Stefan Holmström MFA, EMCI

Mary McDonald Klimek , a speech-language pathologist and founding partner of Estill Voice International, has been such an integral part of Estill Voice Training that you'd be forgiven for thinking that's where her story began. However, prior to meeting Jo Estill, the American singer, singing voice specialist and voice researcher who developed Estill Voice Training, Mary had been a classical soprano and voice teacher for almost twenty years - a career choice born from a passio

When I first discovered Estill Voice Training in 2003 I was a member of the cast of Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre in...

Many singers and speakers experience tongue tension, but why is it so common? Take a look at the MRI image below of the vocal tract in cross section (image 1.). You can clearly see that the tongue takes a lot of space in the oral cavity. It's big! There is far more to it than just the tip, blade or back which you can relatively easily see. Image 1. And because it is connected to so many other structures like the jaw, the soft palate, the head and the tongue bone you can begi

One of the trickiest parts of mastering Swedish is the pronunciation. Get it right and not only are you understood, you feel like you're...

Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels Larynx control may sound a bit dull, but in fact it's just the opposite. It's a super skill for singers...

Photo by Tarzine Jackson from Pexels Tongue root tension is a very common issue experienced by singers and speakers alike. There are many causes of tongue root tension, but essentially it is the result of misplaced effort when using our voice. Effort that isn't released becomes tension and the tension easily becomes a habit that you may not even notice. Unlike most structures of the vocal anatomy, your tongue is easy to feel and can become the “go to” in all sorts of vocal t