Greetings All:

I just completed Jonathan Altfeld's three-day "Finding Your Irresistible Voice" training in New York and wanted to post some of my thoughts. To put it succinctly, the training was fantastic. I've taken two of Jonathan's other seminars and simply can't get enough. On this go-around, the man has once again demonstrated his skills as a world-class trainer. That's the short version. Now here's a slightly more detailed review.

The focus of the seminar is, of course, on improving the quality of one's voice. Jonathan kicked off the process by spending some time explaining to the group the basic concepts of how the human vocal mechanism works and what are the components that make up a pleasing voice. We then engaged in an extremely effective session in which Jonathan gave personal attention to each of the attendees to identify their unique strengths and weaknesses. I was frankly amazed at the ease, rapidity, and precision with which Jonathan was able to zero in on each person's challenges and potentials. In my own case, he was able to identify three specific areas on which I needed to focus in order to gain the most improvement. To be blunt, he was absolutely right on all three.

We then spent the remainder of the first day and all of the second practicing various drills aimed at acquiring and/or strengthening various vocal skills. The drills themselves were generally quite fun and productive.

Finally, the third day was dedicated both to consolidating and reinforcing the major gains of the previous two days and to practicing some additional drills aimed at "fine-tuning" the skills we had acquired. During the drills on all three days, Jonathan would circulate among the various breakout groups and provide individualized feedback. His style of providing the feedback was invariably frank, yet always respectful and sensitive to the participants' feelings.

At the end of the three days, my own three problem areas were, I believe, far less problematic thanks to Jonathan's expert guidance. Although I'll need to practice the skills a good deal more in order to make this new way of speaking natural to me so I'll no longer have to think about it consciously, I now know how to do that, and it's not difficult. The bottom line: If improving your vocal quality is something that interests you, I would unreservedly recommend Jonathan's seminar. You won't be disappointed.

Aaron Spurling

Jonathon does good stuff - I had a similar experience in London with him.

With his style you do get a feel that change is possible and fun, so well worth checking out.

Hi Vince,

I wonder if "Jonathon" is how you spell "Jonathan" in your part of the world. It's just one letter, but if we wander into the realm of ambiguities, one little vowel can make a loud difference. For example, we may laud someone's good fortune, but a loud fart-tune may not be the music for one's ears.

Cheers,

Hi Aaron,

I agree with you that it was a great course and I'm having a problem matching your name with the faces of the participants. Are you the guy who mostly sat close to the left wall of the room and who I briefly borrowed "The Art of Learning" book during a break?

Greetings Alex:

I did mostly sit by the left wall, but "The Art of Learning" book wasn't mine, and in any event I don't recall your borrowing it, so you must be thinking of someone else. By way of refreshing your recollection, I'm the non-practicing lawyer with the pleasantly plump appearance and the charmingly upbeat personality. How's that for reframing?! :-)

Aaron

Ah, but of course! I wasn't spelling your name right in my head! So, now your face is officially matched with your name!

Is this something a 16 year old can use, even if his vocal chords are still developing? Nancy Daniels -- a vocal coach -- recommends that people use her vocal coaching products when they turn 18 or 20 (adult age). She says this because their vocal chords are still developing.

PowerChamp wrote:

Is this something a 16 year old can use, even if his vocal chords are still developing? Nancy Daniels -- a vocal coach -- recommends that people use her vocal coaching products when they turn 18 or 20 (adult age). She says this because their vocal chords are still developing.

Hi Ryan,

Sorry I didn't see this post earlier! My answer would be absolutely yes. In fact, I'd recommend more people your age work on their voices earlier. All the better to make these changes a permanent result you'd carry with you for the rest of your life!

The only distinction I'd add for mid-teenagers is to be more gentle & less impatient than you might want to be, when achieving the sound quality you're working towards.

Also, only a portion of my live courses or home-study CDs are about how your voice sounds as an instrument. A goodly portion of both are devoted to what you do with your voice to become more influential, after you sound more the way you want to sound. Rhythm, emphasis, dynamic shifts, behavior... all these are things anyone can learn at any age.

For more information about the course Aaron & Alex attended...
Mastery InSight - Irresistible Voice Workshop Info & Registration

And for the introductory voice CDs that inspired the course:
NLP Products: "Finding Your Irresistible Voice" CD Set

Regards,

- Jonathan Altfeld