Not being heard

Most of us take our voice for granted. We assume that its 'natural' sound doesn't need to be altered or trained: it is simply a tool which enables us to communicate what we think and who we are to the outside world.     

But what happens when that is no longer the case? 

Many in the trans community tell me they feel 'betrayed' by their voice; it doesn't correspond to or reflect who they are.

This sense of disparity between who you know yourself to be, and how you are heard, can lead to enormous frustration. and hurt.  You might feel that you can't communicate honestly with the world, and may experience unwanted and unkind attention because of your voice. Voice dysphoria can be so strong that some trans women elect not to speak at all outside their immediate family or close friendship group.

This in turn can lead to isolation, or unwanted attention, and both can be devastating to well-being.

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Trans Women and voice

The testosterone at puberty provokes changes in the larynx which have a deepening effect on the voice. Thereafter it is more difficult for a trans woman to access those parts of the voice more readily identified as female. But what I've learnt from my training, and from the hundreds of trans women I've worked with is that this IS indeed possible. 

We all have far more to our voices than we imagine, and our voices are not restricted to a range which may simply be described as soprano, tenor etc. This very western categorisation is unrealistically limiting – many cultures and languages use a far greater range of pitch and tone than we regard as 'naturally' male or female.

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The sessions I have had with Maggi have been immensely valuable – she swiftly enabled me to find a voice that I am much more comfortable with: through practical demonstrations, technical exercises and acute listening to each other, all done with huge generosity of spirit, disciplined, stepped challenge, and tremendous focus. In short, Maggi’s work is outstanding: highly skilled, effective and beautifully tuned and tailored to the needs of her clients. Lyndsay Muir (Senior Lecturer, Drama Education, Bishop Grosseteste University)

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Trans men and voice

Trans men I met at the Leeds Gender Identity clinic were telling me that their experiences didn't bear out the opinion that testosterone is a problem-free solution to the transitioning male voice. Some trans men experience poor pitch control, loss of volume, diminished range of the voice; these impairments can remain, even after the voice has 'settled'.

 I work with trans men – both pre-T and post-T – to help them prepare for and deal with the effect on their larynx of the heavy doses of testosterone they are prescribed (the doses are 'heavy' relative to the gradual production of testosterone in the adolescent male).

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After the workshop I’ve continued with Maggi’s exercises and my voice sounds deeper and feels stronger. Voice coaching is just as relevant to us as it is to transwomen.

With more control over our voices we can feel more confident, and that’s always a good thing. 

Alex Kaye

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Trans voice in the community

After teaching Voice to trans women and trans men at Leeds Gender Identity Clinic for 13 years, and at the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health for 8 years, I developed my

private practice in Leeds. and have worked with hundreds of trans clients over the past 17 years. Lockdown in 2020 took all my work on-line, and I continue to work in this way.

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Maggi speaks in this podcast about her work with voice in the trans community.

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Testimonials:

To read more from trans women and trans men about their experience of working with Maggi, click here.

For any further information please see Contact page.