Is Voice Coaching Worth It?

Is Voice Coaching is worth it? Of course I think it is, but that begs the retort – well she would say that wouldn’t she?!

So, I will explain why I think Voice Coaching IS worth it

I had voice coaching at the National Youth Theatre for two years; at the Webber Douglas Academy of Speech and Drama for three years and also at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for a year – so yes I am a little biased – but it must have worked as I have earned my living using my voice, ever since..

So! Yes I think  voice coaching changes lives for the better, as we learn how to control and enhance our voices, using them in the way we feel good about and then consequently feeling more confident about communicating – which of course is a real game changer.

Suddenly you feel you can compete, you don’t feel badly self-conscious when you speak, you know what to do, when to pause, how to stand – great posture is the beginning of a great voice – and generally you feel you can own the space, fill the room with your voice appropriately and deliver your message clearly.

Having voice coaching really is a great life skill, no lesson is wasted and all the knowledge, techniques, tips and tricks, can be used for every area of your life AND for the rest of your life..

One of my favourite success stories that illustrates whether voice coaching is worth it – is a story about a lovely young woman I will call FeFe.

FeFe’s Story 

She was a very strikingly beautiful, mixed race young woman – her father was African and her mother was white. She was tall like a model, slender and very much a head turner like a super model.

In fact my eye surgeon neighbour would talk about how he loved to watch her arriving – just to see her would lift his day 🙂

FeFe, unfortunately had the most difficult start in life and her voice reflected that…

She had grown up with her mum who was providing a home on a very low income because FeFe’s father had abandoned them and at the age of 12 her mother brought a new man into the house.

This man wasn’t safe. He was a predator and FeFe had to fight him off.

She didn’t receive help from her mother so she ran away when she was very young.

I’m not sure how she managed it, but from the North of England, she arrived on the streets of London and was fending for herself by the age of 14.

Being so tall she was able to lie successfully lie about her age and got a job at The Windmill in Soho, London.

She stripped and danced and did very well until there was a police raid and her true age was discovered.

She then managed to find work at another members dance club – and was highly successful – earning a good wage and especially providing extra benefits for particularly wealthy customers 🙂

This led her to me.

One of her benefactors, suggested she improved her voice and was willing to pay for her lessons.

Despite her radiant beauty and lovely character, her voice really held her back.

She had a voice that was stuck at the back of her throat, tight and little and slightly gravelly. Her norther accent was extremely strong, her voice quiet and she had no fluency in her speech due to a lack of confidence about her voice.

She was adorable and I admired her hugely. She was brave and gutsy, with an enquiring mind and a great ability to consider concepts.

We started work on her voice and we spent hours together, but to bring the skill into reality and improve her confidence, once she had gained elegance in her sounds, we set about making her more eloquent.

Together we read, Helena Kennedy’s book, Eve Was Framed.

Helena Kennedy is a human rights lawyer – now in the House of Lords due to her great work – and the book was full of case histories and radical observations.

Fe Fe and I read, discussed, agreed, disagreed and generally conversed, about what we read and what we thought.

She was marvellous. The previously under educated – remember she had left school and run away at just 13 – became an erudite, confidant young woman, with a voice and conversation style that matched her beauty.

I was so proud of her!

She said she had to be careful at work though, because men said to her things like,

“It’s obvious you went to a school like Cheltenham Ladies, or Roedean, so why do you dance?”

She would practice her replies, but then found out she mustn’t sound too intelligent as well as ‘well spoken’ and erudite, made the men would feel threatened…  and not give her money.

So!  She developed her strategies but kept going.  She kept surviving and she kept building her new life…

After we finished as we both really felt she was ‘finished’ we lost touch, until one day a year or so later I had a call.

“Hi Rachel, this is FeFe!”

“Hello!”, I said, struck by this smooth sounding clear well spoken, transatlantic voice!

“I just wanted you to know I am at film school now in Los Angeles, learning to be a director and loving it. Life is going really well and I wanted to let you know.”

I honestly couldn’t have been more proud.

I have absolutely no doubts that Voice Coaching IS Worth It!

Thank you for reading 🙂