Vocal Freedom Podcast

My guest this week is successful recording artist Errol Reid.  Errol achieved worldwide chart hit success as the lead singer of the band China Black, signed to the Polydor label Wild Card, and sang the Rugby World Cup Anthem Swing Low Sweet Chariot with Ladysmith Black Mombaza.  He has worked with some incredible artists during his professional singing career and shares some incredible stories of meeting and even singing with some of his own idols.  Tune in to learn about his journey from Birmingham to London, training as a town planner for Brent Council to help fund his musical endeavours, before making it big, appearing on Top of the Pops with China Blacks no. 2 single “Searching”, which led to success touring the world, duetting with Barry White in Paris and more recently one of his heroes Howard Hewitt from Shalamar. 

Errol has a varied back catalogue and range of musical influences and after China Black he has also found massive success working with acts like Swedish House Mafia and Axwell, so you can also hear his incredible range on the Dance Music Scene. 

I really enjoyed Errol’s zest for music and how he uses his voice throughout the interview to recall songs and stories I am sure you will love hearing about too! Littered with great advice for anyone who is thinking of going into the music business. 

Errol references several great songs and artists which you can enjoy by clicking the links below.

Ronnie Jordan - So What

Omar - There's nothing like this

Howard Hewitt- Show Me

Aquarius - The Fifth Dimension

You can also enjoy watching Errol performing here:

China Black - Searching (Live on Top of the Pops)

Errol Reid singing Feel the Vibe and Nothing but Love Live!

Errol singing with the Legendary Barry White!

Errol Reid with Lady Blacksmith Mambazo - Swing Low Sweet Chariot

Eddie Thonieck & Kurd Maverick - Lonely (feat.Errol Reid)

SO MUCH BRILLIANT MUSIC!!!

Happy listening!

My guest this week is triple threat professional Mark Willshire.  This cheeky northerner, as he describes himself, has been in the business for nearly 20 years now.  

As a young adult Mark trained at Laine Theatre Arts, since graduating has toured in countless productions including Carousel, Mamma Mia, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Starlight Express and Our House.  His lucky break, first lead role was in the UK tour of the Take That musical Never Forget.  Mark has lived the 8 shows a week lifestyle, with high vocal demands, which has given him terrific insight into what his voice is capable of and how to work around normal seasonal colds and fatigue.   Mark went on to have lead roles in 9 to 5 and The Bodyguard.

Most recently, (pre-covid) he was swing and cover as Cal and Earl in Waitress at The Adelphi, where he got to play Earl with the amazing Sara Bareilles as his wife Jenna, during her brief west-end stint.   I was lucky enough to see him in action and he did an amazing job! 

West end singers are like vocal athletes, so of course, like in sports, you train to be performing at at elite level but it is also vital to know your boundaries and work within them at all times.  Mark has learned some lessons of his own along the way, I hope you enjoy learning from his stories, lightbulb moments and personal wisdom. 

As well as being a performer, Mark is also an experienced and professional photographer.  You can view his work on his instagram page @markwillshirephotography or click here for more options.

My guest this week is Emily Foulkes, Director of a music for well-being charity, Cymaz Music based in Cornwall, UK.  During the interview, Emily shares how grief affected her relationship with music and singing, which I can certainly relate to from the months of difficult gigs following the death of my Mum in 2011.  Finding her voice again after joining the Eden Choir, Emily is a multi-faceted voice user, a singer, a helping practitioner, a researcher and trainer.  Emily is passionate about sharing knowledge, creating the Singing for Health Network that will provide resources & intelligence for other helping practitioners, singing teachers, choir directors, group leaders, for anyone who would greatly benefit from understanding emerging findings in voice and health research.

Emily shares about her own research working with children and young people who have suffered adverse childhood experiences.  Creating a safe, comfortable environment, leading intuitive person-centred music practice, working creatively to support children with their wellbeing and mental health.   At the centre of helping someone, is the trust and development of that relationship. By using voice, musical instruments and drums, as working with rhythm is particularly useful in terms of helping people to get into a regulated state after suffering trauma.  This work is so needed, everywhere right now. 

During lockdown, Emily and her partner Jane, were busy providing Mindfulness and Sound Healing practices online, that resulted in such powerful positive effects for all the people who took part for 80 straight days! 

