Gemma Milburn Vocal Coach

Had the most amazing time in Lisbon with and last week. 17 years of friendship and still going strong despite all the miles between us.
Miss you guys! Where shall we meet next?
💕

It’s World Voice Day today.

I usually feel like I should post something to mark it, but I rarely do. It feels like a huge subject, and I’m very aware that many people do not have a voice and that I am very lucky to not only have mine, but to run a business that centers around voices in general.
I suppose I could share a photo of me singing and say “yay, voices!” Or show off about how proud I am of my clients (which I am, and I do on plenty of other days.)
But on World Voice Day, that has always felt icky for me.
So this year I decided to actually research the origins of World Voice Day. I realised that it was started by clinicians, researchers, and singing teachers to raise awareness about vocal health, voice problems, and how we care for and understand the voice.
So given that this is what I do for a living, I suppose I feel slightly more comfortable talking about it this year!

If I’ve learned one thing from 40 years of having a voice, and 15 years of coaching singers, its that a voice isn’t something that you have or you don’t have. Its a relationship that comes with highs and lows (excuse the pun.) Its something that we can spend a lifetime trying to understand and get to the bottom of, and that it can change on us at any time. The more we try and control it, the more it rebels. The best thing we can do is to work with it (not against it), and appreciate it for what it is at a given time.

So I suppose this is my version of marking World Voice Day.
An appreciation for how complex, personal, and important the voice really is- and how much it matters to feel able to use it in whatever way feels meaningful to you.

(And by the way I do still have ONE space in my online vocal coaching studio, so get in touch if you or someone you know would like to improve their relationship with their voice.)

I had a gig on Friday night and it felt easy and fun!

This hasn’t always been the case for me. For a long time singing felt effortful and unpredictable, and I was completely overwhelmed by performance anxiety.

Getting to this point has taken a lot of work- not just on my singing technique, but also on how I support my voice and nervous system as a whole.

Last week was a chaotic one for me. But going into that gig, I made a conscious decision to prioritise rest, regulation and vocal care.

Without that, I knew my voice would not be able to function in the way I wanted it to.

This is something I see a lot in singers. They know how to learn their songs and have some great exercises under their belts, but the missing piece is knowing how to create the conditions their voice needs in order to really work.

When those foundations are in place, things feel very different. Sometimes even easy!

If you’ve been feeling stuck with your voice and are curious about how I might help, get in touch via the link in my bio.

I first published this blog back in September, but I still receive messages and emails every week from singers who are trying to understand whether a tongue tie could be affecting their voice.

It’s such a personal and often confusing topic, and I know how overwhelming it can feel to find the right information and support.

I decided to share this post again so that anyone who might need it can find it more easily. In it, I talk about my own experience of discovering I was tongue tied, the therapy and release that followed, and how it changed the way I think about singing.

If this is something you’ve ever wondered about, or you work with singers who are navigating similar challenges, I hope it helps.

Can a Tongue Tie Affect Singing? | Gemma Milburn’s Story — Online Singing Lessons | Vocal transformations for Singers in London, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Brisbane, and more Wondering if tongue tie could limit your singing? Vocal coach Gemma Milburn explains the symptoms, therapy, and recovery that freed her voice.

Here is a beautiful example of the power of light, subtle, gentle singing. Notice how Céline Dion said "I'll try" when asked to do this. This kind of singing is NOT as easy as it may appear. I would love to hear more of this, personally.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/V0Xr7-1x8D4

Ask and Celine Dion will deliver! ✨ #shorts #singing Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

One of the most common things that singers struggle with is this: accepting their own voice and not fighting to make it something else. (And to be completely honest, I have still struggle with this personally.)

We’ve been taught that singing is all about those big dramatic ‘X Factor’ moments, with the main objective being impressing others.

Trying to replicate those moments often prevents us from discovering and owning what we are actually really good at.

Voices come in different shapes and sizes, just like bodies do. I am on the more petite side and my voice reflects this by being a little higher and lighter. It isn’t a big dramatic voice like Adele’s. So why do I (and so many others) chase a voice that isn’t ours?

This post is a reminder for all of us, our voices are there for us to explore, enjoy and feel. They don’t need to be bigger to be beautiful.



Can you relate?

I saw this quote from today and it stopped me mid-scroll.

It made me think about all the times I’ve gone looking for new answers
when I probably already had what I needed.

Sometimes the answer is in learning more.

But sometimes the answer is in looking at what you’ve already learnt
and asking yourself whether you’re truly implementing it,
practising it,
and giving it the time it needs to take effect.

The work you’re avoiding might be the very thing that moves you forward. ✨

What’s something you already know helps you, when you actually do it?

Huge congratulations to on this beautiful performance at the Caol Ila Islay Jazz Festival for the second year in a row. Her warmth and artistry shine through every note- it’s such a joy to be her coach and see her share her gift with the world.

Photo credit:

distillery