An Ode to the Beginner

An ode to the beginner:

Why do I love teaching and guiding people at the beginning of their vocal journeys? Because I get to witness someone accessing and experiencing parts of their voice for the very first time. Have you ever witnessed someone, a child or a friend, in their first experience of something? Their first sunrise/sunset, their first time seeing a redwood tree or a whale breaching in the ocean? It is truly a remarkable moment. Even though I have seen 1,000’s of sunsets, I never think, “oh this one was just like yesterday, I’m bored.” Witnessing and supporting the process of someone making new sounds that are all their own, coming from within their, resonating in new ways in their body and in the space we are in together, letting themselves FEEL the tones and sensations they are creating, while also letting themselves BE FELT…by me, by the space they inhabit, IS like witnessing the sunrise, a redwood in a forest, a sudden breech of a grey whale. And when they exclaim “this is…ME? This is ME!”, in awe of what they are creating, I gleefully respond: ”Yes, this IS you!” And let’s play and find out more!