As a speech-language pathologist, Nicole Gress saw firsthand how traditional training methods were not working for Trans patients finding their voice. While the methods were effective for those who had a vocal disorder or injury, they were not designed with Trans people in mind, who want to gain control over the gendered perception of their voice. After seeing too many Trans patients not being satisfied after months and years of training, Gress started Undead Voice.
“We just teach them how to fully master the actual instrument of their voice, and then they can use it in whatever range feels most affirming for them,” Gress told the SGN.
In January, Undead Voice — which is partnered with PFLAG, Seattle Children’s Gender Clinic, the Independent Business Alliance, and Inside Out Youth Services — will launch Jumpstart, a three-week program at no cost to the user. During the three 90-minute master classes, people can learn more about what goes into voice transitioning and decide whether or not to continue in their training journey. If they decide to continue, Undead Voice will underwrite a $1,000 tuition grant.
Launched in 2020, Undead Voice has helped over 100,000 people find their voice in over 20 countries, with clients as young as nine years old. One of the attributes that makes it different from traditional voice training is its length. Going the traditional route can take one to three years, depending on healthcare limitations, while the program at Undead Voice takes six months. According to Gress, every member of the lab has access to a voice coach whenever they need guidance or support through their practice.
“I finally feel safe,” said Luke, a Trans man from Atlanta who completed the program. “Not just in my own body but also in the world. My voice consistently outed me, and changing it let me set aside the fear and anxiety that weighed on my shoulders. I can finally just be me.”
Undead Voice leaves environment and gender stereotyping at the door when it comes to training. Traditional methods overemphasize pitch, putting voices in boxes of masculine and feminine without considering the other pillars, like vocal weight and tilt, resonance, and dynamics. Instead of using confining terminology, Undead Voice uses different terms. For example, words like higher, lighter, and thinner are used for the upper range, darker, deeper, and thicker for the lower range.
“We are talking about the quality of the sound,” Gress said. “We are not attaching gender to it, because voice doesn’t inherently have gender; people do.”
Signups for the Jumpstart program can be found at https://www.undeadvoice.com/joinjumpstart
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