In this context, authenticity refers to the quality of musicality that is made when formed from the core sense.  Like a pebble dropped into water, we listen for that centre-point while allowing the ripples to colour and shape the radial resonance.  How this sounds is unique to each individual.

Through sound explorations and playful exercises, we become accustomed to making, listening and feeling our way into tone, volume and meaning.  River vowels and rocky consonants are the painter's pallet of audible texture.  We improvise as a group to make morphing soundscapes, add layer upon layer into rhythmic mixes, and sometimes form a bowl of sound for an individual to solo within. 

Improvising is an act of becoming familiar with possibilities - tuning to the space and responding to what wants to be made.  When anything is possible, we learn first about ourselves; our shape, capacity, habits and permissions.  Our physical structure naturally lends itself toward certain tones which are gifts of ease and yet there is always more to discover and include within this growing realm of comfort.

Strongly influenced by her physical theatre and somatic training, Margaret involves the entire body into these vocal sessions.  Through movement, breath, and physical awareness, participants experience just how interconnected the voice and body are.

Breath is a world to explore. As James Nestor describes it, it is the new science of a lost art. Breath gives us access to different states; it can enhance wellbeing or degrade it, and it is the foundation of both our life and our voice. 

The quality of the inhalation, exhalation, and the pauses in between — whether breath arrives through the nose or mouth — directly affects our internal systems. Lung capacity, body mobility, tissue tension, facial structure, and thought patterns all influence how we breathe, and therefore how much support we have for sound. When we work with the voice, we automatically engage all of these dynamics. 

The human voice is considered one of the most effective instruments for sound healing. Our bones and body fluids are excellent conductors of sound waves, so when we sing, chant, or tone, we create internal vibrations — a form of massage. Humming lengthens the exhale, which in turn stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, supporting a deeper sense of calm. 

Margaret almost always starts any voice workshop with bringing awareness to the breath and allowing sound to grow from there.  She is an advocate for the foundations as everything begins there - where the breath is.