Can't Wait to Hear You

The way the world feels now, we could all benefit from more joy, more comfort, more solace and sanity. In fact, to take effective action in the world, we need to be as strong, calm and grounded as we can possibly be. Even ten minutes of listening to music can restore you to a better state. Not just having it on in the background, but really sitting and listening will allow your mind to rest, your heart to calm and your body to breathe a bit easier. It’s a habit worth practicing. 

To Register for A Singer's Advent https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528

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-49. 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.

There are a lot of reasons to feel angry and frightened by the state of the world. A lot of us are struggling with the frustration of not knowing what to do or where to start. Raising your voice - in anger, in resistance, or in defense of those you hold dear - is one way to make a difference. But if you’re not prepared for them, the raw emotions we’re all wrestling with can get bound up in your body, causing tension and pain that can get in the way of your expression. I have some techniques for channeling those strong feelings that can help you speak up for what you believe in, and put that passion into action.

To Register for A Singer's Advent https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528

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

University of Maryland announces Kermit the Frog as commencement speaker: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/28/kermit-the-frog-university-of-maryland-commencement

More on how Sen. Cory Booker spoke before the Senate for a record-breaking 25 hours without losing his voice: https://www.mvmusik.com/hydrate-hydrate-hydrate/

My Top 5 Tips for Speakers: https://www.mvmusik.com/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-29/

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-48. 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.

Many of my students, especially the ones who are just starting to explore their voices, tend to think of singing and reading music as parts of the same skill. I don’t think that’s exactly right. They’re related, of course, and they’re both great things to learn. But knowing what the dots and lines on the page mean is a very different thing from getting in touch with your whole body instrument and allowing those notes to flow into the world. In my experience, focusing too much on reading the notes can actually get in the way of learning to sing them! Confused? That’s okay. Allow me to explain.

To Register for A Singer's Advent https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528

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-47. 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.

How do you manage stage fright? Do you have calming rituals, or ways to pump yourself up?  Do you try to ignore it and power through, or are you channeling the energy of that anxiety into your performance? Maybe more importantly, when are you managing your performance anxiety? Do you plan for it in advance? Or is it something you only face when you can feel the racing heart and sweaty palms?

In my years of teaching and performing, I’ve discovered that the most common sources of fear of performing are about relationships. Between you and your body, you and your environment, and you and the material you’re working to present. I’ve developed three questions you can ask. They’ll help you figure out where your fear is coming from, and how you can build the sense of safety you need to deliver an effective and compelling performance.

To Register for A Singer's Advent https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528

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-46. 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.

Change is scary. Even when it’s change you’ve chosen, embraced, achieved through hard work and dedication. Changing something as personal and intimate as your voice can raise fears of rejection, abandonment, disappointment, and the worry that you won’t like the sound you’ve worked hard to develop.

In my experience, the best way to manage that anxiety is to give ourselves something more specific to work toward. Instead of simply setting out to grow your voice, let’s think about what kind of voice you want to grow into. This time, let’s talk about why changing your voice is particularly anxiety-inducing. Then we’ll break out the thesaurus to help you start describing voices you admire, and the qualities you’d like your voice to bring to the world.   

To Register for A Singer's Advent https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528

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-45. 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.

This morning I woke up with a sharp, stabby pain in the back of my throat, the kind that feels like you’re gargling with tiny knives every time you speak. I was tempted to skip recording, but it occurred to me that you’ve probably woken up with the same kind of pain, and thought there was nothing you could do but not speak until it went away. Let me show you some easy ways to (gently) exercise your instrument when it hurts to use it. 

To Register for A Singer's Advent https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528

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

More resources on supporting your ailing throat:

Episode 6: Vocal Remedies that Really Work https://www.mvmusik.com/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-6/ 

Gargling with Listerine Zero helped me recover from COVID-19 https://www.mvmusik.com/gargling-with-listerine-zero-helped-me-recover-from-covid-19 /

What to Do When You’re Phlegmy

https://www.mvmusik.com/what-to-do-when-youre-phlegmy/ 

Episode 26: How to Make Progress When You’re Not Feeling Well https://www.mvmusik.com/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-26/  

A transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-44. 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.

This week, I’m giving myself permission to rest, to be patient with myself, and to resist the feeling that I’m not doing enough. I want you to tell you why that self-generosity is so important, and share some ways you can manifest it for yourself.  

To Register for A Singer's Advent https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528

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-43. 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.

Few things are both as universal and personal as our breath. Everyone needs good breath support to sing or speak effectively, and we all describe what that feels like differently. In this episode, I share some physical practices and ways of thinking that will help you figure out what "breath support" means for you. 

To Register for A Singer's Advent https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528

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

More resources for working with your breath are available on my website:

https://www.mvmusik.com/video-a-good-breath-for-singing-is-a-great-breath-for-life/

https://www.mvmusik.com/speaking-with-the-low-breath/

https://www.mvmusik.com/video-singing-with-the-low-breath/

A transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-42. 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.

Different genres of music make different demands on the voice. But no matter what style, era, or canon you’re singing from, communicating the emotional energy of a song to your audience is all about using your body well and managing your emotions. Here is my take on how genres differ from one another, and three basic skills you need to bring any song to life.

To Register for A Singer's Advent https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528

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-41. 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 can learn a lot from singing in a good choir or chorus, and having one-on-one lessons will more effectively show you how to make the most of your instrument. This time I want to talk about why your voice is worth the investment of private lessons, and how taking the time to explore your unique needs and capacities will make the time you spend singing in community so much more rewarding.

To Register for A Singer's Advent https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528

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-40. 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.