The Singing for Health project in Cornwall runs alongside the Social Prescribing Initiative, to provide groups for people with various health conditions.  This includes a respiratory group, mental health group, fibromyalgia group and on the horizon a new group for people with Multiple Sclerosis.  At the moment all groups are running well online but will return to face to face when it is safe to do so. 

I’d go as far to say everyone would benefit from increasing their knowledge and understanding about how regular practice of singing, meditation & relaxation; developing your connection to your breath and your voice, improves your general well-being, particularly for those living with any health issues, chronic pain, depression or anxiety.  Inclusive to all human beings, we can all benefit from connecting and understanding how we can use our voices more mindfully, to do good in this world.  The Vocal Freedom podcast fully supports the Singing For Health Network.  Emily is invited to return as a guest to keep us updated as the network grows and progresses.

The two songs that Emily mentioned are The Carpenters - Goodbye to Love & The Indigo Girls - Power of Two

You can learn more about Emily by visiting these websites:

Sounds Like Healing Website

Singing For Health Network Website

Singing for Health on Facebook

Sounds like Healing on Facebook

My guest this week is Kim Chandler, a renowned CCM vocal coach & session singer. She runs a busy private studio in Marbella (Spain) where she coaches a worldwide clientele of signed artists, professional singers and other vocal coaches online. Since 2004 she has run a successful online recording business with her producer husband (www.virtualvocals.com) and has led large corporate recording sessions at London’s Abbey Road Studios since 2011.

Kim coaches high-profile artists and has worked as a vocal coach for audition tours of “The Voice UK”. She is regularly invited to run master classes, workshops & teacher training events and is also a regular presenter at national & international voice conferences, including being a keynote speaker in her home country of Australia.

In the academic world, Kim is the “Head of Communications”, past president and director of the British Voice Association, was a principal/senior lecturer at Leeds College of Music & London College of Music respectively and was the Head of Vocals at Vocaltech (now BIMM London). Her pedagogical work features in many masters & doctoral theses and in compendiums such as “Training Contemporary Commercial Singers” (Compton), “Teaching Singing in the 21st Century” (Springer) and “The Ultimate Guide To Singing” (TC-Helicon). Kim is the sole creator of the popular “Funky ‘n Fun” vocal exercise series (www.funkynfun.com).

As a performer, Kim has three decades of high-end performing experience in both live performance and studio singing. Aside from her voice being heard on films, albums, cruise shows and thousands of jingles worldwide, she has also sung with artists such as The Bee Gees, Natalie Cole, Michael McDonald, Bjork, Michael Bolton and Susan Boyle, in addition to having performed at some of London’s most iconic locations such as the Royal Albert Hall, Downing Street, Wembley Arena & Stadium, the O2 Arena and Buckingham Palace (www.kimchandler.com).

My guest this week is the Actor/Singer/Producer Antony Stuart-Hicks (AKA Ash/Ant).  Many Colchester locals will know Ash from his award winning performances as the Mercury Theatre Pantomime Dame in recent years, where his comic timing, quick witted gags and triumphant performing in killer heels will be greatly missed this year!  

Ash has certainly come a long way since leaving his hometown of Crosby, Liverpool, UK.  He has travelled the world through his vast career in the entertainment industry (see credits so far, listed below) and in this episode shares a unique relationship with his voice, which has not always been easy.    Tune in to hear how Ash has a deep connection with his voice and how it has helped him through the toughest of times.  

When not being ‘ theatrical ’, Antony dedicates any free time towards supporting individuals with mental health conditions within the entertainment industry and beyond.

Antony is currently Executive Producer at APL Theatre based in London’s West End and consulting producer for Theatre for Life, Curious Pheasant, Spies Like Us, Teatro Vivo, Tusk, At Swefn’s Edge and Skewed Productions. Antony is also a mentor for the Mercury Theatre Colchester’s “Mercury Creatives” programme.

During the show, Ash referenced the following songs:

Shirley Bassey - And I Love You So

Ken Dodd - Think of me

Frank Sinatra - My Way

Dolly Parton - Baby I'm Burning

Along with this piece as a catalyst for when you need a good cry!

