Can't Wait to Hear You
Does singing feel so difficult, painful, or embarrassing that you hide it from the people you love? Does speaking feel scratchy, exhausting, breathless, or forced? It doesn't have to be that way. Your voice can sound and feel amazing, even in stressful situations. You just need to know how to use it. Singer and voice teacher Michèle Voillequé teaches the art and science of sounding and feeling the best you can. If you love the sound of your ideas, but hate the sound of your voice, be sure to subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You.
Why It's All About the Breath
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
How breathing precedes every sound we make with the voice (and why we often don’t notice).What’s going on anatomically as your brain, breath, and body collaborate to produce sound.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 em...
Expanding Your Comfort Zone
Your voice is a core part of your identity, so it’s natural to feel conflicted about changing it, even if the change is ultimately for the better.
In this episode, I explain
Why we often have emotional discomfort around changing our voices, even when using our body differently feels physically better.How our instinctive need for safety can complicate the process of learning to use the body differently.How to practice your next-level singing or speaking self, without making a sound.I'd love to know if this was helpful! Don’t hesitate to sche...
Practicing Thoughts
We all feel nervous when we’re doing Big Things, and singing in front of others is definitely a Big Thing. What would it help to be thinking when you’re doing something Big?
In this episode, I explain
The mental and physical benefits that accompany the work of building your voice. Why feeling vulnerable is an important part of singing and speaking.How to reframe that vulnerability so that performing in public feels like a good thing. .Plus, a preview of a new group experience I’m developing this year.
If you mi...
Two New Year’s Resolutions
Happy New Year! Here are two resolutions that will help you improve your relationship with your voice in 2026 and in all the years to come:
Practice in the shoes you’re going to wear on the day you do the thing.Try not to judge your out-of-tune singing.Tune in to find out why, and in the case of judging yourself, what to do instead.
To Register for A Singer's Advent: https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528
I’d love to know if this was helpful! Don’t hesitate to schedule a free...
How Music Carries Us Through
When things aren’t going well, we can let music carry us through.
In this episode, I talk about
The profound connections music builds between people from all walks of life.How the experience of a group of people singing together can transform your day, even when you’re just watching.An example of the joy and community created when we share our singing with each other.The Leo Choir Boys performing for President Barack Obama: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=25037511122615392
To Register for A Singer's Advent: https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/prod...
Who Is Singing For?
It might sound like wishful thinking, but I truly believe that everyone who wants to should experience the joy of feeling comfortable with and appreciated for their singing.
In this episode, I explain
Why I believe that singing is for anyone and everyone.The themes and lessons that the Advent season holds for experienced and aspiring singers alike.The benefits of singing for your physical and mental health.To Register for A Singer's Advent: https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528
How Singing Can Improve Your Health
https://www.bbc.co...
How To Hear Yourself
I've had an epiphany about why listening to ourselves is so different when we're singing than when we're talking!
In this episode, I explain
What we focus on when we’re listening to ourselves, and how it changes when we’re singing vs. talking.How that difference contributes to the common anxiety we feel about singing in front of other people.Experiments you can try to help you hear yourself more precisely, and map out the contours of your unique vocal instrument.I’d love to know if this was helpful! Don’t hesitate to sched...
Practicing As a Reliable Behavior
Practicing is a perennial challenge, but if we broaden our concept of “practice,” it can make the whole process more rewarding.
In this episode, I explain
Why a rigid definition of practice can stifle our creativity.What distinguishes a habit from a behavior, and how we can take advantage of the difference.How to develop creative practicing behavior that will pacify your inner perfectionist.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 letters@mvmusik.com.
Another ep...
Singing For Health
Just a few simple habits can give you the best chance of living a long, happy, healthy life.
In this episode, I explain
The four lifestyle changes you can make that will improve your odds of longevity and good health.Why singing, particularly with friends and family, is a rewarding way to check most of those behavioral boxes.How to start a singing-in-company practice without losing your mind from anxiety.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 lette...
What Conductors Want
Singing in a chorus can feel safer than soloing at karaoke or going to an open mic, but it comes with its own set of challenges.
In this episode, I explain
How our fear of failure can sabotage us in a group setting.Why singing in a group is a vulnerable experience for both the singers and the conductor.The one thing your conductor wants from you (even more than the right notes!)If you sing in a group setting, or you’re thinking about trying it, I’d love to know if this was hel...
Gravelly and Stuck
Are you frustrated by gruff, gravelly sounds in your voice? Do you wish there was a fairy godmother who could (gently) bonk you on the head and make them all go away?
