Free Your Voice & Calm Your Nervous System – Not Scary!

Dear Students, Friends & Colleagues,

Happy Halloween! Below are a couple photos of my favorite past Halloween costumes.

I am so happy to be back teaching again! I have room for two or three more regular students every other week, so if you’ve been thinking about taking a voice lesson, now is a good time to do it!

One of my new students told me last week that I was helping heal her inner child. She had never sung in front of another person before that lesson, even though she loves to sing. A middle school teacher wouldn’t let her audition for musicals. This kind of thing shuts down people’s voices...which, frankly, pisses me off.

THAT is why I will always do this work in whatever capacity I can, and will never formally “retire.” It’s not just about helping people sound better when they speak or sing. People’s voices are a huge part of their identity. When something like that happens, it impacts young girls in more ways than can be counted. When I can be a part of healing someone with a shut-down voice, it feels like I can have three or six miracles within one hour of a voice lesson, for both me and my students. That makes me a very lucky woman, indeed.

My body is out of shape from spending so much time in bed and in hospitals over the last year and a half. Yet, oddly, my voice is doing just fine. I started overcoming performance anxiety in my last solo public performance shortly before I went on medical leave. In the hospital, laying in bed, I would often sing. I still could, a jingle might come on the TV I enjoyed, and singing made me feel better. After getting out of the hospital the second time, when I could tell that I was starting to get better and that I would be okay, all I wanted to do was sing karaoke while dancing in my living room! I still do!

I’ve also realized how much vocalization and music can calm the nervous system, releasing fear and anxiety, with that intention.

I’ve been slowly building a panel of Resident Experts to help my peeps with different aspects of the voice and calming the nervous system.

The first I want to introduce you to is Lyn Delmastro-Thomson.

Lyn was one of my voice students for a period of time pre-COVID. She already had significant singing experience and advanced so rapidly I referred her to my teacher, Linda Brice. Lyn was heading into classical opera repertoire, which is not my forte. She has since moved to Arizona and I’ve become one of her clients, helping with hormone balancing energy.

I’m thrilled to share with you Lyn’s upcoming free class: Unmute Yourself Masterclass.

Lyn provides tools that will help undo all that old programming and make you feel safe with your voice. Do check it out and let me know your wonderful results! Unmute Yourself Masterclass.

And...here’s a sneak preview of upcoming events.

Oh, boy. Oh boy, oh boy.

Are you a THE WALTONS fan like I was back in the day...and still am? If you’re not, you’re in for a big treat. If you are, you’re in for an even bigger treat. In post-op recovery, I managed to find Judy Norton’s (Judy played Mary Ellen on THE WALTONS) “Behind the Scenes of The Waltons” YouTube channel. I rather love it. I don’t know where that word “rather” came from, but I’m rolling with it.

One of Judy’s interviews that most struck me was with Lisa Harrison, who played Toni Hazelton. Toni and Jason Walton made music together on THE WALTONS and in real life as the actors, Lisa and Jon Walmsley, were married for over 35 years.

Lisa was named “Best Vocal/Singing Coach in Los Angeles” by Backstage Magazine. And if she can finagle some time after her next voice-over job, she’ll be coming to the Zoom Room of Lake Oswego’s Transformational Voice® Teacher.

I’ll keep you posted.

Happy Halloween!

Love Your Voice & Voice Your Love,

Laura