Vocal Tai Chi Apprenticeship

Vocal Tai Chi invites a listening stillness from which a full spectrum of expressive free voice can spring. Through formless forms such as drone, scale, and pulse, woven in with ‘the four floors of the vocal house’, realisation of solo authentic voice is emphasised alongside a training in facilitation of Vocal Tai Chi one to ones and group work.

The Apprenticeship links parallel journeys, your own voice development goes along with leading ‘practice clients’ in one to ones. As you learn you then lead.

Improvisation with the voice, through Vocal Tai Chi, opens a channel between self-awareness, felt-sense, and sung-sound.

Tai Chi offers a stable ground for voicework through its wisdom and knowledge of the body and mind. This keeps the widest perspective on what is happening.

Vocal Tai Chi invites and honours the whole human being as a singing vessel to improvise freely and openly, while providing musical anchors, a map of timbres from ‘basement’ to ‘attic’ and other guiding maps.

VTC hears the voice as it is, - e.g. a quivering voice is invited not to be rejected as unintended. There may be a deeper expression that is trying to get your attention. Wobbles are the foundation of a musical trill or other decorative phrase, sighs are the foundation of glissandi or fine-tuning nuances between pitches and self-propelling melodic narratives point to composition. All are welcomed as part of the origins of music, coming up in you. The singer learns patience while finding hidden links between herself and her voice so a quiet sense of deeper connection may arise.

The training involes leading one to one sessions with volunteers, and writing case notes, leading a public workshop, performing solo in public and writing an essay

The apprenticeship format has changed from 3 separate modules to one continuous process, with days off built in.

A certificate is given after completion of an essay and client reports.
There are several part-grants available to apply for.