Susan Elizabeth Hale

Growing up we hear many messages about our voices. Many are told they are tone deaf and can'tsing. Others are told they are too intense and should tone down. Some are told to keep family secrets or told they are too sensitive. All ofthese can translate into vocal

blocks and inhibit us from expressing our natural heritage as singers.

One woman was told by her brother that she sounded like a crow in a tincan. This stopped her from her natural love of singing for years. This woman became my apprentice and I taught her the simple technique of toning, of following the breath and allowing inner sounds to ride on the breath stream. This woman now gives sound healing sessions with body work on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations in southern Montana. She has been given the right to sing native Crow songs,healing songs that come through dreams. She has found her voice and is no longer subject to the inhibiting messages that she internalized.

What messages were you given about your voice? What images do you have of your voice that you can transform?