A tribute to our teachers…

Linklater Designation Part One
Alfred University, NY
June - July 2024 

“Go into the laboratory of your voice and experiment” -   Andrea Haring 

I’m sitting in my home office on the Sunshine Coast reflecting on three intensive weeks spent completing Part 1 of Linklater teacher training. This blog is a tribute to the teachers who led this training. The two lead teachers were Andrea Haring and Judith Shahn and they were supported by additional 5  Designated Linklater Teachers: Tamala Bakkensen, Anne Brady, Dianna Cortez, Ana Laan, Sun Mi Lee, Susan Schuld and Gwendolyn Schwinke. It is also my attempt to begin to articulate what I have learnt and am in process with, ways to develop my own personal practice and teaching.  

Andrea and Judy are two extraordinary voice practitioners, both having worked extensively with Kristin Linklater the founder of the technique, plus having impressive industry experience as actors, voice coaches and teachers. What struck me most about their teaching is their ability to be present with each student, curious about what is unfolding for each individual and to encourage curiosity and experimentation with the work. 

Knowledge and Imagination: 

Andrea’s anatomical knowledge of the voice is mind-boggling. Her particular gift is to move swiftly from detailed technical descriptions and to complete imaginative embodiment of vocal exercises. One moment she was elaborating on nerve connections within the spine, the next she became a terrified fish as she demonstrated a lower lip isolation exercise. One moment she was correcting our tongue stretch technique, the next she transformed into a four year old child excitedly singing about pirates. She is a joy to behold in the classroom. These memories make me beam with delight! 

The joy of group singing: 

Judy’s gift is in leading group songs - teaching songs at lightning speed with complex, often overlapping parts. It was a gift to be reconnected with the joy of song, to embody ancient and contemporary wisdoms through songs in a range of styles and to experience the joy of sharing song with our group. On our lunch break, I often found myself singing all the way home from class, and then all the way back again. Singing for the pure joy of singing rather than being worried about getting the notes right or making it ‘sound good’. 

Do less. Feel more: 

My top personal lesson in the three-week intensive was to be aware of how often I push my voice and on a broader scale, tend to push in other aspects of my life. I learnt how deep listening and reflection can assist us with finding how to make the most efficient use of our energy and effort. In terms of my physical awareness, the Feldenkrais group classes and one on one sessions led by expert teachers Gwendolyn Schwinke and Tamala Bakkensen gave me a deeper understanding of the way subtle movements and deep focus can develop greater efficiency in alignment and movement. 

The power of images: 

Linklater voice work utilises the power of visual images and the imagination to connect individuals to a free voice. Over the three weeks, we had 7 different Designated Linklater Teachers leading us in warm-ups, generously sharing evocative images and imaginative landscapes. I’ve now got an “extended tool kit” of new ‘ways into’ the work that I’m excited to try out for myself and my students.  

I’m feeding in a sigh of deep gratitude and relief for my teachers over these three weeks. I’m feeling inspired, renewed and refreshed and excited to get back into the classroom. 

The big yellow book…

Linklater Designation Training Week 2, Alfred University, New York 

“No matter how secure I feel in the work, while teaching today all I could see was that big ass yellow book walking to me from the corner of the room… and it  took me a minute to recover from that image!”

- Caroline Clay.

The room erupted into laughter. Our fellow trainee Caroline had hilariously put into words the pressure we are all feeling to live up to Kristin’s famous “big ass yellow book”: Freeing The Natural Voice. We were at the start of our second week and had been taking turns to lead our peers in a 45 minute warm-up following the Linklater progression while at the side of room two Master Linklater teachers and seven Designated Linklater teachers are judiciously taking notes on all aspects of our teaching, presence and leadership of the room. 

Inspirational quotes and that book…

This is a room of highly experienced teachers and performers being inspired and challenged by the depth and intricacies of this work. Caroline for example is an acclaimed actor who has appeared in Tony award-winning Broadway productions and Grey’s Anatomy and currently teaches at the University of Iowa. Other teacher trainees are teaching/ vocal coaching for  LAMDA (The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), The Royal Shakespeare Company, Berklee College of Music, Emerson College, Centro del Actor de Madrid, Voz Genius Academia de Doblaje y Locución in Mexico, The American Academy for Dramatic Arts and Georgia State University. It’s a humbling and exciting experience to be sharing this journey with such an experienced, diverse and open-hearted gang.

The peer warm-ups have been one of my highlights -  each teacher trainee sharing their own personal version of the Linklater warm-up with their own cultural references, warmth and comedy:  we’ve had an articulation exercise based on an Outkast song, visited Spanish lakes, Mexican rivers, a village in Switzerland and explored archetypes inspired by Afro-Caribbean gods. 

The most repeated piece of feedback from our teachers Andrea and Judy, is to ensure we connect to our own ‘Sigh of relief’ in order to fully embody the work - it’s often more easily said than done.  In Kristin’s words: 

“Recovery of voice begins with recovery of breathing. If I am interested in rediscovering the authenticity of my voice and thereby a deeper authentic self, I must start with an awareness of my breathing habits … The language of breath awareness replaces control verbs with release messages. "Allow the breath to enter," "let the breath drop in," "feed in a sigh impulse and then let it release out," "open inside for the breath to come in—then let it escape." This vocabulary gradually builds mental freedom, dissolving protective habits in the mind and the body. We are getting out of the way, and beginning to see the way.” *

I feel incredibly lucky and relieved to be sharing this journey with this particular group of trainees.  Here we go for week 3!  

*from The Alchemy of Breathing  see https://www.linklatervoice.com/resources/articles-essays/39-the-alchemy-of-breathing