Read more from Carol

Qualities of Voice.

I realize that there are certain elements of voice we can never explain in certain rationalities, voices that break the rules and stimulate the ear to wonder.

The Vagus Nerve and the Larynx

My old Maestro, Cornelius Reid often said, “destroy the voice; destroy the psyche. Restore the voice; restore the Psyche.”

While my intuition and previous vocal conditions told me this was a remarkable fact rather than fiction, I could not come to a complete understanding as to why that statement might be so.

“Her healthy, organic approach to vocal problems enabled me to sing past a grapefruit sized cyst on my thyroid while I was performing in the UK and also made possible a dramatic post-surgical vocal recovery. A singer couldn’t be in better hands than Carol’s!”

Stephanie Piercey, soprano

Soloist, English National Opera, The Berlin and Munich Philharmonies, Nocturne (Peros Records) performances throughout Germany, Switzerland, UK and the Czech Republic

How I Got Here

My Story

Before my own voice began to collapse prior to the age of thirty I had been assessed by world-renown singers and teachers to possess the musical and vocal talent for a brilliant international operatic career. My pursuit of that career became increasingly limited as my vocal problems worsened. Upper and lower frequencies were inaccessible unless over-worked. Not one teacher I sought out had an answer that might have explained the cause of this early vocal decline, nor how it might have been corrected. The inference was that the problem was all in my head and that ‘righter thinking’ might be the answer.

Fortunately, in 1976 I was introduced to the pedagogical writings of the famous teacher/author Cornelius Reid of New York City in his book THE FREE VOICE. –Mr. Reid did not teach the conventional methods of breath-support or placement of the voice. His emphasis was on healthful use of the larynx, its associated muscle systems and the tonal qualities produced by the vocal registers.

In 1977 I began in-person lessons with Mr. Reid. My first few sessions with him were humiliating as I could neither sing pianissimo, nor legato despite having studied singing since the age of fourteen and performed leading oratorio and operatic roles.

During those extended trips to Manhattan, Mr. Reid generously offered me the opportunity to observe him coach famous singers like Ellen Shade, Ariel Bybee, Clamma Dale, Wendy White, and others. For more than 30 years until shortly before his death in the winter of 2008 at the age of 97, I listened to and participated in lessons with him. He initiated me to the concept of ‘process’, yielding to nature’s laws without placing false demands on my voice or my psyche. Those years were indeed the most rewarding journey of my professional life. In 2002, due to age he requested that I take over his role teaching Masterclasses in Europe.

Functional voice training with Cornelius Reid initiated me to reclaim my youthful pursuit as a teacher, a career choice that has brought immeasurable fulfillment and an on-going future of work with new generations of aspiring singers, some of whom required vocal dismantling and reconstruction.

What concerns me the most is the question:

Why did these voices, including my own, require “fixing” in the first place?

“Her healthy, organic approach to vocal problems enabled me to sing past a grapefruit sized cyst on my thyroid while I was performing in the UK and also made possible a dramatic post-surgical vocal recovery. A singer couldn’t be in better hands than Carol’s!”

Stephanie Piercey, soprano

Soloist, English National Opera, The Berlin and Munich Philharmonies, Nocturne (Peros Records) performances throughout Germany, Switzerland, UK and the Czech Republic

Read more from Carol

Qualities of Voice.

I realize that there are certain elements of voice we can never explain in certain rationalities, voices that break the rules and stimulate the ear to wonder.

The Vagus Nerve and the Larynx

My old Maestro, Cornelius Reid often said, “destroy the voice; destroy the psyche. Restore the voice; restore the Psyche.”

While my intuition and previous vocal conditions told me this was a remarkable fact rather than fiction, I could not come to a complete understanding as to why that statement might be so.

Liberated

Voice

Advanced Singing Technique Master

Available for in-person instruction in the Niagara Region of Ontario, and on-line tutorial classes in Canada, the USA, UK and Europe for musically trained singers over the age of sixteen to sixty.

Contact: information@liberatedvoice.com

Blog | Articles

Qualities of Voice.

As I finish up my first week of 50 out of 100 lessons in Bremen, Germany, I realize that there are certain elements of voice we can never explain in certain rationalities, voices that break the rules and stimulate the ear to wonder. Some qualities of sound merely...

The Vagus Nerve and the Larynx

My old Maestro, Cornelius Reid often said, “destroy the voice; destroy the psyche. Restore the voice; restore the Psyche.”While my intuition and previous vocal conditions told me this was a remarkable fact rather than fiction, I could not come to a complete...