Me, too, dear listener. Me, too. And after years and years of looking, I’ve yet to find her. But there are exercises we can do to feel and sound better, often sooner than we think.
In this episode, I explain
Where gravelly and stuck come from.How to loosen and clean things up.What you can do to help yourself sound and...Moving From Silent to Singing
When I was in fifth grade, my classroom teacher told me I should "mouth the words" rather than sing with the class. For years after that, I was convinced I had a voice that nobody wanted to hear. And even though I loved to sing, I kept it mostly to myself.
Do you feel that way about your voice? If you do, you’re not alone. I’ve helped lots of students go from silent to singing, and this time I want to share the reflections and questions I’ve collected that can help you start to think...
Thoughts that Help
Like it or not, the voice is affected by our moods. Whether we’re feeling confident, excited, schlumpy, or sad, our emotional truth can easily come out in how we sound. A lot of the time, this isn’t a problem at all. But sometimes, feeling a feeling, or suppressing a feeling generates muscle tension that makes it hard for the voice to work well. Finding a new way to think about our situation can often get us vocally back on track.
We often worry about
Whether it’s “okay” to singNotes that are hard to hitFeeling s...Why Flat and Nasal Often Happen Together
Two complaints I often hear are, “I sound flat” and “my voice sounds nasal!” These very common problems are totally fixable, and they often happen together.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What people mean by “flat” and “nasal”Why “flat” and “nasal” often happen togetherWhat you can do to make a more vibrant, ringing tone instead.Was this episode helpful? Do you have more questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out via email to letters@mvmusik.com.
To Register for A Singer's Advent https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528
Michèle Voillequé is a singe...
Hiding Your Real Voice at Home
Do you have more than one voice? Most of us do. Often, the voice we use when we’re performing for an audience or practicing with a teacher is different from the voice we unleash when we’re alone. Whether you’re singing in the shower, in the car, or while you’re doing dishes, that effortless freedom can feel like your own special magic. What if you could capture some of that carefree confidence and bring it with you to your lessons?
This episode, we’re talking about your “real” voice, how it’s different from your performance...
Overcoming Embarrassment
Many of my students report being embarrassed about singing in front of an audience, whether it’s around the house or on stage. Yet some people can get up at karaoke and murder a popular tune without feeling a flicker of shame.
Why do so many of us feel self-conscious about the way we sound when we sing? And what can we do to get past that inner cringe? This time, we’re digging into:
The developmental roots of self-consciousness about our voice.What embarrassment is trying to signal about safety, and why it’s misleading.The di...Beliefs that Make Change Easier
How we sound is so connected to who we imagine ourselves to be that it’s natural and expected to find ourselves full of doubt, fear or resistance when we try to change our singing or speaking voice.
Managing these emotional hurdles is essential if we’re going to make vocal progress. In fact, when we tackle the physical and the emotional work together, we usually sound better so much faster.
Over the years, I’ve uncovered many beliefs that make the process of vocal change easier when we can embrace them. I share a few of t...
Alternatives to Perfectionism
Practice makes perfect. It’s the mantra invoked by parents and teachers to encourage us to keep at it when we’re grinding through the discouragement of learning how to do a new thing. It’s meant to remind us that improvement is a matter of hard work and perseverance, and of what we can achieve if we stick with it.
It’s also a trap.
I’ve heard countless students, who should have been proud of how far they’ve come, express frustration and disappointment because they hadn’t reached “perfection.” Their attention is so captured by tin...
Why Taking a Deep Breath Doesn't Always Work
When you’re nervous or stressed out and you can’t calm yourself down, taking a deep breath is maybe the most common advice you’ll get (maybe even from yourself!). And it can make a difference. But the experiences of my students make me think that it’s not always as effective as we think it is.
Why is that? Often it’s because the image of a deep breath we have in our minds makes a lot of noise and tightens a lot of muscles, but doesn’t actually move that much air into our lungs. The a...
More on The Possibility of Change
Last episode, I shared about how I’ve been dealing with something called Paradoxical Vocal Fold Motion. It’s one of a whole class of functional disorders that can affect the body. We call them functional disorders because the actual body parts (the throat and vocal cords in my case) are perfectly fine. But for some reason, my brain and body are reacting to my environment in a way that keeps them from working the way they should.
I’m fortunate that I’ve had a lot of amazing helpers as I learn how to manage my function...
Is Change Possible?
The question of whether change is possible is fascinating. On one level, the answer is an obvious yes. Things change around us all the time. But when we’re asking about intentional change, change within ourselves and our abilities, suddenly the answer can seem a lot less certain. What I know from experience – my own and my students’ – is that there is a simple, doable process for changing your voice. If you’d like to sound different than you do today, I absolutely believe that’s within your reach. Tune in to learn more!
