Your Free Voice – Details, episodes & analysis

On this episode of Your Free Voice, I’m delighted to bring back into the studio celebrity voice coach and founder of The Voice Straw,  Mindy Pack! 

You may have listened to episode #32 where I talked to Mindy about her experience being a celebrity voice coach, well we ran out of time to talk about straws so I had to get her back again.

We’re going pretty deep into how to use the straw for rehabilitation after a cold or injury and how to prevent injury doing video game call outs and efforts prepping with the straw!

I met Mindy about 5 years ago when she was co-hosting a conference in LA for voice teachers and singers with Dr. Reen Gupta. I loved her energy and generosity from day one and have been using straws with my clients ever since. 

You may have attended a workshop or listened to Episode 7 which gives you the basics of straw phonation, but if you haven’t, listen to that one first, it’s ever so short. 

Here’s why I’m such a fan of straws and this version in particular…

“The Voice Straw is the complete training tool for singers, actors, speakers, school teachers, and other frequent voice users. Using your voice should be effortless! Our straws are uniquely designed to release tension, relieve strain, and reduce vocal breathiness, cracking and flipping.

The Voice Straw is backed by over 20 years of scientific research that has proven to benefit voice users by encouraging more efficient vocal fold movement, adjusting the vocal tract into peak position and creating vocal balance.” www.voicestraw.com

“My dream as a child was to be the world’s first “singing heart surgeon.” Medical school didn’t quite pan out, but throughout my career, I have combined my love of singing with my interest in health and physiology to help vocalists of all levels meet their potential.

Clinically certified both in Vocology from The National Center for Voice and Speech, and as a licensed massage therapist, I specialize in vocal structural integration. In my coaching, I aim to not only help my clients connect in the industry, but to help them develop in their artistry through collaboration to find the best possible solutions for their career.

In 2019 I applied my knowledge of voice science and vocal production to create The Voice Straw, a vocal training tool for singers, actors, and speakers that has been clinically proven to help relieve tension, strain, breathiness, cracking, and flipping in the voice.

With locations in Salt Lake and Los Angeles, and virtual worldwide clients, my roster includes singers, artists, voice over actors, professional speakers, rehabilitation, newscasters, and transitioning voices. I would love to connect with vocalists of all levels!” 

Taken from https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-pack/

More links and discounts…

Follow Mindy on instagram here 

Follow me on instagram here

And here’s my 10%discount coupon for you for the Voice Straw https://voicestraw.com/discount/JULIANORTON

If you enjoyed this episode PLEASE share it with a friend and help me get the word out!

Happy voicing!

My interview with my friend and colleague Ruth Phillips. 

Ruth Phillips is a modern and baroque cellist, a mindfulness coach, founder of The Breathing Bow and co-founder of InsideOut Musician and a writer. Alongside her rich and diverse career as a concert cellist and teacher. Ruth is internationally sought after as a performance coach and meditation teacher, helping people who suffer from tension, stage fright or lack of focus overcome the physical and mental strains of the music profession. 

Ruth primarily works with instrumentalists, but her insights into the source of suffering when we practice, how the body holds and moves with the breath and how to prepare for performance using meditation and loving kindness are very powerful and equally applicable to singers and actors. 

I do hope you enjoy our conversation where we talk about all these things and more. ❤️

You can find more about Ruth at:

Ruth Phillips

On Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ruth.phillips.752

And Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/ruthphillipscello/

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If you would like to work with me on discovery a full and free connection to your voice visit my coaching website  

or sign up for my newsletter here to get the inside scoop on workshops and voicey insights.

Thank you for listening!

 In this episode, I'm talking about the presentation I gave last weekend as part of the International Association for Voice Movement Therapy conference , 'Voice as a Lifeline'.

I was invited to talk about how Voice Movement Therapy informs my work as a voice actor and  it was really fun. I did do an earlier episode about what is Voice Movement Therapy if you want to dig a little deeper, it's episode 17, and the association website is www.iavmt.org,

but in this episode I talk about:

1. How perfectionism might be limiting your creative expression
2. How you might only currently be using 15-20% of the paints in your vocal paintbox
3. How having a system for naming expansive vocal components is super helpful shorthand when creating charcters.
4. How vocal expression is a whole body experience.
5. How understanding how your own vocal apartus works is the most helpful thing you can do for yourself.

Also if you'd like to join one of my upcoming events visit www.yourfreevoice.com/events

Thank you so much for listening, please let me know if you have topics you'd like me to discuss in future episodes. 

When you've had plenty of training, or used to sing or act or be confident in front of groups, but you aren't any more, it's no use just "rearranging the furniture" by taking more singing lessons or buying a new mic. You need to uncover what's really stopping you from having the relationship with your voice that you want and deserve. 

If you'd like to join me for live events either in person or virtually, please click here for updated info www.yourfreevoice.com/events

I have one coming up on March 25th 2023 quickly followed by an intensive 5 week live group course starting on April 12th.

Join me and discover Your Free Voice!

Last November I had the absolute pleasure and privilege to interview my dear friend and vocal powerhouse, Carol Grimes.

In this interview we explore her decades spanning career paying particular attention to her broad range of singing styles and genres. The following, which I took from the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club website in London, gives you a bit more of an inkling of her stature as a singer and the deep respect she commands as a vocalist, especially in the UK music scene. 

Enjoy!

