Sarah Wright-Owens runs a busy private teaching practice in Birmingham City centre where she gives singing and voice lessons to a wide range of professional and amateur vocal artists. She sang professionally for 20 years before retraining as a Speech and Language Therapist. She is the Vocal Consultant at Birmingham University Hospital in the Professional Voice Users Clinic where she works with a team of experts to rehabilitate patients with a variety of voice disorders.
In the 80's and 90's Sarah sang professionally in opera and music theatre with David Freeman's Opera Factory,the BBC, Opera 80, D'Oyly Carte, a UK tour of Hello Dolly, Travelling Opera,Crystal Clear Productions,Birmingham's MAC Millenium productions, Oxford University and Birmingham Opera Company. She also sang with the BBC Northern Singers, Ex Cathedra and performed in concert many times.
Since qualifying as a Speech and Language Therapist, Sarah has worked with the NHS helping adults and children with a wide range of communication difficulties. In private practice she teaches a diverse group of individuals who rely on their voice professionally e.g. singers, actors, doctors and teachers. She coaches singing in Schools, Colleges and Universities as well as running an annual music theatre summer school with her husband Stephen Owens, former West End Musical Director. She has been employed as Vocal Consultant on West End productions of Footloose and Grease as well as the National tour of We will Rock you.
Coach singing in the classical, music theatre
and popular musical styles. The student:
Help clients to develop their speaking voice
so that their vocal options to project themselves increase by:
Provide performing and communicative
opportunities to generalise skills learnt with:
Physiology: The music theatre style incorporates all classical and pop vocal tract postures at various times.
Music: The Music Theatre genre's ecclectic nature utilises many musical styles already mentioned as well as finding it's own identity from expressive use of the dramatic voice.
Performance skills: Auditions, diplomas, grades, stage productions,
concerts.
Physiology: To create a classical quality the head, neck, larynx, soft palate and tongue must be positioned in a particular way. This can be trained with specific breathing and singing exercises to encourage vocal freedom and power.
Music: Opera, Oratorio, Art song, choral.
Performance skills: Auditions, stage productions, recitals, grade exams and diplomas.
Physiology: Postures of the larynx and body can be trained to produce a more popular sound from a breathy voice to a powerful 'belt'. Techniques taught give technical security,confidence and vocal health.
Music: R&B, Rock, Bangra, jazz, blues, country, pop and folk.
Performance skills: Grade exams, auditions, gigs, recordings.
"Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say" . Edgar, King Lear, Act 5, Sc.3.
A block of voice (1-1 or group) sessions will be offered after an initial assessment where the client's vocal and emotional issues will be assessed and realistic goals planned.
Each session will include:
Breaking old speech habits is difficult and all techniques learnt in the studio must be practiced in the real world. Time will be taken to target situations in the clients every day life and/or in a communication group.
Cottage Productions:
I am pleased to launch a new venture in 2012. Cottage Productions will focus on creating performance opportunities for vocal students of all ages. A proposed programme will be announced in January so please watch this space!
Future Events - 2012
Grades/Diplomas: March/April
Cottage productions: TBC
Academy of Music and Sound,
89, Lionel Street,
Old Snow Hill,
Birmingham B4 6HW
