Introduction: The content of my classes is derived from vocal training for classical theatre. This means it is holistic and emphasizes relaxation, comfort, endurance, specificity and power. I work hard to create an empathetic environment which is suitable for discovering exactly what makes a speech tick, and how to perform it effectively. Because I am interested in teaching a set of tools (rather than a series of manipulations,) the training I deliver is suitable to business, politics and the arts.
It begins with a set of a set of easily learned physical warmups designed to open up the vocal instrument and explore its power. What follows is close work with classical text: exploring the unusual in order to render everyday language extraordinary. I will teach you how to break a text down into actionable moments, and to use a heightened self as a means to make those moments real.
If there is a specific speech you're struggling with, I am more than willing to help you bring it to life as well.
What separates me from many others is that I aim not just to help the student with the immediate speech or task in mind, but to provide them with a set of tools that can be used through the duration of a lifetime.
In the modern world we've somehow convinced ourselves that charisma and effective speech is something innate: an unmalleable talent, with access reserved to only a few. When we think of charisma we think of these particular isolated figures: hollywood actors, broadway stars, motivational speakers, etc. It isn't true! Speech is fascinating to work with because it is simultaneously something we use every day and a sliver of our most intimate self.
Little brings me greater joy than teaching showing even the meekest that they too can speak with grandeur, authority, and startling emotional intimacy in any situation. Particularly in a city as quiet as Seattle, I'm passionate about delivering excellence to the spoken word, for people of all walks of life.
