About Emily
I believe that:
Healthier humans are able to teach differently.
Healthier singers make more authentic art which the world needs now more than ever.
Your voice is a gift for you to treasure and enjoy however you want. Healthy and joyful singing is our birthright.
The liberation of a voice is inextricably linked to the liberation of a spirit, and this is my highest gift of service to the universe.
As Heard In…
Trauma and The Voice
I’ve been teaching singers since 2006 and the more people I get to work with, the more I understand that your voice, your teaching, your leadership is a broadcast of your internal state and when we tend to your interiors, every facet of your life improves.
Human history has repeatedly proven that we are stunningly resilient and trauma healing studies are now using science to affirm what we already know.
I don’t just know this to be true; I wrote a book about it and completed a multi-year certification process in Somatic Experiencing, a trauma healing modality. I’m not just trauma-informed, I’m trauma trained so that we can talk about whatever is bubbling up for you right there in the moment where it happens.
You are here, you are strong, you are beautiful, and I want to help you find everything that is blocking you from believing that or at the very least, living as though it were true.
Not just trauma-informed, trauma-trained.
The longest chapter in my book by far is chapter six, an e x t e n s i v e exploration on the voice teacher’s ethical scope of practice. I believe in this strongly and I know there is a lot that teachers can do to create a trauma-informed practice without veering into unsafe territory.
At the same time, I have a certificate in Somatic Experiencing, which required five years of training, individual work on my own healing journey, and numerous case consultations with experienced trauma healing professionals. I see clients privately to work exclusively on trauma, and am authorized by Somatic Experiencing International to use these tools in service to others.
This means that I’m a voice teacher and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, and both of those parts of me are present in our work together. I teach other voice professionals that it’s simply inevitable: if we teach human beings a vulnerable and personal art form, and we work with heightened nervous system states like the ones we encounter in performance we will eventually encounter a student’s trauma history. My training means that when we get there, I have the skills and tools to hold that experience with compassion, and to give you choices about how you’d like to proceed. We have the capacity to notice the trauma pattern emerging in real time, and to make healing these parts of yourself another integrated part of your vocal journey.
What Sets My Work Apart?
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I’m obsessive about the fundamentals.
Some teachers will jump right into assigning you Italian arias or flashy competition pieces. Some people will use a lot of singing jargon without ever explaining what it means. But like, can you breathe? Do you know what your vocal folds do when you’re singing? I believe in voice science and I know a bunch of it, but I only really care about information that is usable and that will help you demystify this whole experience. Turns out that a lot of the elements of singing are easy to understand on a cognitive level. And then we take what you know and use it to make you better.
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I’m not willing to cost you your well-being.
I am not going to give you thousands of hours of practicing, and I’m not going to let you beat yourself up while you learn new things. I want you to ask me all of your questions (including “why do you want me to do this?”) so we are crafting a process and a practice that you actually want to engage in. If you hate the work and it makes you feel bad about yourself, of course you won’t practice! I want to give you the tools to sing for life. Which, in my mind, simply must include feeling confident and excited about messing around and figuring things out.
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I care about what you want and how you feel about what we're doing.
Audition coming up? Always wanted to sing jazz in a club? Got a rock band? I want to help you sing the way you want to in a healthy, sustainable, and authentic way.
Do you hate that exercise? Does practicing this song make you really sad inside? Then let’s change it. I always say in lessons that it doesn’t matter what I think about the sound. It’s your voice, and you get to decide.
Are you ready to find your voice?
Book your appointment today and start your journey to vocal freedom, improved confidence, and authentic expression.