En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor (clip from the movie Brassed Off)

Producer credits include: Seaforth Saga–The Musical (Liverpool Empire Theatre), Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (Southport Arts Centre), The Pirates of Penzance (Royal Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool), By Enormous Expense (Pavilion Theatre New Brighton, The Players Theatre London, Leeds City Varieties), Our Town (Millennium Dome), No Man’s Land (UK Tour), Misery (UK National Tour), 40 Pantomimes: Cinderella, Aladdin, Dick Whittington, Snow White, Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, Jack & The Beanstalk, Mother Goose, Sleeping Beauty(venues include: Chatham, Fareham, Liverpool, Southport, Halifax, Peterborough, Harlow, Barnstaple, Helston, Newark, York, Whitley Bay, Ipswich, Maidstone, Worthing, Salford and Eastbourne), My Fair Lady (Liverpool Empire/UK Tour), Oliver! (Liverpool Empire), Cluedo! (UK National Tour), The Shakespeare Review (Litchfield Garrick), Your Nation Loves You (Delirium/Old Vic), Alice in Wonderland (UK Tour), The Lost Dragon (Harlow Playhouse), King Arthur’s Kitchen (USA Tour), 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Harlow Playhouse/UK Tour), The Snow Queen (UK Tour), The Ugly Duckling (UK Tour), Treasure Island (UK Tour), Barry Manilow’s Copacabana (Harlow Playhouse/UK Tour), Peter Pan–A Rock Musical (European Tour), Boris & Ingrid (UK & International Tour in association with Mercury Theatre Colchester), An Ideal Husband (European Tour), Pride & Prejudice (European Tour), The Wizard of Oz (European Tour), Hamlet–The Musical (European Tour), Alice in Wonderland (European Tour), The Hound of the Baskervilles (UK National Tour), The Wizard of Oz (UK Tour), A Midsummer Night's Dream (International Tour), Robin Hood (International Tour), Alice in Wonderland (UK Easter Tour), Romeo & Juliet (International Tour), Rapunzel (UK National Tour), The Canterville Ghost (International Tour), Secret Santa: The Frost Files (World Premiere Production–Royal Hippodrome Theatre, Eastbourne), Grease–The Musical (International Tour), Peter Pan–A New Musical (International Tour & Royal Hippodrome Theatre, Eastbourne), Tonight at the London Coliseum (Digital series of concerts), Voice Box – Intimate Theatre, Direct to the Lens (Digital Series) and The Little Mermaid (UK Tour).

Directorial credits include: Rapunzel (UK National Tour), Robin Hood (International Tour), The Hound of the Baskervilles (UK National Tour), What Are They Like? (Warwick Arts Centre), Pride & Prejudice (European Tour), Snoopy–The Musical (Jersey), Cinderella (Harlow Playhouse), Avenue Q (Jersey), Peter Pan–A New Musical (International Tour), The Lost Dragon (Harlow Playhouse), Me & My Girl (Jersey), Cinderella (York Barbican), Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations (Jersey Arts Centre), Accidents Happen (Tristan Bates, London), Stage by Stage (UK Tour–Original Production), Grimm Tales (Jersey Arts Centre), Divas (UK Tour), My Fair Lady (UK Tour), Aladdin, Snow White, Cinderella, Jack & the Beanstalk (Liverpool Empire Theatre), Judy & Liza (UK Tour), Macbeth (Regional Tour), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Unity Theatre, Liverpool), Our House (Orchard Theatre, Dartford), The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Little Shop of Horrors , Two (UK National Tour).

Theatre includes: Sherlock Holmes (The Hound of the Baskervilles) The Knight of Biscay Don Quixote), George (H is Fragile Mind), Terisius (Antigone), George (Stop Giving Me Grief), Malvolio (Twelfth Night), Demetrius/Quince (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Cardinal Richelieu (The Three Musketeers), Stuart (Gosforth’s Fete), Giovanni (Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! ), Graham (Fine Wine & Pringles at the Café Belgrade), Macbeth (Macbeth), Hugo (No Horizon), Scrooge (A Christmas Carol), Meg Long (Our Country’s Good), Ratty  (The Wind in the Willows) and Saturninus (Titus Andronicus).

Television & Film includes: The Undateables Christmas Special (Channel 4), Strictly Come Dancing – Christmas Special (BBC), Brookside (Mersey TV), Liverpool One (Lime Productions), And the Beat Goes On (Channel 4), David Copperfield (BBC Films), The Bill (Talkback Thames), In His Life (MBC), Midsomer Murders (Bentley Productions), Fan & Friend (ITV).

