Welcome to
 The Joyful Musician Blog

Despite her experience and undeniable talent, she often felt disconnected from her voice. Some days, her anxiety showed up physically — tightness in the throat, sweaty palms, racing heart… Other times, it felt like her voice belonged to someone else entirely, creating a disorienting, almost out-of-body sensation. Her inner critic was relentless, especially during live performances. And even when things seemed to be improving, the sense of insecurity lingered.

A French horn player in her 30s performing with a major orchestra, delivering over 200 concerts a year. But even from that place of achievement, something vital had gone quiet: She no longer enjoyed music. Despite her outward success, she felt disconnected from the very thing that had once lit her up. And she was preparing for two important auditions: One for a prestigious commercial TV orchestra, and another for an even larger city’s top ensemble.

A classically trained opera singer with both a BA and MA in vocal performance, they had been performing professionally for over a decade. Their voice had a shimmering coloratura and an expressive depth that made it easy to imagine them on any of the great opera stages. They were already performing regularly in a beloved opera choir. But they hadn’t trained for years just to stay in the chorus — they wanted to sing arias under the lights, solo, centre stage.

This amazing client was a seasoned singer and singing teacher in his 50s — deeply experienced, full of musical wisdom, and running a very full studio. Between teaching and performing, he’d still managed to carve out time to create something deeply personal: His debut album. After months of work, the release concert was on the horizon. But instead of excitement, he was feeling uneasy. He came to me for a single coaching session not to improve his singing, but to figure out how

A gifted flautist in her early 30s had built a dream career: First chair in a major orchestra, well-respected by her peers, and known for her dedication and precision. On paper, everything looked perfect. But under the surface, she was carrying a weight that made performing feel like a burden rather than a joy. Years earlier, a careless, cutting comment from a conductor during a recording session had planted seeds of self-doubt.