In this episode we discuss Donna’s pedagogic approach which is based on the work of Cornelius L. Reid the late noted vocal pedagogue and author of six books on singing, among them the trilogy The Free Voice, Bel Canto: Principles and Practices and, Voice: Psyche and Soma 

The method, in essence, is based on the fact that the muscles that bring the vocal folds into tension are involuntary, thus the entire mechanism must be treated as such. 

The principle is that the vocal mechanism is regulated and controlled by changes in the environmental conditions to which it is being exposed. This means there has to be a setup of the right conditions for the voice to react in the correct way so, in fact, you can only ever work indirectly on the voice.

Todays episode is all about the functionality of the singing instrument, something we as singers should want to know all about!

Connect with Donna S. Reid:

Website | Youtube

Books Mentioned:

• Indirect Procedures by Pedro de Alcantara https://amzn.eu/d/frkAwSf

• The Free voice by Cornelius Reid https://amzn.eu/d/bPRcuVl

• Bel Canto by Cornelius L. Reid https://amzn.eu/d/fCNZOBS

• Voice: Psyche and Soma by Cornelius L. Reid https://amzn.eu/d/8LxfL5n  

In our conversation today we talk about being financially empowered to be creatively free! Basically, we take a deep dive into her book Arts and numbers. We discuss subjects such as budgeting and how to create discipline around budgeting when you have a varying monthly income throughout the year. We discuss the emotional and psychological hurdles around gauging the worth of your work and building the confidence to ask for it.  We also discuss the thrilling subject of negotiating through price anchoring, which I think all artists should learn to master! We even talk about the advantages of creating a business plan for solo entrepreneurial artists such as singers and so much more! This episode truly is a goldmine!

Elaine Grogan Luttrull, CPA-PFS, AFC® is the founder of Minerva Financial Arts, a company devoted to building financial literacy and empowerment in creative individuals and organizations. Her workshops and presentations have been featured nationally by groups that support the arts, including Creative Capital, the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, Sundance, Firelight Media, the National YoungArts Foundation, and a variety of state arts councils and commissions.

Elaine spent 10 years in academia, teaching at the Columbus College of Art & Design and serving as the Department Head for Business & Entrepreneurship from 2014-2018. She regularly provides guest lectures for colleges, universities, and conservatories that serve the arts, including the Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, the School of Visual Arts, and the Cleveland Institute of Arts. Before that, Elaine served as the Director of Financial Analysis for The Juilliard School and in the Transaction Advisory Services practice of Ernst & Young in New York.

Elaine is the author of Arts & Numbers and has regularly contributed to industry guides, including Professional Artist magazine, Business of Art from the Center for Cultural Innovation, and Create a Living Legacy from the Joan Mitchell Foundation. She is based in Dublin, Ohio (Kaskaskia and Hopewell indigenous and cultural lands) where she serves on the boards of the Short North Alliance and Healing Broken Circles. Previous board service includes Social Ventures, the Financial Therapy Association, and the Lark Play Development Center.

Connect with Elaine Grogan Luttrull

Website | Facebook  | Instagram | LinkedIn

Books Mentioned:

• Arts & Numbers: A Financial Guide for Artists, Writers, Performers, and Other Members of the Creative Class by Elaine Grogan Luttrull
• The Graphic Artist Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines by The Graphic Artists Guild 
• A random walk down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel
• The richest man in Babylon by George S. Clason
• Creativity, Inc.: an inspiring look at how creativity can - and should - be harnessed for business success by the founder of Pixar by Ed Catmull
• The Artist's Guide to Grant Writing: How to Find Funds and Write Foolproof Proposals for the Visual, Literary, and Performance Artist by Gigi Rosenberg
• Dollars and Sense: Money Mishaps and How to Avoid Them by Dan Ariely
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Other Resources:

Patreon: Creativity powered by membership

In our conversation today we take a deep dive into the Feldenkrais method as a way to release tension in the body by developing a deep awareness of how the mechanisms of the body are constructed and how they work together as a whole, that is, how one movement affects another. And we discuss why it’s important to develop this vision of how the body works as a whole in order to really be in control of your development as a singer. F.ex if you don't know how your ribcage is supposed to move how are you ever going to do it correctly? We even cover topics like breath and weight lifting!

