What came first, the trauma or the trauma informed voice work?
What came first, the trauma or the trauma informed voice work?
What a trauma-informed voice teacher actually means — and how to find one
I was standing alone in a rented house in a town I just moved to when my throat suddenly tightened up. Tears streamed down my face. Overwhelmed, I laid down on the floor, took some deep breaths, and allowed myself to ride the wave of emotion. I’d been practicing a famously difficult aria, but my practice goals would have to wait until the next day.
The aria I was working on was Mozart’s Ach Ich fuhl’s - which literally translates into Ah I feel it - or, as the youth say today, Pamina was in her feelings. In the piece, Pamina cries about the rejection she feels from her beloved refusing to speak to her. It is the ultimate break up track. The grief I was carrying coupled with the release of my singing allowed for my feelings to come to the surface - specifically the surface of my face!
In the past, I would’ve been frustrated with my outburst. But I’d since learned about the autonomic nervous system and its effect on music making. I gave myself grace in that moment and allowed myself to feel. Laying on the floor, I focused on my breathing and allowed the pain to bubble up and out without judgement.
As a student, I learned about the nervous system in relationship to music performance anxiety - now, as a teacher, I use this knowledge in everyday lessons.
For me, Trauma Informed Voice Work is not a marketing phrase, gimmick, or credential I took to boost my billable hour. My real life experience as a lifelong singer coupled with my generally curious nature led me to learn about trauma and how it impacts our bodies. I learned first for myself, and now I apply that knowledge as a teacher in my lessons.
The moment on the floor was ten years ago, before the phrase “Trauma- Informed Voice Teacher” became ubiquitous on the instagram. The work we do with the beautiful humans we teach and their voices uniquely positions voice teachers to encounter trauma. Recently, I’ve come to appreciate the work of Dr. Emily Jaworski Koriath, whose blend of vocal knowledge and somatic healing practice led to her book Voice and Trauma. In it, she writes, “Those who work with singers know that emotions and nervous system states are constantly present…when any human stands onstage or even sings in a lesson, their nervous system activates based on the fundamentals of human biology”.
Dr. Koriath’s work (along with her colleagues) has brought Trauma- Informed Voice Teaching into the modern voice teacher vernacular. And I’m so thankful!
The two most impactful lessons I learned from studying Trauma informed voice teaching is:
Stay in your lane
And
My most important tool as a teacher is to maintain a healthy, regulated nervous system - ( aka co-regulation) ( BONUS this helps as a parent too!)
Stay in your lane
As a trauma INFORMED voice teacher, I am NOT a trauma healer or somatic practitioner. I am not a therapist. I know my role in a lesson is to co-facilitate an environment where learning and singing can happen. This requires vulnerability and humility. I know to refer out when a student presents something that’s out of my scope of practice. ( and I’ve done that!)
Maintain a healthy, regulated nervous system
Unfortunately, I’ve been on the receiving end of a dysregulated voice teacher yelling, trauma dumping, gossiping, or the like. Those actions were not acceptable twenty years ago and they’re certainly inexcusable in our modern trauma-informed environment. Voice teachers now understand that when it comes to experiencing the excitement that comes with live human sound, our job is to be mindful of our nervous system’s activation and how to regulate it. Dr. Koriath writes, “Co-regulation is the most important thing that we have to offer any human with a history of trauma or a highly sensitive nervous system…your emotional well-being is a job requirement.” I take that call to action seriously and engage in self-care practices that benefit myself, my family, and my clients.
In the studio, this looks like mindful breathing while listening to students sing. It looks like a clearly marked exit from my studio with open doors and windows. It looks like offering clients some constructive rest when they’re feeling overwhelmed. It may look like doing a 2:1 breathing exercise after talking about performance anxiety (but that’s a different blog altogether).
I urge all those searching for a voice teacher to do your research about trauma-informed approaches. What does Trauma- Informed mean to those that write that on their website? What will it look like in practice during your studio time?
If you're looking for a voice teacher who takes this seriously — not as a talking point, but as a practice — I'd love to meet you. Start with a Discovery Call so we can talk about your goals and what you're looking for in a teacher. From there, we'll set up an Initial Fit Lesson to see if my studio is the right home for your voice.