Dear Colleague …

Welcome to the latest edition of the Vocal Process ezine. In this edition there is news about Gillyanne's second edition of Singing and the Actor, completion of the first run of Integrated Voice™ and the our Autumn timetable of courses. There is also information about appearances at the forthcoming Rock, Pop, Voice and Noise conference run by the BVA and advance notice of the first international VASTA conference.

Singing and The Actor, second edition

Singing and The Actor has become a standard text in conservatoires and music education departments across Europe and the USA, and the first edition sold out in July 2003. For the new edition Gillyanne has completely revised the book. Copies will be available from 13 September 2004 from the Vocal Process website.

"The stylistic and vocal needs of the theatre singer are still evolving, and I wanted the second edition to reflect this. One major addition is the advancing and 'mixing' of voice qualities. There is also more detailed information on dealing with range, registers and gear changes. There are new insights on original topics that I believe will enable readers to process information differently and aid development of muscle memory. Last but not least, I have finally bitten the bullet for this edition and written down my approach to safe belting."

Gillyanne is currently working on a companion CD, with demonstrations of all the key exercises and voice qualities. A great tool for auditory learners, the Singing and the Actor CD will be available soon through Vocal Process. Look out for more information about the CD in the next edition of the ezine.

'Musical Theatre Intensive' in Glasgow, 6-8 August 2004

Earlier this month the Musical Theatre Intensive returned to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. The course focused on the 16-25 age group and was led by Matthew Reeve and Deirdre Trundle. As well as individual and ensemble tuition in a variety of musical theatre and pop styles, all participants attended workshops on vocal technique and on creating voice qualities. Everyone demonstrated a high level of dedication and professionalism, and the weekend culminated in a performance with each person singing at least one solo, participating in ensemble and providing backing vocals. Repertoire ranged from The Corrs to Barbara Streisand, Jesus Christ Superstar to She Loves Me, and Angels, Punks and Raging Queens to South Pacific.

Look out for the next MTI in July 2005.

"Really helped. Going to include everything I remember into my technique."

"The songs were cool!"

"Definite confidence booster."

Education Programme

The past year has seen an expansion of the Vocal Process education programme to include practical courses from different disciplines, including a two-day advanced course in vocal function, and specialist day courses on pop and on phonetics. Our education programme can now be divided into three areas: Integrated Voice (our modular certification programme), public courses and Tailored Courses. Our desire for Sharing Information, Promoting Expertise™ embraces educational discounts, which include our special Teacher+Student scheme and group discounts for two or more teachers working in the same educational institution. Below is a list of courses for the Autumn season, with details of discounts available.

Practical Phonetics

Vocal Process has long had links with the excellent Lynne Wayman Voice Centre in Nottingham. In October the centre will be hosting the first Practical Phonetics course given outside London, taught by Matthew Reeve. Matthew has the gift of making an academic subject both interesting and relevant, and this is definitely a practical course. So many singing problems can be solved by accurate diagnosis, and this course will help you to identify "culprits" in the vocal resonators! Practical Phonetics will take place on Saturday 16 October 2004.

Process to Pop

When Gill Main gave the first Process to Pop course in October 2003, the day was only available to those who had taken our foundation course. Now we are opening Process to Pop to anyone who is interested in learning a practical approach to teaching and singing pop. Gill has made a specialist study of pop vocal style and says that, if they follow her simple guidelines, anyone can sound authentic. With new Rock and Pop grade exams being published, and many youngsters more interested in Alanis Morissette than Arie Antiche, this is clearly an important subject. Process to Pop will run on Saturday 23 October 2004 in London.

Core Training

Core Training, the foundation course in vocal function, offers an in-depth and practical approach to the how and why of voice. Identifying and gaining control of individual parts of your vocal mechanism enables you to understand your voice at a much deeper level. Core Training draws on information from many sources, and places vocal training in a broad context. The course attracts a wide range of participants, so expect to interact with Speech and Language Therapists, performers from opera to pop, Barbershop trainers, community musicians, and teachers of singing and voice. The next opportunity to attend Core Training will be on 29-31 October 2004 in London.