If you have struggled with tension in your body when you sing, then this episode is for you! Developing awareness of your body and how it wants to move is a life skill like no other! Marina also guides me through some short lessons that you can try alongside us and see if you discover something for yourself.

Marina Gilman holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Indiana University, Master of Music degree from Ithaca College, and a Masters of Art in Communication Disorders from Northwestern University. She graduated from the Montreal Feldenkrais Training in 1996. She is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais® Practitioner, singing teacher, performer, and licensed speech pathologist with a specialization in voice. She has taught voice at Cornell University, Syracuse University, and in the Theater School at DePaul University Chicago. Marina has also taught at the School at the Steppenwolf Theater Company summer program. In her capacity as a licensed speech pathologist Marina has worked at major medical voice centers in Chicago and recently retired from working as part of the interdisciplinary team at the Emory Voice Center, Department of Otolaryngology, in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Her interest in the somatic aspects of voice training began with her personal struggle with body tension. Over the years she has worked to bring the Feldenkrais work into her clinical, academic, and studio teaching. 

Marina Gilman’s performing career includes recitals as well as leading operatic roles with regional opera companies. Marina regularly taught Feldenkrais workshops for actors, singers and voice therapists, as well as presented at professional voice and medical conferences. She has published research on voice in medical voice journals and is the author of Body and Voice: Somatic Re-education, available through Plural Publishing.

Connect with Marina Gilman

E-mail |  

Resources Mentioned:

• Body and Voice: Somatic Re-Eduation by Marina Gilman
• Bodymapping
• Interview on Voice Matters with Liz Johnson
• Moshé Feldenkrais

In our conversation today Janet generously shares stories and lessons learned from her own career. How she developed debilitating anxiety just as her career was going really well, what answers and tools she found to tackle it and how the solutions in turn inspired her to write her excellent book “ Nail your next audition”. 

We delve into subjects on building mental tools needed to deal with struggles head-on in order to build your confidence and not tear it down. We talk about building an optimistic mindset, the foundation of resilience, defining how your ultimate goals should feel, pivoting, and finding other outlets for your creativity that make you happy while you build your career. And why the budding artist in you needs to be fed and nurtured just like the musician in you.

After an international career of more than 25 years of critically acclaimed performances at major concert halls and opera houses around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera, and Berlin Staatsoper, American soprano, Janet Williams has dedicated her life and passion to teaching the art of performance mastery. 

Her book, Nail Your Next Audition, The Ultimate 30-Day Guide for Singers was translated into German under the title: Erfolgreich vorsingen! The 30-Day Countdown to Take Off, and is the go-to guide for singers preparing for high-pressure performances.

The positive response to the book inspired her to develop the “Leistung and Performance Workshop”, which she has taught at music colleges, universities, and Young Artist Programs for singers since 2009.

Her students have won contracts with Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera Studio, Berlin Staatsoper Studio, Vienna Staatsoper Ensemble, La Scala, Theatre Liceu Opera Barcelona, Oper Köln, Oper Leipzig, L’opera de Bruxelles,

Janet Williams has worked as an adjunct professor, associate professor, and visiting professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock and at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, where she is currently an Honorary Professor. She is regularly invited to judge in international singing competitions. In 2012 she founded the Leistung and Performance Vokal Akademie Berlin, offering master classes, workshops, and performance opportunities for young talent.

Janet Williams received Bachelor of Music Degrees in both Vocal Performance and Music Education from Michigan State University and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Indiana University. She is a prize winner in numerous vocal competitions.

Janet is a long-time mentor, voice teacher, and dear friend of mine, not only did teach me to sing but she really helped me with a lot of my mental hurdles like so many of her other students. 

This is a rich interview, full of love for the craft, the voice, and the people who decide to make it their lives work. There is some gold in here for everybody in the profession of singing! 