Musical Theatre Includes: Professor Callaghan (Legally Blonde – Jersey Opera House), Edna Turnblad (Hairspray –Dubai), Roscoe (Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens – Criterion West End), Dr. Frederick Chilton (Silence! The Musical -European Premiere), Friar Lawrence (Romeo & Juliet The Musical - UK Tour), Polonius (Hamlet The Musical - UK & International Tour), Gonzalo (Tempest The Musical - UK & International Tour), Quince/Egeus (A Midsummer Night’s Dream - UK & International Tour), Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland), Caspius (The Wizard of Oz ~ Beyond the Rainbow - UK Tour), Kaa the Snake (The Jungle Book), King Midas (Myth & Legend), Reverend Barker (The Retribution) and Fagin (Oliver!).

Audio recordings include: Dr Who – 'Cold Vengeance' The Tenth Doctor Series (Big Finish).

Writing credits: Various pantomime titles (Cinderella, Aladdin, Snow White, The Snow Queen, Treasure Island, Robin Hood, Rapunzel, Peter Pan, Dick Whittington, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland), a dramatic adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles, a world premiere production of Secret Santa: The Frost Files. Dramatic adaptations of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo & Juliet, The Canterville Ghost, Pride & Prejudice and An Ideal Husband (International touring–English speaking). Antony has recently adapted JM Barrie’s Peter Pan into a new musical adaptation for international tour and winter production at Royal Hippodrome Eastbourne.

Pantomime credits: Ugly Sister in Cinderella (Southport Arts Centre, Crosby Civic Hall, Rhyl Pavilion Theatre, Royal Court Liverpool, Victoria Theatre Halifax, Hazlitt Theatre Maidstone, The Cresset Peterborough, Camberley Arts Theatre, Central Theatre Chatham, Queen's Theatre Barnstaple, Harlow Playhouse, Mercury Theatre Colchester – Mercury at Abbey Fields*), Nurse Nellie in Snow White (Royal Court Liverpool, Central Theatre Chatham, Mercury Theatre Colchester*, Sarah the Cook in Dick Whittington (Royal Court Liverpool, Mercury Theatre Colchester), Nurse in Sleeping Beauty (Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple), Widow Twankey in Aladdin (Neptune Theatre Liverpool, Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple, The Palace Theatre, Newark, The Mercury Theatre Colchester), Dotty Trott in Jack & The Beanstalk (Mercury Theatre, Colchester).

* Nominated - Best Dame – Great British Pantomime Awards 2017/18

* Winner – Best Ugly Sisters – Great British Pantomime Awards 2019/20

My guest this week is Paul John McKenna.  With a background as a performing singer/guitarist and a deep interest in therapeutic interventions and performance coaching, Paul trained as a Speech & Language Therapist (SLT) in his early 20s, later specialising as a Voice Therapist working with both speakers and singers with complex voice disorders. Paul’s specialist voice work within the NHS has led to him co-leading one of the UK’s most established endoscopic voice assessment clinics for professional voice users at Wythenshawe Hospital in South Manchester.

Alongside his specialist voice rehabilitation work, Paul has spent nearly 15 years training in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Hypnotherapy and is a certified Personal Development Coach and Master Practitioner of NLP, Hypnotherapy and Time Line Therapy.   I really wanted to speak with Paul about this and how he uses his special skills to helps others overcome their voice problems.   

Read full bio here

Quotes from this episode:

(Paul, on caring for the voice)

“Stretch and release…optimal hydration…warm up before singing…cool down after singing…manage your vocal load, don’t sing all day every day, give the muscles a rest you know, manage your reflux, if you’ve got reflux, that’s a real one you know, for the touring and gigging musicians especially, reflux is a real enemy for the voice if its not managed.” 

(Paul, on reframing anxious feelings)

“You’re not anxiety, you are just as much confidence as you are anxiety, it's just what you’re feeling in that moment”

Paul can be contacted for private sessions via his website http://thevocaltherapist.com

If you have anything you would like to share about this episode, head over to our facebook page 

Enjoy listening! 

Joining me this week is one third of the brilliant Harmony-laden folk- Americana band The Wandering Hearts, (who also happens to be a fellow singing teacher) Tara Wilcox.

Tara has had an amazing few years since forming the band, being signed to Decca and touring the UK and the US, performing alongside some amazing big names in some of the music industries most iconic place like The Grand Ole Opry and Graceland!  Tara shares her extraordinary journey so far along with lots of insider stories about working in the music industry.   

