soul-eroding monologues by the professor, leveled at the student to get the intended result. If they were unable to fit the mold the professor demanded, they were done for. You could literally see the stress these vocal athletes carried on a daily basis, both on stage and off.
One-size-fits-(not)-all
In working with regular, everyday people from all walks of life outside the university model, I found out quickly that this form of teaching just did not work. At all. Being a young coach, many of my clientele were beginners, just figuring out where their voice even was.
Because my ego was so involved in their process, when a client would not progress in exactly the textbook way I expected, I took it personally. Blasting the client with a ‘voice coach monologue’, only made things worse. Embarrassment took over. Worry for my ‘reputation as a voice teacher’ came next. I began to loathe teaching, loathe the clients, loathe myself. It was all about me, me, me! My gut told me I had to change.
A New Method Of Voice Coaching
I had gotten into voice coaching to help people, not hurt them. So, I started to ask better questions. In addition to the question above, I asked:
•What would happen if instead of stuffing people into my one-size-fits-all technique box, I decided to let them direct their process as their skills were building?
And…
•How would unconditional love and encouragement affect a vocalist?
Well, it ended up working very well.
My ego became detached from all outcomes, and my clients took great leaps forward in their progress. I relaxed and let myself be present for the client during our sessions. The client felt free to be themselves, to tell me how they were really feeling as they made sound, to relax, to fail. Shame and fear were replaced by “Accept and Allow”. I was surprised to see the student gain freedom emotionally because of this. Emotional freedom unlocked their body and their voice. I folded in solid vocal technique when they were truly ready. When I did, it stuck!
Breakthrough is Hard Work
I was so fulfilled watching my students get breakthrough after breakthrough. My passion for seeing people gain freedom grew, and my practice grew larger and larger via referrals. I became known as someone who specializes in helping people overcome fear.
However, it was so much more labor intensive for me to coach this way!
I used to have my bag of tricks that I could prescribe to fix vocal troubles, keeping a safe distance from the client’s pesky emotions. Now it was much more personal. I had to look at my client holistically, leaving no stone unturned as we searched for clues that would lead us closer to their vocal freedom.
When we encountered a blockade, I encouraged the client to ask themselves: WHY? Why is the block here in the first place? What is the root cause of this problem? What are you really feeling right now? The answer would often be messy and personal and never really about their voice. Never. It would sometimes require that we stop everything to work through a painful emotion or memory. My clients flourished, and even though it was much harder work on my part, I fell more and more in love with coaching.
The Functional Medicine Connection
After years of successfully working this way with people, I heard the definition of Functional Medicine and had an ‘Aha!’ moment. Created by Dr. Jeffery Bland, PhD., Functional Medicine works to identify and heal root causes of disease instead of simply suppressing a person’s symptoms with a one-size-fits-all prescription. It focuses on the optimal functioning of the body’s systems. Additionally, it strives to educate the person on why they are sick, getting them to take action making life changes to deal with root causes.
It was a lightbulb moment for me because I realized that what Functional Medicine does for the patient physically, is exactly what I do with a vocalist emotionally. Together the client and I look at things like their diet and their environment. Yet, we also scrutinize everything going on in and around them. It is an all encompassing approach to where they are at that moment. Their entire life, past and present, informs how we work together on their voice.
Functional Voice Coaching™ was born.
Working this way is how I’ve become a specialist in helping people bypass crippling stage fright and debilitating fear. But this method is not only for the amateur vocalist. I’ve also used it successfully with many seasoned professionals who wanted to perform at a more optimal level. The method has also worked well for Alzheimer’s patients, people with ADD and ADHD, people on the Autism spectrum, healthy, happy people of all ages, and people with a multitude of other issues and diagnoses that would disqualify them from ever getting traditional vocal instruction elsewhere.
The Functional Voice Coaching™ premise is this: You must get the vocalist to change at the emotional level to get any real or lasting change at the vocal level. No matter what level of vocal expertise the student has, the method works because the student is the one who leads the process.
I am the fortunate coach who gets to midwife the results, bearing witness to bravery and miracles every single day right in my own studio.
It is a real gift.