An Introduction to The School of Uncovering the Voice

I sing because I’m happy.

I sing because I’m free.

His eye is on the sparrow,

and I know He watches me.

These are the lines of an old famous hymn inspired by a visit of the lyricist, Civilla Martin, with an old couple, Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle, in his travels to Elmira, New York in 1905. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for 20 years, and Mr. Doolittle was an incurable cripple who took himself to and from work every day by wheelchair. Despite these difficulties, they were a very happy and chipper couple. When Mr. Martin asked Mrs. Doolittle the secret to the couple’s happiness, she shared what became the lines to this famous hymn.

As the hymn states, singing makes us feel happy and free. Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle also must have felt very secure in themselves, despite all the trauma and hardships they faced in life. I can just picture them singing every day. It made them feel good inside. Despite the confinement of the bed and the wheelchair, singing must have helped them to feel safe, confident, empowered, fulfilled, grounded, nourished, awake, and free.

Singing is the most primal ancient technology of human connection. For the Doolittle’s, singing was healing. Singing can be healing for you too.

But ask yourself:

• Do you feel as content with life as the Doolittle's did?

• Do you tense up when you need to speak your truth in any situation?

• Is your voice tired and tight at the end of your working day?

• Do you find yourself yelling, desperate to be heard, when disciplining children?

• Do you fall into an inaudible whisper when you are afraid of judgment or neglect?

• Do you wish you could relax when singing with others?

• Do you get anxious, fearful?

• Do you wish you could surrender to joy and pleasure with your voice?

• Do you want your voice to be powerful, without overpowering?

Why is it so challenging to have a powerful yet relaxed voice that you can rely upon in singing and speaking?

• Because in today's times, just to survive, most of us are living in a chronic state of flight or fight.

• Just about everyone is living with some sort of trauma from their past, be it physical, psychological, or spiritual.

• Little daily stressors built up over time have become trauma to our organs causing our breath to be jammed up near our throats making it feel tight and our voices to be weak and stuck.

• This chronic trauma has been embedded as a memory into the organs of our instrument where our voice is born.

• These organs have become so crystallized in most people that it is painful, physically or emotionally, for them to sing or speak up because telling your emotional truth through your voice is scary.

• And, we are hiding our truth by holding our voices and our breath in a prison of pretense.

Now Just Imagine...

• having your voice living in freedom resonating with love, truth, and courage.

• having your voice feel so good that when you open up to speak or sing your throat feels like it is not even there. It is light and airy.

• being able to enter into life situations where you feel more harmonious, successful, and creative.

To reach this point you need to understand your breath and how it gives birth to your voice. We all know nothing is more healing than breathing and singing.

To be healthy and free inwardly, we must sing. Even if you feel no one wants to hear your voice. We all have a birth right to sing and we can all learn to experience our higher creative selves through the discovery of tone and voice in ourselves.

Remember, when we distance ourselves from our voices, we distance ourselves from our aliveness which does a disservice to our spirits individually and collectively.

Whether you love to sing or long to sing, I can't wait to share with you the healing creative power of working with the breath and tone to not only develop your voice but come to know yourself. All are welcome!!!