Improve Your Voice: Turning Words into Vibrant Sound - 2

A healthy, vibrant, long-lasting, and effortless voice that conveys authenticity is a valuable asset in all kinds of artistic performances, as well as professional and personal settings.
Resonance is one of the key factors behind a pleasant and efficient voice, and most voice techniques therefore aim at maximizing resonance. They often do so by actively using the lower jaw and the tongue to modify the shape of the vocal tract and access resonant cavities (mouth, throat, nose). While many voice professionals use this system to project their voices and boost their resonance, it often comes at a cost: overburdening and/or micromanaging one’s jaw and tongue results in significant compensatory tensions and can lead to imbalance in the upper spine, shoulders, and even in the chest. These tensions usually go unnoticed and, even when they do not become unbearable or cause voice dysfunction, they stifle the actual potential for resonance. Tension in the temporomandibular joint, tongue, neck, and shoulders affects the way the larynx behaves and forces it to work much harder than it should. In time, this contributes to vocal fatigue, voice aging, and wear and tear.

Conventional voice techniques tend to place too much focus on diction and elocution, aiming to make you a more intelligible speaker or singer. This often leads to overburdening the jaw, tongue, and soft palate. It prioritizes words over sound and vibration, yet it is sound and vibration that help your voice thrive!

This immersive, non-conventional workshop takes a different approach. It shifts the focus away from diction and elocution and instead offers participants a direct, audible experience of the usually hidden and untapped potential of their sound. With the guidance of an expert trainer, you'll break free from long-established habits, allowing your jaw and tongue to transform into resonance hubs. This will release tensions in your vocal cords and larynx, helping you develop a smooth, vibrant resonance that connects your head and chest voice. You'll hear yourself—and other participants—produce a freer, more sustainable, and ergonomic voice. Enhanced speech clarity and better projection will be a natural result of an overall improvement in your voice as a system. 

The workshop is mainly practical, and it is open to participants who speak any language, irrespective of their occupation (singers, actors, therapists, voice professionals) or walk of life. Neither previous knowledge of the subject nor previous training are required. The workshop will be given in English, but interaction in French will be possible. Tone-deaf participants and participants with voice problems are also welcome. Just bring your jaw, tongue vocal cords and expect to be surprised!

Places are limited: as the trainer uses a hands-on approach, only 10 active participants will be accepted. A minimum number of participants is required for the workshop to be confirmed.

A pioneering voice development method: the Applied Physiology of the Voice is the product of over 40 years of research and development that began at the Ergonomics Department of the Darmstadt Technical School and was later continued at the Lichtenberger Institut für Angewandte Stimmphysiologie, which was established in 1982. This research focused on solving the voice problems faced by professional singers.

The research used a variety of physiological and acoustic measurement techniques to study the processes involved in both singing and playing musical instruments. Various body techniques and physiological models were tested to examine how they affect the sound of the voice. The research found that, when it is allowed to function in accordance with its own physiology, the human voice can exhibit qualities such as freedom and ease of singing, a large vocal range, and independence from age. Additionally, a better understanding of how the sensory nervous system relates to sound led to a new approach in both voice and instrumental education.