Singing
🎵 In a nutshell…
Most of us sang long before we learned to speak.
Somewhere along the way many of us stopped.
Not because we lost our voices…
…but because we lost confidence in using them.
The good news?
Your voice is probably still there.
Perhaps a little shy.
Perhaps simply waiting for an invitation.
Whether you’re singing in the shower, joining a choir, preparing for performance or simply curious, I’d love to help you discover how singing can become easier, freer and more enjoyable.
WhatsApp is usually the easiest way to reach me:
☕ Join me for five minutes…
If you’re sitting down with a favourite cuppa, read on…
Around thirty years ago I wrote a book called Singing, Health and Happiness.
Life, as John Lennon observed, is what happens while you’re busy making other plans…
…and the book was never published.
At the time I was writing largely from experience.
Thousands of lessons.
Hundreds of singers.
People standing a little taller.
Breathing more freely.
Smiling more.
Sometimes laughing.
Sometimes crying.
Often leaving feeling lighter than when they arrived.
Today something rather lovely has happened.
Science has caught up.
Why sing?
Researchers such as Dr Daisy Fancourt, together with the late Dr Michael Mosley and many others, have helped uncover a remarkable body of evidence.
Singing appears to support:
- mood
- breathing
- confidence
- social connection
- general wellbeing
Studies suggest it may reduce stress hormones, improve mood, strengthen social bonds and support aspects of immune function.
There is also growing evidence that it may help some people living with chronic pain, lung conditions, anxiety, depression and dementia as part of a broader approach to health and wellbeing.
Imagine that.
What fascinates me most…
Singing doesn’t seem to help through one single mechanism.
It helps because so many different things are happening at once.
We’re…
- breathing.
- listening.
- moving.
- communicating.
- remembering.
- feeling.
- connecting with other people.
- expressing something deeply human.
Perhaps that’s why one of humanity’s oldest activities may also be one of its healthiest.
No auditions required
Whether you’re singing in the shower…
joining a choir…
or quietly humming while making breakfast…
five minutes of singing each day may be one of the simplest investments you can make in your own wellbeing.
No auditions.
No pressure.
No need to “be good”.
Just a willingness to begin.
☕ Something on the house…
Coming soon…
A short guided humming session.
Five gentle minutes.
No accompaniment.
No music to read.
No one listening except you.
Just enough to discover what your own voice feels like today.
If any of this resonates, I’d be delighted to hear from you.Singing
Most of us sang long before we learned to speak properly.
Somewhere along the way many of us stopped.
Not because we lost our voices…
…but because we lost confidence in using them.
For some people the hesitation begins at school.
For others it’s a thoughtless comment, an embarrassing moment, or simply the feeling that everyone else can sing better.
Yet the remarkable thing is this:
your voice doesn’t know you’ve been told you can’t sing.
It is still there.
Waiting patiently.
Perhaps even hoping you’ll give it another chance.
Whether you’re taking your very first tentative steps, singing in a choir, preparing for performance, or simply wanting to rediscover the pleasure of using your voice, my aim isn’t just to help you produce a better sound.
It’s to help singing feel easier, freer and more enjoyable.
My work brings together over forty years of teaching the Alexander Technique with a lifetime’s involvement in singing, voice, performance and breathing.
We’ll certainly explore posture, breathing, resonance and vocal technique.
But perhaps more importantly, we’ll explore how less effort often produces more music.
Sometimes the biggest breakthrough isn’t learning something new.
It’s discovering that you can stop getting in your own way.
Why sing?
Around thirty years ago I wrote a book called Singing, Health and Happiness.
Life, as John Lennon observed, is what happens while you’re busy making other plans, and the book was never published.
At the time, much of what I wrote came from experience rather than scientific research.
People stood a little taller.
They breathed more freely.
They smiled more.
They laughed.
Sometimes they cried.
Often they left feeling lighter than when they arrived.
Today we have something we didn’t have then.
Evidence.
An extraordinary amount of it.
Researchers including Dr Daisy Fancourt and the late Dr Michael Mosley have helped bring together a growing body of evidence showing that singing can support mood, breathing, confidence, social connection and general wellbeing.
Studies suggest that singing can reduce stress hormones, improve mood, strengthen social bonds and even influence aspects of immune function and breathing. There is growing evidence that it may also help people living with chronic pain, some lung conditions, dementia, anxiety and depression as part of a broader approach to health and wellbeing.
What fascinates me most is that singing doesn’t seem to help through one single mechanism.
It helps because so many different things are happening at once.
We’re breathing.
Listening.
Moving.
Communicating.
Remembering.
Feeling.
Connecting with other people.
And, perhaps most importantly, expressing something deeply human.
It turns out that one of humanity’s oldest activities may also be one of its healthiest.
Whether you’re singing in the shower, joining a choir, or simply humming while making breakfast, five minutes of singing each day may be one of the simplest investments you can make in your own wellbeing.
No auditions.
No pressure.
No need to “be good”.
Just a willingness to begin.
If you’re curious, I’d be delighted to hear from you.