Can't Wait to Hear You

For most of us, using our voices to speak feels effortless. But performing demands that we slow down and really understand what we’re doing and why.

In this episode, I explain

• Why the deliberate process of singing has to be so different from the instinctive behavior of everyday conversation.
• How to practice noticing and adjusting your vocal production to make performing as stress-free as possible.
• The freedom you unlock when you stop worrying about sounding pretty and focus on developing ease in your voice.
• How my new group class will help you learn to slow down in a community of purposeful voice students.

If you'd like to join the waitlist for my group class, email me at [email protected] with GROUP in the subject line. I'll make sure you receive all the registration information as soon as it's ready.

Michèle Voillequé is a singer and a voice teacher living in Berkeley, California.

Yes, you can sound better! Opt-in for a free video training on my website: https://mvmusik.com

A transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-78. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email [email protected]. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

Our desire to give a perfect performance will always be derailed by forces beyond our control. What if we choose instead to practice as perfectly as possible so that good performances become inevitable?

In this episode, I explain

• Why practicing perfectly is within our reach, and delivering a perfect performance isn’t.
• How practicing perfectly makes performing less stressful and our voice more reliable.
• How practicing perfectly teaches us to troubleshoot problems with our voice calmly, in real time, even when we’re in front of a group.
• How to develop a perfect practice routine of your own, with my expert guidance. [Spoiler alert: JOIN THE WAITLIST FOR MY GROUP CLASS!]

If you'd like to join the waitlist for my group class, email me at [email protected] with GROUP in the subject line. I'll make sure you receive all the registration information as soon as it's ready.

Michèle Voillequé is a singer and a voice teacher living in Berkeley, California.

Yes, you can sound better! Opt-in for a free video training on my website: https://mvmusik.com

A transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-78. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email [email protected]. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

When you’re preparing to practice singing or speaking, it’s great to have goals. But if you let those goals dominate your focus, you could miss other kinds of progress.

In this episode, I explain

• Why - and how - to pause and reflect before you dive into a practice session.
• How stress and time pressure interfere with the process of learning.
• Why it’s important to invite all of yourself to participate when you make time to practice.

I’d love to know if this was helpful! Don’t hesitate to schedule a free 20-minute consultation or to reach out via email to [email protected].

Michèle Voillequé is a singer and a voice teacher living in Berkeley, California.

Yes, you can sound better! Opt-in for a free video training on my website: https://mvmusik.com

A transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-77. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email [email protected]. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

I and my students often get "stuck" because we're afraid of "doing it wrong." The "it" could be anything.

In this episode, I explain

• The difference between the fear of technical, physical wrongness and the fear of being embarrassed by the way you sound.
• How very young children model a fearlessly playful response to failure.
• Warmup practices that can help you explore and expand the capabilities of your unique whole body instrument.

I’d love to know if this was helpful! Don’t hesitate to schedule a free 20-minute consultation or to reach out via email to [email protected].

Michèle Voillequé is a singer and a voice teacher living in Berkeley, California.

Yes, you can sound better! Opt-in for a free video training on my website: https://mvmusik.com

A transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-76. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email [email protected]. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has predicted that Artificial Intelligence could automate as many as 40% of tasks currently performed by humans in our current economy. Teaching voice will not be one of them. Let me tell you why.

In this episode, I explain

• How singing and speaking are body-to-body and heart-to-heart ways of communicating. Our physicality matters as much as our words.
• How singing is fundamentally an emotional, as opposed to intellectual, project.
• Ways to explore how your emotions affect your voice, as a first step to singing or speaking well, even when you’re experiencing strong feelings.

I’d love to know if this was helpful! Don’t hesitate to schedule a free 20-minute consultation or to reach out via email to [email protected].

Michèle Voillequé is a singer and a voice teacher living in Berkeley, California.

Yes, you can sound better! Opt-in for a free video training on my website: https://mvmusik.com

A transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-75. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email [email protected]. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

Like singing, being a leader is both a mental and physical practice. This makes it possible (and vital) to practice and prepare just by using your imagination.

In this episode, I explain

• How to think about expanding yourself - physically and energetically - to the bounds of a larger space
• Why imagining yourself in the shoes of the person in charge can help you get comfortable leading from the sidelines.
• Places and spaces where you can practice filling the room with your presence, without singing a single note.

I’d love to know if this was helpful! Don’t hesitate to schedule a free 20-minute consultation or to reach out via email to [email protected].

Michèle Voillequé is a singer and a voice teacher living in Berkeley, California.

Yes, you can sound better! Opt-in for a free video training on my website: https://mvmusik.com

A transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-74. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email [email protected]. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

Conflict is scary. In relationship, at work, or when you’re singing in a group, it can be tempting to sit in discomfort rather than speak up. How can you give yourself permission to advocate for positive change?

In this episode, I explain

1. The very simple - but very big - place to start grounding your ability to change things.
2. Ways to develop the sense of belonging that will empower you to advocate for yourself and your peers.
3. The mindset you need to believe in yourself and the validity of your feelings.

I’d love to know if this was helpful! Don’t hesitate to schedule a free 20-minute consultation or to reach out via email to [email protected].

Michèle Voillequé is a singer and a voice teacher living in Berkeley, California.

Yes, you can sound better! Opt-in for a free video training on my website: https://mvmusik.com

A transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-73. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email [email protected]. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

More this time on how to be a leader when you aren’t in charge, by tapping into what you really love about singing and using it to set an example.

In this episode, I explain

1. How to identify - and model - what brings you the most joy when you’re singing in a group.
2. Ways to think about setting an example that others will want to emulate, without being overbearing.
3. How to channel the irritation you might feel in a chorus environment into the energy you need to lead others.

I’d love to know if this was helpful! Don’t hesitate to schedule a free 20-minute consultation or to reach out via email to [email protected].

Michèle Voillequé is a singer and a voice teacher living in Berkeley, California.

Yes, you can sound better! Opt-in for a free video training on my website: https://mvmusik.com

A transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-72. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email [email protected]. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

Singing in a choir can be a chaotic experience, and the conductor can’t be everywhere (or hear everything) all at once. How can you guide and inspire the people around you when you’re not the final authority?

I find the Colbert Questionnert to be incredibly helpful when it comes to deciding how I want to move through the world. If you haven't yet explored this self-development tool, listen to today's episode. I offer a bite-sized introduction to it and an exercise that will help you become a more effective leader, even when you're not in charge.

I’d love to know if this was helpful! Don’t hesitate to schedule a free 20-minute consultation or to reach out via email to [email protected].

Michèle Voillequé is a singer and a voice teacher living in Berkeley, California.

Yes, you can sound better! Opt-in for a free video training on my website: https://mvmusik.com

A transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-71. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email [email protected]. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

You’ve probably heard someone say that singing is “all about the breath.” It’s a simple saying that belies a surprisingly multifaceted practice.

In this episode, I explain

1. How breathing precedes every sound we make with the voice (and why we often don’t notice).
2. What’s going on anatomically as your brain, breath, and body collaborate to produce sound.
3. Exercises you can use to understand and direct the possibilities of your breath.

I’d love to know if this was helpful! Don’t hesitate to schedule a free 20-minute consultation or to reach out via email to [email protected].

Michèle Voillequé is a singer and a voice teacher living in Berkeley, California.

Yes, you can sound better! Opt-in for a free video training on my website: https://mvmusik.com

A transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-70. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email [email protected]. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.