Let Your Voice Be Heard - Wholistic Singing with Britania

“To find [our] true voice and unique way of expressing... we have to remove the entanglements that block our way to authenticity. In that pursuit we are self actualized and empowered to follow our dreams.”
W. Stephen Smith

Before I discovered a wholistic approach to singing technique I had given up on my voice. Even though I had trained classically for over a decade, I didn’t feel at all comfortable singing. When I sang by myself, I noticed strain and tension in my throat and difficulty reaching high notes I used to have. I tried to use the exercises past teachers had taught me but nothing helped and as I got more and more frustrated, the tension got worse. Auditions and performances were disastrous. On top of the tension, I had extreme anxiety and anger over how terrible I perceived my talent to be. I compared myself to other singers and was devastated by fear of not being acknowledged.

I decided to start taking lessons again and found a new teacher. His teachings changed everything. He told me things I had never heard before like that I didn’t have to worry about squeezing my abdominals as hard as I possibly could to support the sound and that removing tension could be as easy creating vowels with a fully released jaw. He also brought my awareness to the thoughts happening while I sang, highlighting their very direct consequences. I came to see that when I merely intended to sing a clear, true vowel and let go of any fears about whether I could hit the note (I knew I could), high notes became easy and fun again.

I was also going deeper into meditation practices and shamanic apprenticeships at this time and those containers allowed for further exploration of the mind’s role in my creative expression. I had an epiphanic moment the night it was revealed to me that I question other people’s impression of my voice and identity while I’m singing! This habit that I’ve probably had ever since I began studying singing seriously when I was 12, had been on constant loop every time I sang in front of people whether it was my voice teacher or a huge audience. “Do they think I’m the best singer here?”, “could I be famous with this sound?”, “wow that sound I just made was really high caliber”, “that’s the best that note has ever sounded”.

You’ll notice that these weren’t all negative. Some of them were healthy affirmations. But here’s the thing I’m learning: there is no best, bad, or untalented in the world of creative expression; there is only authentic and inauthentic. When we’re expressing, the most effective way to do so authentically is to let go of the mind, the judgement, anything outside of the moment and those you’re sharing the expression with.

The teachings I have been so blessed to receive and now have the opportunity to give to others are not just singing lessons. I share a modality for clearer self-awareness, deeper relationships, and broadened acceptance of yourself in each moment. The voice is a vehicle for expanded consciousness and I’m passionate about tapping into that relationship.

If any of this resonates, please don’t hesitate to comment with questions or thoughts! And if you’re local to SoCal, come check out my workshop tomorrow.