This Is A Voice

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What does a real week look like when you run a vocal coaching business?

In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of our actual working week, the conversations, the decisions, the small wins, and the moments that don’t usually make it onto social media.

We talk about the reality of being a singing teacher or vocal coach, including the balance between teaching, running a business, supporting a community, and navigating the constant question of value and pricing. We also reveal some of the conversations and techniques we share with our Registered Teachers, our latest cohort of singing teachers and choir leaders, and our private 1-1 performance coaching and teacher training sessions.

This is the unpolished version. No highlight reel. Just what the work actually looks like.

If you’re a singing teacher or vocal coach, you’ll probably recognise more of this than you expect.

Our Master-Apprentice Model survey link is here - please fill it in if you are an independent singing teacher, vocal coach or choir leader.
https://www.cognitoforms.com/VocalProcess1/Master-Apprentice-Model-In-Singing-Teaching

Making Music That Matters, the book by Melissa Forbes we talk about, is here: 
https://www.routledge.com/Making-Music-That-Matters-Positive-Music-Leadership-for-Social-Health/Forbes/p/book/9781032724157
Gillyanne said this about it: "Extensively researched, theories of positive psychology and leadership are interwoven with reports from singing and music leaders. For any musician looking to make a difference for themselves and their communities."

Claire Underwood's This Is A Voice episodes on guiding high-profile actors in new singing roles are here https://youtu.be/yI0y7gEQAXg
and here https://youtu.be/MLZoBdVq-dQ

Remember to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon for more insightful episodes. Leave a comment below on what inspired you the most! 👇

You can find out about our Teacher Accreditation for singing teachers, vocal coaches and choir leaders and start your own journey here 
https://vocalprocess.co.uk/teacher-accreditation/

We've also got this ↓ 

For the best self-guided learning, check out the Vocal Process Learning Lounge - 22 years of vocal coaching resources (over 600 videos) for less than the price of one private singing lesson. 
Click on the link https://vocalprocess.co.uk/learning-lounge/learning-lounge-level-2-deep-dive/
 
If you want to discover if our singing teacher training programme works for YOU, message us - we can share the process for joining Cohort26. https://www.cognitoforms.com/VocalProcess1/TheAccreditationProgramme 

Get the One Minute Voice Warmup app here, it's got a 4.9star rating 
Appstore https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/one-minute-voice-warmup/id1212802251 
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.speechtools.warmup&hl=en_GB  
 
Check out our Voice Journal, written with Rayvox's Oren Boder https://www.rayvox.co.uk/products/voice-journal?ref=VOCALPROCESS 
 
Find us - follow us on the socials! 
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Vocalprocess   
📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vocalprocess  
📖 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vocalprocess

 #vocalprocess #teacheraccreditation #voicetraining

Send us Fan Mail

In vocal health and voice rehabilitation, where does the speech language therapist's role end and the singing teacher’s role begin?

In part 2 of this conversation, Jeremy Fisher and Dr Gillyanne Kayes go deeper into the relationship between the singing teacher and the SLT/SLP, exploring where the overlap is helpful, where boundaries matter, and why referral is sometimes the most professional thing you can do.

They unpack some of the practical questions raised while teaching SLTs on a recent course in Northern Ireland, including breath management, phonation, pressure and flow, resonance strategies, vocal identity, and the challenge of helping singers transfer healthy voice function into real speech and singing.

This episode also gets into the human side of voice work. What happens when a change in speaking or singing function feels like a change in identity? Why can the right exercise feel completely wrong to a vulnerable singer? And how can both professions work together without overstepping their expertise?

You’ll also hear some wonderfully odd but effective voice exercises, including pitch-play, negative practice, conversation training therapy, and toothbrush intelligibility work.

If you heard part 1, this episode takes the conversation further, into the real-life overlap between professions, and why mutual respect, collaboration and clear boundaries are essential for healthy voice work.

In this episode:
00:00 Teaching vocal function to SLTs
02:01 Breath, phonation, registers, pressure and flow
04:32 “That’s not me”, identity and singing sound
07:45 Registers, chest voice, fluty soprano, and bridging mechanisms
09:18 Why a new vocal setup can feel out of tune
13:42 Weird exercises that actually work 
14:56 Permission slips, silliness, and experimentation
16:04 Humming, inner hearing and finding pitch 
19:10 Meaning, melody & “Feed the dog”
20:13 Starting with real speech, not isolated drills
24:37 The toothbrush exercise for intelligibility, jaw release & tongue freedom
29:05 What singing teachers can learn from clinical practice
31:15 Respect the boundary, keep the collaboration

Listen if you’re a singing teacher, SLT, vocal coach, choir leader, voice trainer or singer who wants a clearer sense of who does what, and why it matters.