Rounding up the year are two of our most popular courses, Changing Voices on Saturday 13 November 2004 and Belting Explained on Saturday 27 November 2004. Deirdre Trundle returns to London with valuable information on helping adolescents of both sexes through the potentially difficult years of vocal change. Deirdre's appearance at this year's Singposium at the Royal Festival Hall had more than 100 participants rushing for a place on her workshop, so book your seat now. Belting Explained goes from strength to strength. Gillyanne now incorporates work into the course that she presented at the Pan European Voice Conference on healthy Belting and Belting variants. Both Gillyanne and Matthew Reeve will be overseeing the group practice, and giving individual input during the day. As one classically trained participant put it: "I never thought I'd get it by the end of one day!"

Practical Phonetics
Nottingham, Saturday 16 October 2004
Teacher+Student scheme available

Process to Pop
London, Saturday 23 October 2004
Teacher+Student scheme available

Core Training
London, 29-31 October 2004
Early Booking discount available

Changing Voices
London, Saturday 13 November 2004

Belting Explained
London, Saturday 27 November 2004
Teacher+Student scheme available

All our forthcoming courses are eligible for educational block bookings. One day courses are also eligible for ISM member discounts.

Module One of Integrated Voice begins February 2005 in London.

Integrated Voice

Integrated Voice, our comprehensive training programme, is very much the heart of Vocal Process. The first participants are just completing Module One, which began in January 2004.

The programme fulfils our aim to create vocal educators who are confident and secure in their teaching and open to learning more. Gillyanne is the programme's creator and director: "I feel it is vital for vocal teachers to have an understanding of vocal function to support their work in performance practice. Many approaches in voice and singing training are style or aesthetic based, which can be limiting. We have created a comprehensive training programme that crosses the genres, embraces the disciplines of spoken and sung voice, and promotes excellence in communication."

Each of the three modules has its own level of certification and is designed for the working professional. The ethos of the programme is hands-on, and we have set out to make the learning experience "client led".

Module One deals with fundamentals. The Module contains essential information on physiology and anatomy, vocal function, basic phonetics, computer voice work and development of personal practice. There are also units on adolescent voice work and on integrating spoken and sung voice.

Module Two focuses on pedagogy and choices in performance practice. It includes an endoscopy day, work on violent voice or belting, extended teaching practice, personal mentoring and input from an NLP master teacher on improving communication with students or clients.

Module Three is about becoming more expert: choosing areas of specialisation, creating and reflecting on an extended personal project.

The three modules are sequential, but it is possible to take Module One alone.

Vocal Process has brought in a number of distinguished trainers to help guide and develop our clients' awareness. These include Meribeth G Dayme, David Carey, Tom and Sara Harris, and Elisabeth Stirling (NLP Master Practitioner). Both of us teach a number of the individual units.

Module One will run again in February - August 2005. Remember that you need to take Core Training or one of our equivalent courses in order to be eligible for the programme. To request an interview for this programme, please contact Gillyanne directly; the closing date for entry is 31 December 2004.

Vocal Events

Rock, Pop, Voice and Noise

This is the intriguing title for a three-day interactive conference organised by the British Voice Association. Both Gillyanne and Jeremy will be presenting at the conference. Jeremy will be demonstrating his use of computer voice analysis to 'integrate sight, sound and feel' in vocal training. Gillyanne's talk 'Insights into Client Care' will examine three client profiles to show the type and range of work that needs to be done when working with clients in the pop industry. For more information about the conference, contact the BVA at http://www.british-voice-association.com/.

VASTA first International Conference

In 2002, Gillyanne was sponsored by VASTA to present at the Association of Theatre in Higher Education conference in Chicago and has retained links with VASTA ever since. The Voice and Speech Trainers Association will be running its first international conference, hosted by the RSAMD in Glasgow on 9-13 August 2005. The Conference topic is "Breaking Boundaries: Crossing the Cultural Divide," and promises to be an event well worth attending. To read more about the conference click on www.vasta.org. The conference committee is calling for free papers and would like to hear from potential presenters - contact VASTA at http://www.vasta.org/conf2005/call.html to download information about free papers. The deadline for the call is 15 September 2004.

We are looking forward to seeing you at our events this year.

In the meanwhile …

remember to monitor your effort levels!