Estill Voice Training

Technique: the mechanical training, the coordination of the components that produces the voice: power (breathing mechanism), source (where the tone takes place), filter (where the resonance is modified).

Type: the study of all aspects and nuances of the particular aesthetics (whether spoken or sung) and the execution of a work with optimal expressiveness and agility.

Magic: The most unknown aspect, what happens when there is a concentration of energy that is perceived as special and unique. Both the artist and the listener can feel it.

Estill is a work that tries to train the voice considering its nature as a dynamic system of balance between breathing, tone production and resonators. It helps to discover subtly the activity of the body, how to independently activate the structures in the vocal mechanism, the head, the neck and the torso, and understand how these changes affect the sound and the comfort of voice production. Estill's training allows the performer to strengthen the voice and achieve flexibility to perform any vocal task in an optimal, safe and healthy manner.

NUMBER LEVEL: The first basics of the Estill training consist of a practice of vocal exercises (the Obligatory Figures) that are based on scientific studies on the operation of the voice. The repetition of exercises develops a "percepción propia" finer of the mechanisms of the voice and body, at the same time that it trains in a greater flexibility and vocal resistance. It is proposed that an understanding of the mechanisms of physiology together with an increase in "own perception" and acoustic perception allow the user to avoid vocal abuse, to use the voice more confidently and to safely experience more nuance and vocal colors

NUMBER LEVEL: The second basics consist of experiencing what is learned in the 1 level in a more expressive context.
The control acquired through the practice of the Figures is applied to identify 6 vocal qualities that are experienced in a broad tessitura and an artistic and communicative context. The conscious practice of figures and qualities trains the dynamic coordination of voice and expressiveness.

Control of Estill Voice Training

The quality of Estill’s teaching is overseen by the international organization of Estill Voice Training. A teacher in this specialty must have the title of Certified Master Teacher (CMT) or Certified Course Instructor (CCI). This means that the person in question has studied Estill for several years, has passed a theoretical and practical exam of great demand and has carried out several experiences as a teacher @ in practice before receiving the official degree. People who follow the training to be examined as a CMT are professionals who already have specialized knowledge (music, speech therapy…) and experience as artists, teachers or therapists.

To ensure that a person is officially qualified for teaching Estill you can consult the directory of teachers on the page of www.estillvoice.com

The official courses

Apart from regular group or individual classes, official 1 and 2 level courses are another way to start Estill's training and have a special pedagogical material in the form of presentation, videos and study books. These courses are taught by qualified trainers, the Certified Course Instructor (CCI), with a team of assistants who are teachers with the CMT qualification or who are in the process who have passed the theoretical and practical exams with a 90 % or more).

The official courses are offered in an intensive format that allows professionals from different backgrounds to know the work. The intensive course format provides an overview of the voice, tools to develop a more accurate listening, an understanding of the particularities of voice training, and an opportunity to practice the figures and qualities. In order to favor the work of Estill it is necessary to have a regular practice and receive additional sessions under the supervision of a qualified teacher.

Viv Manning CCI. Head of Department of Modern Cant