Remember to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon for more insightful episodes. Leave a comment below on what inspired you the most! 👇

You can find out about our Teacher Accreditation for singing teachers, vocal coaches and choir leaders and start your own journey here 
https://vocalprocess.co.uk/teacher-accreditation/

We've also got this ↓ 

For the best self-guided learning, check out the Vocal Process Learning Lounge - 22 years of vocal coaching resources (over 600 videos) for less than the price of one private singing lesson. 
Click on the link https://vocalprocess.co.uk/learning-lounge/learning-lounge-level-2-deep-dive/
 
If you want to discover if our singing teacher training programme works for YOU, message us - we can share the process for joining Cohort26. https://www.cognitoforms.com/VocalProcess1/TheAccreditationProgramme 

Get the One Minute Voice Warmup app here, it's got a 4.9star rating 
Appstore https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/one-minute-voice-warmup/id1212802251 
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.speechtools.warmup&hl=en_GB  
 
Check out our Voice Journal, written with Rayvox's Oren Boder https://www.rayvox.co.uk/products/voice-journal?ref=VOCALPROCESS 
 
Find us - follow us on the socials! 
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Vocalprocess   
📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vocalprocess  
📖 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vocalprocess

Send us Fan Mail

What's the difference between a speech and language therapist (or pathologist) and a singing teacher? Where do those roles overlap and where should the boundaries be?

In this episode of This Is a Voice, Jeremy Fisher and Dr Gillyanne Kayes explore the similarities and differences between the work of an SLT/SLP and a singing teacher, especially when singers or professional voice users arrive with voice problems, vocal fatigue, or concerns about vocal health. The conversation begins after teaching a course for SLTs in Northern Ireland, where questions about overlap, gaps & boundaries kept coming up.

Gillyanne and Jeremy unpack the difference between a more medicalized approach and a more functional one, showing how clinicians may be focused on diagnosis, pathology, red flags and referral pathways, while singing teachers and vocal coaches are often focused on efficiency, stamina, clarity, range, coordination and performance goals.

   * when a singer should be referred onward
   * why singing teachers need to stay inside their scope of practice
   * how to think about vocal load
   * why voice problems are often multifactorial, a “perfect storm”
   * what singing teachers can legitimately observe and ask

00:00 Singing teachers training SLTs
01:30 Why this SLT training course was different
03:45 Overlaps, gaps and boundaries
05:57 Singing teachers can help retrain coordination
08:33 Medicalized vs functional voice work
11:42 Multifactorial voice problems and boundaries
15:43 Perfectionism, performance pressure and voice recovery
19:57 Case study, effortful voice through 2 different lenses
23:29 What to hear, see and ask before giving exercises
25:24 Why context matters more than generic exercises
26:33 What is my job today in this room?
28:00 Case history, profiling and trial interventions
31:34 Being a detective, testing and evaluating exercises

If you’re interested in voice therapy, vocal pedagogy, functional voice training, singing teaching, rehabilitation vs habilitation, and referral decisions, this episode is packed with practical insight from two voice experts who train speech therapists


Remember to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon for more insightful episodes. Leave a comment below on what inspired you the most! 👇

You can find out about our Teacher Accreditation for singing teachers, vocal coaches and choir leaders and start your own journey here 
https://vocalprocess.co.uk/teacher-accreditation/

We've also got this ↓ 

For the best self-guided learning, check out the Vocal Process Learning Lounge - 22 years of vocal coaching resources (over 600 videos) for less than the price of one private singing lesson. 
Click on the link https://vocalprocess.co.uk/learning-lounge/learning-lounge-level-2-deep-dive/
 
If you want to discover if our singing teacher training programme works for YOU, message us - we can share the process for joining Cohort26. https://www.cognitoforms.com/VocalProcess1/TheAccreditationProgramme 

Get the One Minute Voice Warmup app here, it's got a 4.9star rating 
Appstore https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/one-minute-voice-warmup/id1212802251 
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.speechtools.warmup&hl=en_GB  
 
Check out our Voice Journal, written with Rayvox's Oren Boder https://www.rayvox.co.uk/products/voice-journal?ref=VOCALPROCESS 
 
Find us - follow us on the socials! 
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Vocalprocess   
📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vocalprocess  
📖 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vocalprocess

 #vocalprocess #teacheraccreditation #voicetraining

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of This Is A Voice, Jeremy Fisher and Dr Gillyanne Kayes welcome back psychologist Michelle Robinson for a deeper conversation about the singer-teacher relationship, motivation, wellbeing, and what voice training can learn from sport psychology.

Michelle introduces Self-Determination Theory, breaking down the three psychological needs that help people flourish: autonomy, competence and relatedness. Michelle, Gillyanne and Jeremy explore how these ideas apply to singers, teachers, performance and the learning environment.

