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My teaching philosophy….

If I was given a pound for every person that has told me over the years that they would love to be able to sing when they find out that I am a teacher, I would be rich now! I tell them all this; all it takes is desire,  a bit of practice, and everyone can learn to sing better.
 
My approach to singing is ‘holistic’. Some people’s voices respond better with technical assistance, and others may need more psychological boosting. Some people respond to imagery, some respond better to cold, hard fact. Sometimes it is health or bad posture that is a major limit to the voice, and so I teach about that too.
 
Teaching singing is a wonderful opportunity to work with many different and unique people, and when I hear a person’s voice develop it is such a rewarding and pleasurable experience that I can't imagine giving up my teaching career until I am too old to talk.
 
I have been teaching and coaching for many years - privately and in Music Schools and Colleges in Australia and England. I am also a qualified Teacher (MMus (dist.) Dip T (Mus). I run workshops called ‘The Colours We Sing’, using colour and sound vibrations to calm and inspire the mind, release feelings and to help people to find new ways to access the strengths in their voices and the creativity in their soul.
 
Some people might think I am overqualified to teach beginners, once they read my background and experience but the truth is I enjoy teaching people of all levels, from professional pop artists, to people auditioning for musicals, to the person off the street just wanting to explore their voice. It is all the same to me because the pleasure is in hearing a person's voice improve and to watch them glow and shine, and improve and come out of their shells to explore their greatness, no matter what it sounds like in the beginning. Yes, of course some people are born with super talent, and others sound pretty bad by comparison. Some students amaze me with their natural talent. Sometimes they walk in and out of the blue comes this beautiful sound with absolutely no training!  It definitely makes me think that we have lived before and that these students have been studying singing for a few lifetimes!
 
Most people, including me, were not born with such traditionally ‘beautiful’ singing voices, but the joy is, that if you want to, and if you practice, (just like I did) you can develop and improve your singing (and speaking!) voice. And it’s a great way to become more confident and outgoing in the process! Very rare are the hopeless cases, at least by my way of seeing it. Even when someone is told they are tone deaf, it is rarely, if ever true. This is a symptom of a technical or psychological problem which can be corrected with the right training. Too many people have been damaged by childhood comments from teachers, family and yes, even bad singing teachers by harmful and ignorant comments. However, these things are sent to make us stronger if we can overcome the illusory barrier to better self expression. Every voice is a unique expression of a person, and that in itself is beautiful. You can learn how to remove tension, increase range, improve the tone, relax and correct your breathing and sing with more power. All these things can be learned and practised, just like I learned them!
 
SINGING CAN BE A PATH TO YOUR TRUE SELF
 
Developing singing can be a path towards finding the real self. The part of us that wants to voice our truth is often overpowered by false beliefs,  false projections,  habitual thoughts and the ways of acting that were imprinted upon us in childhood. 
 
Developing our voice at any level is a great thing to do to open ourselves up to life in new and colourful ways. From taking the odd singing lesson or two to participating in a whole program of self development through healing voice workshops, the choices are many.
 
Singing for me has been an adventure - a wonderful journey. I began as a very average singer and enjoyed playing the piano as a child. But I really wanted to sing. I fought my way through many personal obstacles to develop the voice I have today, which I can now honestly say that I really like. Incidentally this co-incided with my ability to actually love myself despite my faults, and to forgive myself and accept myself as I am. On this colourful journey I have discovered how powerful sound is, and how powerful the voice can be in transforming the state of mind and emotions; how it can be used for easing people into a natural meditative state and how it can be used for healing and relaxation. I believe that my experiences have enabled me to more effectively help others through their blocks at a pace much faster than my own journey took!