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Voice science meets musical artistry

How long will this take?

1/25/2021

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One of the first questions I am usually asked by a speech client is “how long will this take?” I’ll often give a general answer based on where their speaking voice already is. Then, fast forward a few months and the client is despondent because they think they are stuck and not making any progress. What I see in that moment is the learning process which is messy and non-linear… and beautiful. To help a few of my clients, I’ve broken down the steps that I’ve observed. I hope it can shed some light on the process for you, dear voice user. Here goes: 

1. How your voice works - discovering the possibilities of the voice, coordinating the registers, finding versatility

2. Discovering the tools - learning about pitch, diction, inflection, prosody, etc

3. Using the tools - working these tools into the voice

4. Conscious Application (short sessions) - using the tools to the voice for short amounts of time (could be 30 seconds, could be 2 minutes, could be 10 minutes)

5. Conscious Application (long sessions) - using the tools to the voice for longer amounts of time (a full conversation, half a work day, your inner monologue)

6. Conscious Application (all the time) - using the tools to the voice nearly all the time (a full work day, all conversations with strangers, your inner monologue)

7. Unconscious Application (habitual) - the tools become habitual and the voice begins to react to your emotional impulses without consciously thinking about any specific tool.

​If I’m working with a student exclusively on speaking voice, here are some of my general expectations: 
- By month 3, we may get to step 4. 
- By months 6-9, we may be somewhere between steps 4 and 5. 
- By month 10, if they haven’t already been, a student gets kicked out of the nest (in the most loving way possible) to use those tools all the time, coming back only for check ins (or we focus on singing exclusively!). 

This timeline depends on many factors, and for some folks their timeline is shorter and for others, it’s longer.

What we think the process looks like:
Picture
What it actually looks like: ​
Picture
(It’s a little witchy, yeah?)

Once you get through the basics, to get from step 4 to step 6 and on to step 7, it's about using the tools as often and for as long as you are able (physically and mentally). Even if you think you are doing it “incorrectly”, you will not be doing it "incorrectly". 

Ok, that’s a lie. You will do this incorrectly, especially in the beginning, and that’s OK. In other words, you may not be able to maintain focus on every aspect of the voice all at once, and we don’t expect you to be able to do so. That takes time. 

It will take a lot of brain space to pick apart elements of the speaking voice and noodle around with them, so grant yourself grace. If applying these tools all the time is an overwhelming and daunting task, schedule 5 or 10 minutes in your day to focus on it. Then the next week, schedule 10 to 15 minutes. At the end of those 5-15 minutes, put it into practice: call 1 person - this could be a hotel to ask if they are offering any special rates, or a restaurant/store to ask their hours. 

The pedagogical journey we are on is to allow the muscles of the throat to make different decisions and to make new connections in the brain through motor learning. 

I hope that this sheds a little light on the process, and I want you to remember that you have already made progress and you are already doing the work.



Picture

Alexandra Plattos Sulack
Co-Founder and Master Voice Instructor
(she/her)
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2020 Wrap Up

1/12/2021

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Dearest Voice Lab family, 

Where do I begin when considering the whole journey of last year together? 

Happy faces in a block of zoom windows
A few of us celebrating at the TVL 5+1 Anniversary Party

Through everything, our community embodies the human experience through voice and music. Our community, as Ariel so beautifully said at our anniversary party, has become a “vessel of transcendence” out of quarantine and into meaningful togetherness. I want to share some peace by giving thanks, and describing what this vessel of transcendence means for us.

I have always been inspired by our TVL family’s commitment to connection, and this has been especially poignant as we live through this ever-changing time. Even though we closed our Irving Park location, we still hope to welcome you back to the Myrold Studio this year. And even in a pandemic, we found ways to come together and share virtual space. We gathered for regular lessons (a feat in itself); we shared creativity in a songwriting camp; got dressed up for open mics and recitals, and loudly cheered each other on with big-time love, Voice Lab style! 

If TVL is a ship, the admin team keeps us afloat, every day. Last year, we welcomed two new members to our administrative team and celebrated another anniversary with this amazing collective of strategic customer service mages. Mariah, Janie, Alice, and Ariel: thank you for your leadership, compassion, and savvy. 

We also welcomed eight (EIGHT!) new teachers last year plus three (THREE!) more already this year. Our incredible team of teachers keeps this vessel well-lit with plenty of love, laughter, and compassion. Thank you, Alexandra, Amon, Dan, Danielle, Deonte, Erin, Emily, Felicia, Gene, Isabella, Juanita, Katherine, Kyra, Marisa, Olivia, Onella, Tristan and Vi. And a fond thank you and farewell to Amanda, Leslie, Margaret, and Jackie. We wish you the very best!

One of the most incredible things to come out of this year is the Pay-It-Forward Fund Scholarship, sponsored by fellow TVL students and community members, to promote and maintain accessibility to lessons through financial hardship. We received over $9,000 in donations this year and offered scholarships to twenty-four (24!) Voice Lab students. This deserves a special thank you. Whether it was a lifeline to stay or an invitation to start, the scholarship donors embody the essence of community and connection. 

The heartiest, deepest thank you goes to our students. Some of you have been with us for our entire six years, some of you just started lessons this week. It is for you that we continue to build the vessel while it sails. Thank you for your flexibility, optimism, ingenuity, and commitment to The Online Lesson Experience. We will continue this year to create and foster this community of, by, and for you. 

This letter has ended up feeling more like a toast, and maybe that’s perfect! A toast, then, friends. To transcending, to staying honest and authentic, and best of all: to making music together. 

All my love (your voice), 
​Liz

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    We believe in combining technical and pedagogical expertise with a deep love of voice and singing. At The Voice Lab in Chicago, our teachers bring a diverse singing and voice care background ranging from operatic to pop, language studies, songwriting, and voice science research.

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