Connect with Janet Williams

Website | Facebook  

Write an email to Leistung & Performance Vokal Akademie Berlin for inforamation the next upcoming Online 30 day challenge:

[email protected]

Books Mentioned:

• Nail your next audition by Janet Williams
• Every good boy does fine by Jeremy Denk
• Power Performance for singers by Shirlee Emmons and Alma Thomas
• Performance success by Don Green
• Focusing by Eugene T. Gendlin
• Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman

Reading list from Janet herself:

Reading List

My guest today is a dear friend and colleague of mine Francesca Mondanaro. A fabulous singer and a master teacher. At the forefront of our discussion today are topics such as working with and Identifying the big voice and what “building” one actually means. Why developing and listening to your own intuition is so important in addition to three metrics Francesca has defined for trusting vocal growth for the young singer who is still learning to take ownership of their own instrument. 

Why developing and knowing your WHY is crucial in being able to play and stay the long game, which is what it takes to build a career in opera, and dare I say in any business for that matter.

There is some powerful information in this episode that you can profit from no matter where you are in your career. 

After a 15-year international career performing as a dramatic soprano with such companies as Deutsche Oper Berlin, Spontini Festivale, Sarasota Opera, Nashville Opera, Opera Baltimore, Opera Delaware, Teatro Grattacielo, and many more, Francesca Mondanaro has moved into teaching voice for emerging young artists and working professionals in opera and musical theater. 

 In 2022 alone, her clients have been featured in roles with Santa Fe Opera, Sarasota Opera, Florentine Opera, Center for Contemporary Opera, Opera Delaware, Teatro Lirico d’Europa, Opera Orlando, Baltimore Concert Opera, Barn Opera, San Diego Opera, and the National Broadway Tour of Disney’s Aladdin, just to name a few.  

She has also been a guest master teacher for the Vancouver Opera Young Artist Program and Brooklyn Music School since 2018.  Francesca is absolutely passionate about working with unique instruments, and the whole human, not just the voice, by creating a nurturing, positive environment in her studio that allows for each individual artist to find their most authentic sound, built on a technique that gets them where they want to go on their artistic journey.

It was such an honor to have had Francesca on the podcast as she is a wealth of knowledge and experience! A fabulous singer and a master teacher and just such a warm presence to be around! 

Connect with Francesca Mondanaro:

Website | Facebook  

Resources Mentioned:

• The artist's Way by Julia Cameron
• The body keeps the score by Bessel van der Kolk
• Ikigai by Héctor García

Ingela Onstad is a High-Performance Coach for performing artists and other professionals in the public eye, as well as a professional soprano, psychotherapist, and board-certified coach.

Her coaching business, Courageous Artistry, supports performing artists in their quest to perform at the top of their abilities. She helps performers address emotional wellbeing and mindset in order to help them take massive action towards creating or maintaining their dream careers.

She has thousands of hours of clinical experience as a therapist with a variety of ages and issues, but helping performers is her true passion. 

Ms.Onstad has presented on the topic of performance anxiety at dozens of institutions across the United States and Canada.

In addition, Ms. Onstad is a soprano who has enjoyed a varied international career in opera, concert work, and contemporary music. Operatic highlights include performances throughout Germany, Canada, and the United States.

She continues to maintain an active performing career.

In our conversation today we talk about how to deal with our natural tendency to break into fight or flight mode. We talk about how thoughts and emotions are not facts and how we can better our self-talk and thought patterns so we don’t end up standing in our own way.

She guides us through breaking down big overwhelming goals, like getting an agent, into manageable steps. We talk about how we as singers are entrepreneurs and that we are essentially running a business with every single role that entails.

How there is no shame in finding alternative ways of supporting oneself while you build your career. And lastly how every single aspect of our lives contributes to our well-being or not, and how being vigilant about building good habits may help your anxiety.