Episode 44, Waking Up With A Sore...
Music as a Place of Refuge
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 Sin...
Look For The Helpers
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 tech...
How Reading Music Can Set Your Voice Back
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 l...
Three Questions to Help You Prepare for Any Presentation
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 you...
Managing The Anxiety That Comes With Growth
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 ch...
Waking Up with a Sore Throat
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/produ...
How to Get Out Of Our Own Way
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 transcr...
Some Ways to Think About Breath Support
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 w...
Three Skills You Need, Regardless of Vocal Style
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...
Why Private Lessons for Choral Singers Are A Good Idea
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 liv...
I Love Music, But I’m Not Musically Inclined
The title of this episode, dear listener, is an actual sentence an adult man said to me recently. We were talking about what was preventing him from performing music, despite the passion he has for listening to it. Like a lot of people, he had internalized the belief that he was missing something, some innate talent or capacity that enables other people to make the music he loves. With love, he is 100% wrong, and if you believe something similar about yourself, well, you’re wrong too! This time, I want to talk about why the process of learning music ca...
My Mom and Leading By Example
When life is a difficult place to be and the world feels fraught, it can feel like nothing is ever going to get better. We all manage that discouragement in our own way, but we have to work at it. Because giving up is the surest way to lose all the progress we’ve made. This time, I want to tell you a personal story to illustrate that we have, in fact, made real progress. It reminds me to be thankful, and to look forward to more and better. Then, I’ll tell you how music can help you regu...
Using Your Breath Generously, or Me and The Mack Truck
Your whole body is your instrument, and that doesn’t just mean when you’re performing. The memories you carry in your body are powerful tools you can tap into when you’re learning and practicing and growing your voice. When I’m singing long phrases, I lean on a vivid image from my childhood, of a massive truck sharing the narrow mountain highway with my family's tiny car. That memory helps me access the power I need for long, connected phrases. I’m certain you have a similar experience you can draw on to help your body feel the power...
Capable of More
Change is scary! Developing the voice you want to project requires time and effort, but it also requires faith – confidence that you have the capacity for growth, and certainty that the work you’re putting in is moving you in the direction you want to go. But holding tight to that belief in yourself can be really hard. What to do on those days when you’re just sure you’ve come as far as you can, and you don’t know if you’ll ever have the guts to get going again? I’ve been there, and so have my studen...
I’m Afraid of Long Notes!
When you’re looking at a piece of vocal music, what’s the most intimidating thing you can imagine? For a lot of my students, a single note that gets held for 4, 8, or 12 beats is right at the top of the list. But why is that? What is it about a long note that makes us feel vulnerable or unsure of our vocal abilities in a way that shorter notes don’t? Let’s talk about where that anxiety comes from, and some strategies that have helped my students embrace the expression of a long, powerful sound.
To Regis...
I Don't Know How To Sing Anymore!
Strengthening your voice is a lifelong journey, but when you’re trying to learn something new - a technique, a piece of music - it can feel especially long and arduous. Changing old habits of using your voice can leave you feeling like you don’t know anything at all anymore! But take heart. Every one of us who wants to use our voice more fully has to deal with this untethered feeling once in a while. Here are some techniques you can use to feel less alone, and more certain about the progress that (I promise) you’re making...
When You’re Freaking Out
We’ve talked before about how nervousness is a normal, even positive, part of performing with your voice. We’ve talked about practice strategies to help you manage and harness your nerves. But what about when you’re in the moment, feeling your heart racing so fast you can’t focus? This week, we’re talking about two simple things you can do to help reign yourself in. Whether you’re about to go on stage, or you’re having trouble staying calm during a hard conversation, these tips will help you stay on your own side and use your voice wit...
Vocal Takeaways From The DNC
The stage at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago was packed with people who’ve built careers on their ability to give stirring speeches. But they didn’t get there by accident. They practiced techniques to help them speak louder, longer, and with more emotional resonance. You can learn a lot by watching and listening to people who’ve developed strong vocal delivery, so let’s put politics aside and talk about the techniques and practices that help professional speakers deliver.
To Register for A Singer's Advent https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528
Michèle Voille...
The Voice and Aging
A number of things affect the voice as we age – our hormones, our physical fitness, our attitudes about aging – just to name a few. I’ve worked with many students experiencing age-related changes to their voices and I’ve experienced plenty myself. In this episode, I talk about some of the changes you can expect throughout your lifespan along with strategies for navigating them.
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.
Useful links:
The Ma...
