​​​​​​​Maggi Stratford

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

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I was the voice teacher at Leeds Gender Identity Clinic for 13 years, and at the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health for 8 years.

I have a private practice in Leeds, and have worked with hundreds of trans clients over the past decade. Since C19 I'm successfully working with clients online via Zoom. This has been a more positive experience for my clients than I could have hoped.

Working with Maggi has been life-changing.

I recommend Maggi's work to other trans women without reservation.

Maggi - working with you has really boosted my confidence.

A close friend  recommended your voice work to me - not that she needed to, as the clarity and femininity of her voice is a recommendation in and of itself!

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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 often 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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Changes in the 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 the hundreds of trans women I've worked with is that this IS indeed possible.

 

Trans women and voice

I was invited in 2007​​ by Leeds Gender Identity Service to work with trans women and their voices – to support the process of 'feminisation' of the voice during their transition.

These women were eager to explore the potential in their voices which would allow them to speak with authenticity in their true identity.

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.

 I structured a programme of workshops to help trans women become more familiar with a greater range in their voice, and to develop the vocal skills and practices more usually associated with a 'female' voice.

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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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Quotes from trans women who have attended nhs workshops 

• I truly detested my voice. I was very wary about meeting new people. As the eight weeks have gone on my confidence has been building and I am using my 'new' voice more and more.

• The best thing about these classes was finding a range in my voice I never knew I had.

• I feel much more confident to converse normally with a voice which sounds acceptable for a woman.

• A life-changing class, I learnt a lot about my voice and now have the confidence to use my feminine voice and to fully transition.

 

Trans men and voice

The research of Alex Constansis challenged my assumptions about the 'positive' effect of testosterone (or T) on the trans-male voice. www.alexandrosconstansis.com

And trans men were telling me that their experiences didn't bear out the opinion that T 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).

 

Testimonials:

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

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For any further information please see Contact page.

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