Connect with Ingela Onstad, MM, MA, LMHC, BCC

Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Linkedin

Resources Mentioned:

• Mindset by Carol Dweck
• Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman
• Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman
• You are a badass by Jen Sincero
• The alter ego effect by Todd Herman
• The artist's Way by Julia Cameron
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Shirley Tennyson, MA, EdM CCC-SLP, is a certified Speech-Language Pathologist with a particular interest and training in voice disorders. She graduated with  Master's Degrees from Ohio University and Columbia University.

Her specialty is working with people who have voice disorders caused by such things as polyps, nodules, or cysts on the vocal folds, a paralyzed vocal fold, atrophied vocal folds, as well as voice problems resulting from neurological conditions, e.g., spasmodic dysphonia, Parkinson Disease, etc. 

As a singer/actor herself, she particularly enjoys helping singers of all genres, actors, and performers resolve their vocal issues. Anyone who relies on his or her voice to earn a living is considered to be a professional voice user. This would include teachers, clergy, attorneys, salespeople, and receptionists just to name a few.

In our discussion today we talk about the most common vocal disorders in performers i.e nodules, polyps, vocal fold hemorrhage, and Edema, what they are, and how they form.

How problems with the singing voice can often be traced back to how you use your speaking voice. We discuss the mechanisms of the Passagio. We discuss why posture is so important to accessing your optimal sound, the dos and don’ts of vocal hygiene and vocal conservation, and last but not least breath.

Connect with Shirley Tennyson, MA, EdM CCC-SLP

Linkedin | email mentioned at the end of the interview 

• https://www.essentricstv.com
• Alexander Technique
• Feldenkreis

Today’s guest is Dr. Benjamin Asher a New York based, board-certified Otolaryngologist - Head and Neck Surgeon.

In addition to being a highly- regarded conventional physician and exceptional diagnostician, he has been at the forefront of applying alternative methods to Ear, nose, and throat disorders since the beginning of his medical career over thirty years ago. 

Dr. Asher’s conventional training includes the University of Iowa which is the preeminent Otolaryngology residency in America, where he was selected to serve as Chief Resident. Harvard Medical School, where he completed a fellowship in Pediatric ENT. He has served on the faculty of Harvard, Washington University, and Dartmouth medical schools.

His study of complementary healing modalities includes cranial osteopathy, hypnosis, myofascial therapy, the Feldenkrais Method, the Alexander Technique, and various energy medicine modalities. Dr. Asher works in cooperation with acupuncturists, chiropractors, and somatic healers as well as Ayurvedic, homeopathic, and naturopathic physicians. 

Dr. Asher is credited as the physician who discovered that boosting Glutathione, a substance naturally produced by the body, had a profoundly positive impact on the voice and could often be used in place of steroids or vocal cord surgery. 

His unique ability and steadfast desire to protect performers from the harsh, long-term side effects of conventional medical approaches have made him a valued team member for numerous theatrical, concert, film, and television performers. He has served as house physician for the New York City Opera and the New York City Ballet.

In our discussion today we talk about how western medicine is not all that great for treating chronic illness and how understanding people from the level of spirit and looking at the bigger picture is a foundation for how Dr.Asher works with people.

We talk about how psycho-emotional issues such as grief and trauma keep performers stuck. Self-sabotage, and the inability to move forward with one's career. We discuss wrongly diagnosed acid reflux and how antacids can have bad long-term health implications. How the process of singing and learning voice can be traumatizing because of abusive teachers and how fear and stage fright can develop because of it and why listening to your inner voice and knowing your “why” is crucial in the performing arts and so much more. 

Connect with Dr. Benjamin Asher:

 Facebook  |  Website 

• “The undiscovered self” by Carl Jung
• “The body keeps the score” by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
• Immune boosting supplement: “Immunokinoko”
• Dr. Gallands TLC: Black Cumin seed oil 
• Trauma Therapy: EMDR, Somatic Experiencing based on the work of Peter Levine, Hakomi

Today’s guest and my very first guest on the Thriving singer podcast is non-other than the great David Jones, who has developed an international career as an author, vocal pedagogue, teacher of singers, and teachers in Europe and the U.S.  David is celebrating 50 successful years of teaching the fall of 2022

He has trained singers performing at opera houses and festivals such as the New York City Opera, San Francisco Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Berlin Staatsoper, Vienna Staatsoper, Opera North U.K. the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, the Glyndebourne Opera Festival, Salzburg Festival, and L’Opera Bastille in Paris.