Tara has taught at some of our well known and loved performing arts schools like Mountview and Urdang and is also an Estill Master Trainer.  She is looking forward to more outside gigs coming up and the bands new album due for release February 2021.  You can pre-order to support the band and if you haven't already, download their first album if you want to treat your ears this weekend!  Check out these videos to see Tara, Chess and AJ in action!

Jealous - The Wandering Hearts

A heart-felt song told from the three singers perspectives, woven together with beautiful harmonies.  A song that builds and takes unexpected turns, SO worth checking out!

Fire & Water - The Wandering Hearts (performed live on the Andrew Marr show)

A passionate, energised, harmonic joy of a song! Love love love the broken down parts with some gorgeous little yodels and overlapping harmonies!  Always gets me off my seat!!

You can find The Wandering Hearts on all socials, so go follow and like to keep up to date with all their news!

During our chat Tara referenced Ella Fitzgerald singing Mack the Knife (live in Berlin) which is a masterclass of how to cope when slightly under rehearsed!  I couldn't find Blues in the Night but here is another of Eva Cassidy's emotional masterful vocals on Dark end of the street which I have fond memories of covering with my band Crossover many moons back.  

Happy listening y'all xx

If you would like to learn how you can join the Vocal Freedom podcast community, head on over to www.colchestervoiceacademy.com/podcast to learn more.  

My guest this week is Kate Millner, a professionally trained actress, voice artist, singer and story-teller who has had a really interesting journey with her voice.  From working with Mitchell & Webb in her Cambridge days, Adam Cork from the RSC, moving into supply teaching where her voice use was intensified then followed the scary diagnosis and recovery from vocal nodules. 

More recently Kate has also trained to become a Celebrant, a person who performs and officiates formal ceremonies.  Using her voice as a source of comfort and support for grieving relatives.

Kate is also half of the music duo ‘At Swefn’s Edge’ with her husband Michael, who is a soundscape composer and sound engineer.  During lockdown, through the Mercury Creatives Programme of the Mercury Theatre, Colchester some of their music has inspired all sorts of creative projects, you can learn more about this as Kate explains through the episode.

Hear how important it is for creatives who need to keep that muscle flexing, coping with the cancellation of work and contracts and adapting through covid to stay creative and exploring new avenues of sound. 

(Kate, on self judgement)

"Believe in the words, believe in yourself, you’ve got every right to sing, you’ve got every right to speak!"

Happy listening y'all!  

Kerrie Obert is a wonderfully curious, highly knowledgeable voice specialist.  Speaking with me from her home in Ohio, it was an honour to learn about her journey with her voice and how she happily balances her voice use as a speech and language pathologist, singer, teacher/coach and researcher.   

Kerrie has a new book series coming out and online courses to enjoy in the future.  In the meantime her already published book The Owners Manual to the Voice is available here.

Happy listening! 

My guest this week is Sarah Stephenson, a highly experienced vocal coach, teacher, accompanist and sound healer.    A fascinating journey of a musician who has found a deeper healing power within sound itself - using sound as a healing tool.  Learn how the sound we make, our vibrations, our energy, how increasing our awareness of our sound, can help bring us into alignment, to be present in the here and now. 

We really are fascinating human beings!  It is worth your time to tune in, especially now,  in our modern times, which are so uncertain for many, with covid-19 having had such a global impact on the human race, now more than ever, we could all start with tuning in and paying attention to how we can use our voices for good.

Two quotes from this episode: 

(Sarah on - how we can help ourselves with our voices)

“..express how you are feeling…start the day by (asking) how am I feeling? I am just going to key into it…and just start doing some sounding.  You may feel a bit silly to begin with but then just express how you’re feeling and then come back, do a bit of humming, simple toning, little vowel practices.   See how that kind of feels in the nervous system, in the body, how that calms everything down”

(Sarah on - the voice)

“Wow…what an incredible instrument, what an incredible machine, what an incredible form of expression…it’s the most human part of who we are.”

Five minutes in we briefly reference the Fibonacci sequence.  This is so worth a look! Amazing Resonance Experiment!

For favourite voices question,  Sarah chooses the delicious vocal of Gregory Porter.  The song she mentions - “I wonder who my daddy is” performed at the Royal Albert hall can be viewed here,  Do let us know on our facebook page what you think of the performance!

Sarah is listed here at The College of Sound Healing