The episode also highlights:
*  why external validation never really lasts
* how teaching can support both artistry and wellbeing
* the difference between performing “correctly” and performing authentically
* what classical music training can learn from more person-centred approaches
* Michelle’s own distressing experience of music college, and how difficult teaching relationships can leave a lasting mark
* her research into singer-teacher relationships, including a new questionnaire designed to measure closeness, commitment and complementarity
* why musicians deserve the more holistic support that athletes often receive

This is an honest, thoughtful episode about voice, identity, teaching and the kind of support that helps artists thrive.

Remember to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon for more insightful episodes. Leave a comment below on what inspired you the most! 👇

You can find out about our Teacher Accreditation for singing teachers, vocal coaches and choir leaders and start your own journey here 
https://vocalprocess.co.uk/teacher-accreditation/

We've also got this ↓ 

For the best self-guided learning, check out the Vocal Process Learning Lounge - 22 years of vocal coaching resources (over 600 videos) for less than the price of one private singing lesson. 
Click on the link https://vocalprocess.co.uk/learning-lounge/learning-lounge-level-2-deep-dive/
 
If you want to discover if our singing teacher training programme works for YOU, message us - we can share the process for joining Cohort26. https://www.cognitoforms.com/VocalProcess1/TheAccreditationProgramme 

Get the One Minute Voice Warmup app here, it's got a 4.9star rating 
Appstore https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/one-minute-voice-warmup/id1212802251 
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.speechtools.warmup&hl=en_GB  
 
Check out our Voice Journal, written with Rayvox's Oren Boder https://www.rayvox.co.uk/products/voice-journal?ref=VOCALPROCESS 
 
Find us - follow us on the socials! 
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Vocalprocess   
📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vocalprocess  
📖 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vocalprocess

 #vocalprocess #teacheraccreditation #voicetraining

Send us Fan Mail

What if the teacher-student relationship in a singing lesson is not just the backdrop to vocal training, but the engine that shapes confidence, motivation, wellbeing and even performance anxiety?

In Season 12 Episode 7 of This Is A Voice, we’re joined by Michelle Robinson (singer, psychologist and researcher) to explore what the research says about relationship quality in one-to-one music teaching, and why it can determine whether learning feels safe and survivable, or tense and threatening.

We talk about:
Why the teacher–student relationship is mutually influential (it’s not one-way)
The three core ingredients of healthy learning relationships: Closeness, Commitment, Complementarity
How relationship quality links to motivation, autonomy, and wellbeing
The master–apprentice tradition, where it helps, where it can harm
What “good teaching” looks like in micro-behaviours, not slogans
Repairing ruptures, rebuilding trust, and creating studios where singers can truly sound like themselves

This one is for singers, vocal coaches, singing teachers, choral directors and people who cares about high standards without fear-based training.

00:00 – Why relationships matters more than we admit
01:34 – Meet Michelle: singer → psychologist → researcher
06:37 – “The relationship is mutually interdependent”, what that really means
08:26 – What does the teacher need?
10:48 – Jeremy’s hard lesson about different energies
17:51 – TWO humans in the room
24:30 – The 3 pillars: closeness, commitment, complementarity
29:02 – When “closeness” becomes unhealthy (blurred boundaries)
31:34 – IS there an inherent power dynamic?
33:09 – Students and safeguarding

👍 If you found this helpful, hit like, subscribe and share it with a teacher or singer who needs to hear it. Leave a comment below on what inspired you the most!

#singing #vocalcoach #voiceteacher #performinganxiety #musiceducation #psychology

You can find out about our Teacher Accreditation for singing teachers, vocal coaches and choir leaders and start your own journey here 
https://vocalprocess.co.uk/teacher-accreditation/

We've also got this ↓ 

For the best self-guided learning, check out the Vocal Process Learning Lounge - 22 years of vocal coaching resources (over 600 videos) for less than the price of one private singing lesson. 
Click on the link https://vocalprocess.co.uk/learning-lounge/learning-lounge-level-2-deep-dive/
 
If you want to discover if our singing teacher training programme works for YOU, message us - we can share the process for joining Cohort26. https://www.cognitoforms.com/VocalProcess1/TheAccreditationProgramme 

Get the One Minute Voice Warmup app here, it's got a 4.9star rating 
Appstore https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/one-minute-voice-warmup/id1212802251 
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.speechtools.warmup&hl=en_GB  
 
Check out our Voice Journal, written with Rayvox's Oren Boder https://www.rayvox.co.uk/products/voice-journal?ref=VOCALPROCESS 
 
Find us - follow us on the socials! 
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Vocalprocess   
📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vocalprocess  
📖 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vocalprocess

 #vocalprocess #teacheraccreditation #voicetraining