Hi. It's Me Again.

I assume you're all wondering why I've decided to start a blog...

It all started when I had an interview for a grad school position at the University of Alberta. Some of you know, and some of you don't, that I have been pursuing further education in the field of Voice Pedagogy in an attempt to hone, refine, and define my skills as a spoken voice coach. On top of that, my hope was to have a more solid context for research regarding exactly how and why spoken voice tools and techniques can contribute to emotional management both for actors and non-actors. Those who have studied vocal technique know that there is an increase in emotional availability as well as an increase in emotional fortitude and sense of self (i.e. here I am with my feelings over here, empathizing with you and your feelings over there). For obvious reasons, being able to access this state is incredibly valuable for so many people, particularly empaths and people whose jobs have them interacting with many people in the course of a day: customer service, social workers, receptionists, medical care workers, etc. During this interview, I found myself having trouble solidifying and feeling confident in my thoughts, theories, and opinions in the fields of theatre and voice work. I realized that a lot of the thoughts and theories I do have end up floating around in my head and rarely make it onto paper much less into spoken words. This was an error.

In a flash, I realized just how much of my mental and emotional energy was being siphoned off by my work in restaurants and cafes. I had spent six years at a creative stand-still, finding clarity in little bursts but never allowing that clarity to solidify into something verbal. My intuition was still gently whirring in the background, but my analytical mind could never find the stillness necessary to translate its signals into anything resembling a concrete sentence.

And so, dear readers, followers, here is the beginning of the solidification. I was not accepted into the Voice Pedagogy program. But the experience of waiting, thinking, wishing, and clarifying for myself what it is exactly that I want from myself as an instructor and member of the theatre community, was just the kick in the pants that I needed. This blog is a chronicle of my self-study, my self-discoveries, my self-guided research, and my epiphanies. I will probably ask more questions than I can answer, and unpack answers into more questions, but this is why I am here. I hope that you will come with me on this new journey into what is essentially my personal attempt to piece together the education I want and need in order to move forward.

Sing a song this week. It feels good for your brain.

MH