Answers to these questions provided by Jean McClelland.

What will participants learn:
Participants will gain a repertoire of tools and exercises that they can use for a lifetime of exploration to strengthen their breathing and voices. They will be given copious supporting materials, both written materials and videos, that they can consult to help them carry on the work at home in addition to the recording of the class. It is my hope that they will leave each class feeling more grounded in their being, more knowledgeable about their bodies and breathing, and more aware that it is their body that “sings you.”

How will participants learn online:
I will be helping participants bring to their awareness how the inner muscles of postural support connect to the respiratory muscles and how they can stimulate the right muscles to work to bring about inner movement (flow), freedom, strength and vitality. Using the principles of breathing coordination and the Alexander Technique, I will help the participants learn how to build strength in their diaphragms for fuller respiration and a stronger voice. We will do exercises in a group, and of course, we will sing. The latency issues with Zoom mean that we cannot sing as a group, but participants can put themselves on mute and then sing with my accompaniment.

What expertise do you bring to the workshop?
I have been teaching and performing for over 40 years. In addition, I am a 30-year senior teacher of the Alexander Technique certified by AmSAT, and one of fewer than a dozen people personally selected by Carl Stough to teach his principles of breathing coordination.

How should participants prepare for this workshop?
It would be helpful for participants to read through two articles I have written, “Awakening Your True Voice” and “The Inspiration of Breath.” Both are accessible on my website or I can send you PDFs. My website is also a good resource for participants to read through to get to know me. They might also want to take a look at some video excerpts on YouTube from a breathing course I gave at The Open Center. If wanted, I can send you the link or you can search YouTube under “Jean McClelland The Inspiration of Breath.”

Is there “homework?”
Integration of our work requires practice. Practice is the bringing to awareness throughout the day of some of the tools participants are learning, and most students do that naturally and it becomes joy-filled and they do not think of it as “homework.”