The Thinking Voice

This fascinating and funny chat emerged from an absence of a question. Stephen, Robert and Jenevora explore the idea of the conundrums we face through linking the body, voice (and some ways) spirit, too. 

Jenevora and Robert are joined by Anita Morrison to talk about Feldenkrais training, lessons, philosophy, and practice. It’s not easy to describe a feeling and somatic learning experience in words, a bit like describing the taste of a mango. They did a wonderful job nonetheless.Please come and join Robert, Anita and Jenevora on November the 8th and/or 9th in London to explore your own feelings about the Feldenkrais experience:  https://vocalhealth.co.uk/conversation-robert-sussuma/

What about when things go wrong?This conversation happened several months ago but has only finished being edited.Jenevora, Robert and Stephen talk about the difficulty that we come across when things don't go well. Stephen tells a story about shower drains, Robert talks about disagreeableness leading to change and Jenevora shares insights from the studio.This episode is full of laughter and fun and will take you on a philosophical journey to failure... 

In this episode, Stephen interviews the legendary voice teacher Robert Price. Stephen and Robert talk about Robert's time in the circus as a metal clown, dropping out of law school and travelling the world teaching vocal massage. They also discuss the future of relational vocal massage and establish it -perhaps- as a method of Body Psychotherapy. Celebrating the launch of their co-authored book, The Handbook of Vocal Massage: A Relational Approach, this is a whirlwind episode best listened to in full. For details on how to purchase the book, visithttps://www.newvoicepublishing.co.uk/books/

Join our hosts as they take us through their thoughts on breaking free. As you’ll hear, the conversation develops into whether we break free from, or break free in to new habits, behaviours and spaces.This episode is a precursor to the breaking free conference listed below. Booking through the vocalhealth.co.uk website.Breaking FreeOne-Day Vocal Health Education Conference9th March, 2025Friends House, 173-177 Euston Rd., London NW1 2BJBreath Support: Breaking Free From One-Size-Fits-All Breath TrainingBreath training has been considered an important component of voice pedagogy for hundreds of years. But what is breath support and does it vary by style, volume, or location in the range? In her keynote speech, Ms. Obert will share what she learned at the intersection of respiratory medicine and otolaryngology during her years of working in a busy voice disorders clinic. She will make the case for teaching singers to work with a variety of breath strategies and teach three of them to the audience during the session.Timbre Shaping: Embracing the “villains” of the vocal tract!The pharyngeal constrictors and tongue are often portrayed as villains, but their role in shaping timbre is vital and frequently misunderstood. In this lecture, Ms. Obert will share her pioneering research into how these structures can be used to enhance high frequency energy to empower singers to create the sounds they want to make.