It’s been a little more than a year since we hit publish on the first episode of Can’t Wait To Hear You. I want to celebrate that milestone with you by talking about commitment. The work I had to do - emotional, mental, and physical - to commit to podcasting is similar in a lot of ways to the work of developing your vocal instrument. If you think about it all at once, it can feel overwhelming. But with some changes in mindset, the right support, and enough compassionate accountability, a big project can start to feel like something you can accomplish. Let’s talk about the thinking I changed, the people who helped make my vision achievable, and how that applies to whatever your goals are for using your voice.

Michèle Voillequé is a singer and a voice teacher living in Berkeley, California.

Here are some of the people who have offered me valuable support and accountability on my podcasting journey:

Natalie Miller, the mindset coach who helped me commit to starting the podcast. https://www.nataliekmiller.com/

K.O. Myers, the podcast producer who walked me through developing it. https://www.particulatemedia.com/

Lisa Mazur, the artist/designer who turned my inclinations into fabulous podcast art. https://www.lisamazurart.com/

No Panic Design, the team that developed the look for this new way of putting myself out there. https://www.nopanicdesign.com/

Yes, you can sound better! Opt-in for a free video training on my website: https://mvmusik.com

A transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-27. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email letters@mvmusik.com. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

When you’re sick, using your voice can be painful, and even dangerous. I want you to know that it's okay to be sick, to put your feet up, to watch trashy TV, to not think about your voice beyond resting it. But if you are sick, and you're scared that you're losing time, that you're falling behind, that your performance is coming up and you're just going to faceplant because you're not prepared, there is always something you can do. I’ve developed some practices that will help you engage with the material you’re trying to learn in a meaningful way, even when your vocal instrument is sidelined by illness.

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 transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-26. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email letters@mvmusik.com. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

When I first invited my dear friend, speech language pathologist Matthew Brown, onto the podcast, we talked about how singing has helped him maintain his equilibrium through emotional challenges. In the interest of fairness, I agreed to give Matthew a chance to ask questions of me! This time, we discussed the challenges I help my students face, and how their journeys compare to the often scary work Matthew’s patients have to do when they’re rehabilitating from brain injury. I find the parallels between those experiences fascinating, and I hope you do, too!

Episode 18, Singing Through Grief, is my conversation with Matthew about his spiritual practice of singing the Psalms. https://mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-18

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 transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-25. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email letters@mvmusik.com. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

Few things make me happier than the annual return of major league baseball. This year, as the season gets into full swing, I’ve been thinking a lot about baseball and the role failure plays in getting better at a skill. Like singing or speaking in public, hitting a fastball is a mental exercise as much as a physical one. Trying, missing, and trying again is a key part of releasing the anxiety that makes the whole thing harder. Let’s talk about what America’s pastime can teach us as we work to find your voices.

My video essay on feeling fear and finding the courage to perform in unfamiliar circumstances. https://www.mvmusik.com/video-what-mike-tauchman-can-teach-us-about-feeling-the-fear-and-doing-it-anyway/

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 transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-24. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email letters@mvmusik.com. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

This one is for all my singers out there. (Don’t worry, speakers, I’ll be back for you soon.) Many of my students are either singing in groups or are hoping to get into a group situation, so they’re nervous about blending in with other voices. I love singing in harmony. Being part of a group sound can be so restoring for the spirit, and I want you to love it, too! So let’s answer their questions, and hopefully help you feel less anxious about fitting in while still being your full, glorious, singing self.

Episode 21: Biden and Britt and How Your Face Affects Your Sound

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 transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-23. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email letters@mvmusik.com. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

When death is near, music can comfort us: it can ease our pain, it can help us grieve. Songs can transport us back in time to a summer picnic, a winter fireplace, the road trip to grandma’s, and to so much dancing! Recent events have me thinking about mortality, and how music helps us remember those we’ve lost. I’d love to share with you, and honor some amazing people I’ve been fortunate enough to connect with through music.

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 transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-22. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email letters@mvmusik.com. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Listen to So Far Away, composed by Larry Prado, and performed by Muse Crossing.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/2wLKReZsKvGvZQZv7QR3c1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1ifNW8Vcx0

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

When you’re working to hone your vocal technique, watching experienced singers or speakers use their voices can be very useful. President Biden’s State of the Union address, and Senator Katie Britt’s response, provided two very different, but very instructive examples. They demonstrate how facial expression, posture, setting, and other choices can radically change the way your voice sounds, and how hard you have to work to project it. Let’s talk about how their techniques can inform your voice practice.

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 transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-20. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email letters@mvmusik.com. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.

Learning to speak as an infant is an instinctive process of mimicking the sounds and voices around us. It only makes sense that the intentional practice of honing your voice might involve trying to imitate someone whose voice you like.

Your own voice is uniquely shaped by your body, your heart, and your mind, so in the end you’ll always only sound like you. But studying other voices can help you understand what moves you, and what sort of effect you want your voice to have in the world. This time I’m sharing my approach to listening to voices we admire, getting to what’s appealing about them, and applying that insight to our own vocal practice.

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 transcript of this episode is available at mvmusik.com/blog/cant-wait-to-hear-you-episode-20. You can subscribe to Can’t Wait to Hear You wherever you get podcasts. If you have a question about your voice or how you’re using it, please email letters@mvmusik.com. To learn more about Michèle or to subscribe to her newsletter, visit mvmusik.com.

Our music is thanks to Katya and Ada.

The show is edited by K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.