Carol Grimes is one of the finest singers in British music. Her deeply personal project, 'The Singer's Tale', is an autobiographical show combining theatre, music and a grooving band!  The show weaves its stories, sometimes shady, mad and bad, but with music and song at their heart. Street Busker to Ronnie Scotts, from Notting Hill to Nashville and Memphis to San Francisco from Hackney to Texas and Eastern Europe but always returning to London. This raw, in your face, sublime performer takes you with her on a musical journey through her extraordinary life.

CAROL GRIMES A much-loved performer infusing folk, blues and jazz, came to the notice of the public when she joined the band Delivery in 1969 and recorded one album before departing for a solo career. Her debut solo album, Warm Blood (1974), was recorded with members of Area Code 615 and the Average White Band. She recorded her second album in Memphis, Tennessee, with the Brecker Brothers, Donald "Duck" Dunn, and The Memphis Horns. She founded the band Eyes Wide Open in 1984. Her career expanded into teaching and working in musical theatre. In the 1990s, she worked with the choir The Shout. As you can see below, in Carol’s own words, she has been, and continues to be so much more:

“My name is Carol Grimes. I have been singing for my supper since the late 1960s. I began as a young, nervous Busker and fell in love with singing. Over time I became a Singer-Songwriter, Performance Poet, Voice Movement Therapist and Musical Director, founding the Sing for Joy Choirs in London, for people with neurological and other conditions and directed them for many years. I have recorded in the UK, USA, Sweden, The Isle of Jura and Poland. I became angry, seeing injustice, poverty and cruelty all around me and became an activist. The first Musician to step up for Rock against Racism, Sexism, Reclaim the night, singing for the striking Miners, the fire service, the Brunswick Women and refugee centres. In my life, I performed both in the UK and Internationally with my own Music with wonderful musicians and for Contemporary composers such as Orlando Gough, who directed The Shout, a contemporary opera, theatre company touring internationally with them for 12 years. From Japan to South Africa Canada and the USA and beyond, including performing at the Albert Hall in the Proms as a soloist - Blimey! I had my first book ‘The Singers Tale,’ published in 2018 and many songs and poems published, recorded and performed over the years. I love writing as much as I love music. For more information, click on my Blog. The Singers Tale https://wordpress.com/posts/carolgrimes.com  also on Amazon Carol Grimes The Singers Tale, where there are some lovely reviews. Thank you.”

https://soundcloud.com/user1698211

For full show notes and link to all the music played here go to www.yourfreevoice.com/podcast/episode28

Between you and me, I have always had a bit of trouble answering when people asked me what kind of singer I am.  I describe myself as a 'singer of all sorts' which feels about right.

But what if you're a bit like me, but you feel stuck? You feel stuck because you feel like you don't fit into any of the categories the music industry machine decided we should fit into. 

Are you a jazz, pop, funk, R&B, musical theatre or metal singer? OK, so if you're a metal singer, or a classical or operatic singer you're more likely to be focussing on the one style, but not necessarily.

In this episode I'm talking about decision fatigue and how to make a choice.

It's OK you CAN make a choice, because do you know what?

You can always make another choice later.

The important thing is to be singing now instead of putting it off because you don't want to make a mistake. 

To jump on my newsletter list so you know when I'm offering getting unstuck workshops and all kinds of other tools for singers and avid voice users, you can sign up here ... and yes, you can unsubscribe any time this isn't giving you what you need. 

What would it be like if you could love your voice exactly as it is right now?

Think about your voice as a friend that offers support, expresses your deepest feelings, tell jokes and stands up for others. 

If you’ve ever  lost your voice for any time at all, you quickly realize how valuable it really is.

Then there are the opinions like “My voice isn’t manly enough’, “it’s too loud, too soft, too high”. 

Who says?

Early conditioning and cultural norms have a huge impact on how we use our voices, so digging into some of those stories is super useful. You get to decide if you agree with it or not, but first you have to know how that opinion got there. 

Technical stuff like range, flexibility, etc can all be trained. You just have to decide how much you really want it. Tiny incremental changes to your behavior are WAY more likely to stick and become a habit. So try warming up for just 3-5 minutes a day, that’s it!

What not to do. Let go of trying to sound like someone else, it’s not going to happen, I mean that’s aside from trying to match someone’s styling to learn jazz etc. 

• Love your voice, it is so uniquely yours. 

• Love your voice today, 1% more than you did yesterday.

• Play with sounds. Get creative. 

And if you don’t know where to start grab my free 5 minute warm up and get going!

A New Year seems like such a great time to set new intentions and set goals doesn't it?

But how many of us can honestly say we follow through and achieve them?

It doesn't make us bad or wrong btw, just goes to show how much our brains are wired to stay the same.

In this episode I suggest a few ways to get clarity around your goals and break them down into smaller actionable and measurable steps, to feel good on a daily basis and actually turn your goals into a year end reality. 

If you're needing a little bit more help designing steps around warming up your voice or getting better vocal health, jump into these resources to get you set up for success. 

If you enjoy this podcast please share it with your friends, rate or write a review, I would totally appreciate it. 

Just before I take a break for the festive season, I wanted to send you my very best wishes and thanks for listening this year. The Winter Solstice is a fabulous time for reflection. What can we celebrate from the year that has passed and what are we ready to let go of, perhaps an idea of perfection? We are after all made up of light and dark, it's what makes us human.

I've also included a recording of Gaudete sung by a children's choir in Sherborne Abbey last week. What a delightful accident that was. 

Be safe, have a wonderful festive season and I'll see you in the New Year!

In this episode I guide you through a very, VERY simple way to create a brand new song, using an existing song as a template.

Have a listen and tell me what you think?

Even better, write your own song and record it or post your new lyrics to an existing holiday song and tag me on instagram @voxchops ❤️

Have fun!