David Jones is a graduate of Texas Christian University with graduate research at the University of North Texas. Having also researched at the Groningen University Hospital (Groningen, The Netherlands) and the Laboratoire de la Voix Voice Clinic in Paris, he has had the opportunity to study how Old World concepts can be therapeutic in treating voice disorders. He also works in conjunction with the practice of Laryngologist Dr. Benjamin Asher in New York.

In 1979, he studied with internationally known vocal pedagogue Allan R. Lindquest (1891-1984), founding member of NATS and the Amercian Academy of Teachers of Singing. It was through Mr. Jones’ study with Lindquest that he learned the concepts of Lindquest’s teachers, which included Enrico Caruso, Mme. Ingebjard-Isene (teacher of Flagstad), Joseph Hislop, Maestro Rosati (teacher of Gigli), and Mme. Novikova. Additional instructors of the Lindquest concepts with whom David Jones studied include Virginia Botkin, Dr. Suzanne Hickman, and Dr. Barbara Mathis, who performed scientific research on the therapeutic benefits of the exercises. It was through this study that Mr. Jones studied the concepts of the Swedish-Italian School of singing.

In 1982, Mr. Jones studied with Dixie Neill, the primary teacher of Ben Hepner, and later with Dr. Evelyn Reynolds. Dr. Reynold's teachers included Lola Fletcher (student of Herbert Witherspoon), tenor Hollis Arment, William Vennard, author of “Singing: The Mechanism and the Technique”, and Ralph Erolle, instructor of the well-known soprano Arleen Auger.

David Jones has trained singers performing at such opera houses and festivals as the New York City Opera, San Francisco Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Berlin Staatsoper, Vienna Staatsoper, Opera North U.K. the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, the Glyndebourne Opera Festival, Salzburg Festival, and L’Opera Bastille in Paris. Mr. Jones has been published by both European NATS and Classical Singer Magazine.

Presenting seminars for teachers twice yearly in New York City and in Europe, he now dedicates his energy toward sharing information with teachers, writing articles, and teaching in his New York Studio and in Europe.

In our interview we travel far and wide, exploring how he got into the world of singing and how he gathered and refined the concepts he now teaches. 

We talk about vocal trauma and what causes it, the importance of sensations in singing, diagnosing Fach, and what a voice type consists of. We talk about collaborative teaching, and problem-solving together with the student, making them aware of the process. 

We dive into the realm of feeling safe in a voice lesson and what not to put up with. How some teachers might be qualified in their information but not in the psychology of teaching.

Connecting mind and body through work such as Feldenkreis or Alexander Technique and the importance of identifying and releasing tension whatever the cause may be. And last but not least how to work with different coaches while keeping your technique. And many other things connected to healthy singing.

Connect with David Jones

[email protected] | Facebook : The David Jones Voice Studio | Website : voiceteacher.com

• Article: Taking a professional coaching and protecting your voice
• David’s Book: A modern guide to old world singing
• Janet William’s Book: Nail your next audition
• David’s CD: An introductory lesson with David Jones
• Ingela Onstad’s website: courageousartistry.com
• Carl Stough: Dr.Breath - Breathing Coordination
• Lynn Martin: perriinstitute.com/lynn-martin
• Shirley Tennyson: https://www.rosemarydesloge.com/provider/shirley-tennyson-ma-edm-ccc-slp

Because we talked a great deal about breath I would like to recommend the book "Breath" by James Nestor for anyone interested in diving deeper into the subject!

I think one of the most important things we should start to develop early on in our singing journey is ownership of our development. 

By that, I mean learning in full detail how our instrument works and actively figuring out who we are and who we want to become.

The two factors in combination will in turn allow us not to give our power away to teachers, coaches, or any mentors along the way.

Enabling us to create and maintain autonomy over our art and our craft.