Hello, I sincerely hope that you are keeping well. I just wanted to write a little update on what I’ve been up to recently.
The week before lockdown was announced both drama schools where I teach closed their doors effectively leaving me without a regular income. The whole situation has been utterly sobering and honestly I have been rather overwhelmed by how quickly people moved their practice online – from Yoga practitioners on Zoom, to Feldenkrais practitioners offering Facebook live sessions, to drag queens doing online song request shows – it is all incredibly wonderful to see, and yet in the wake of it all I have felt a bit frozen by this wave of productivity. I read an article in the first week of lockdown which helped me to come to terms with what was going on and reminded me that yes: this is completely unusual and it is perfectly fine not to rush into work-mode straight away. I have used this time to gather myself. This crisis is exactly that – a crisis – and we all deal with situations differently: some prefer to get straight back to work, others need the time to decompress, to adjust. And now, for me, it is time to take stock.
I think a lot of people are in agreement that the world is now a vastly different place to what it was before this all began. I hate that this upcoming word has been used so frequently by so many but these times truly are unprecedented and I think what scares a lot of people, myself included, is the unspoken realisation that we cannot go back to the way we were before.
But I am pleased to say that adjustments are being made. One of the schools I teach at already had the infrastructure to begin moving the learning online and I have fortunately been able to do several tutorials with those students. And though my regular conservatoire group teaching has ceased, and the subsequent income has taken a severe hit, I am fortunately in a position where I can look to the positives: really drill down into my practice and navigate its transition onto the digital/remote realm.
With that in mind from today I am offering up my voice tutorials on a pay-what-you-can basis. This offer is particularly aimed at performers with no outlet who are finding the lockdown challenging and would like a bit of a vocal check-in, but anyone with a voice who is curious to try out some vocal coaching is very welcome to take up the offer. Please do get in touch via the Contact page if you would like a one-on-one session with me where I can help you to reconnect with your voice in these extraordinary times.
Further to this, I am currently in the process of designing a series of group sessions looking at practical voice into text, and these will become available very soon – watch this space!
In the meantime, look after yourself. Stay safe, stay sane, and breathe…
Jake Hassam 