I offer a practical approach to voice work that draws on contemporary vocal training, creative and therapeutic process, performance research, vocal arts therapy and yoga. I've been working in this field for many years - voicemoves (formerly thevoicepractice) was established in 1998.

People who benefit from this work often operate in demanding environments in which they have to present, perform or communicate to others effectively, but this work is relevant to anyone who wants their voice to function at its natural best as an extension of themselves. Some specific vocal issues such as stammering or dysfunction relating to trauma or habitual tension patterns also respond well.

The essential nature of the human voice is vibration and we feel vibration - voices can touch us, they have the potential to move us and affect how we feel.  Vocal communication relies primarily on the subtle and profound effect of sound. In fact something like 37% of communication is through the sound of the voice, 55% is attributed to body language and only a tiny 8% relates to the words we say. It is through the resonant, tonal qualities of our voices, that we make our presence felt as we communicate, whether we're speaking or singing, laughing or whispering....

With 'movement' we come into the domain of the body and its language - the kinaesthetic territory of how we feel, how we breath and how we 'hold' ourselves. Our bodies speak a truthful language – they literally embody all that has ever fed them physically and emotionally. The voice as an instrument of the body relies on the availability of its musculature particularly the diaphragm, to support vocalisation. It's not hard to see how unresolved tensions and restrictive breathing patterns can limit vocal freedom. Another word for inhaling breath is 'inspiration' and this is what free, expansive breathing can give us.

In every culture it is the voice that has expressed a people's deepest truths whether through the words of a great speech, a traditional song that marks a rite of passage, or a much-loved singer who through the expressive qualities of their voice, can sound the universal soul of a nation.

As a sophisticated society of chair, car and office-dwellers, we have fewer opportunities these days to let our voices loose. We live in a culture that from an early age, tends to limit vocal expression into a narrow and 'socially acceptable' range, that inhibits vocal development and freedom. Voices grow to fit who we are - and who we are becoming...They respond to exercise, to disciplined practice and to creative expression, they can sing our souls, speak our truth, make us understood... or clinch the deal.

For information on individual and group work, see the teaching page - or call me for a chat about your needs - 07980 555 893