janet@talkingvoice.net
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JANET SHELL AND TALKING VOICE

Janet Shell is a professional singer and qualified teacher

Janet in concert

As a young Head of Music in a secondary school Janet transformed the dynamic within the school and gained valuable leadership experience. Upon leaving she trained as a singer at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Her subsequent performing career has seen her performing at the highest level nationally and internationally, working for such companies as the English National Opera, the Royal Opera Covent Garden and singing at such venues as the Royal Albert Hall, Symphony Hall, Birmingham and the Royal Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. She was the first singer interviewed and to sing live on Classic FM, and she has sung for the BBC on Friday Night is Music Night and in many live broadcasts. She is a singer with a remarkable ability to communicate. In demand for opera and concert. She is equally at home presenting a light-hearted cabaret. Find out more...

Janet has a busy singing teaching practice, and has vast experience working on developing voices for singing. She set up Talking Voice to make her skills accessible to professional voice users other than singers. Through Talking Voice she now coaches teachers and trainee teachers on their voice use in the classroom and gives guidance for executives preparing speeches at conferences.

Talking Voice

Janet set up Talking Voice to give you tools to boost your most potent weapon in successful communication - your voice. Using her experience as a former classroom teacher and now professional opera and concert singer, Janet has created courses to benefit two distinct areas of voice use:

  • the Classroom Teacher who has to keep a healthy voice for many hours a day throughout a career,
  • and the Business Executive who wishes to improve the skill of delivering a dynamic speech.

However Janet has also helped many people give speeches in every day life, such as weddings and difficult occasions such as funerals.

Janet in concert

Working with student teachers, newly qualified teachers as well as experienced teachers and lecturers, Janet opens up the world of voice projection, increased expressive range and improved tone quality. Studies consistently show that students retain information more readily from a trained voice. As a teacher will you increase your effectiveness whilst becoming more confident and developing tools for looking after your voice.

As a business becomes more successful, executives find they are called upon to deliver speeches in increasingly high profile situations and what passes for a confident ten minute talk in a board room, is less obviously dynamic in a large conference hall where the requirement is more akin to a theatrical performance! Working with clients, Janet enables the transition by focusing on vocal quality and body language, which become second nature to a professional singer, and leads clients through the process to inspirational and engaging communication with their audience.

Testimonials

"Janet Shell is a brilliant voice teacher. If you have problems, she will help you solve them. If you think you are good, you can almost certainly become better - with all the benefits that can bring." Peter Sissons

"Awesome! Entertaining lecture with a very knowledgeable host Brighton University." PGCE student

"The session was an excellent mix of important information and practical strategies for projection and protection of the voice. Your enthusiasm for the subject was evident and captured the interest of the students. It was a very worthwhile session and one great advantage is that it could be delivered to large groups of students as well as small groups without losing effectiveness." David Midwinter, Programme Leader, University of Cumbria

"Janet has been training graduate trainees for E-Qualitas for several years. Her professional training and background combine with her training as a teacher to give her a unique insight into the demands of teachers as professional voice users. Janet's training sessions are lively, active and enjoyable. The range of exercises to which she introduces our teachers are carefully chosen to raise awareness of the potential of the voice as a teaching tool. At the same time, there is a focus on how to pre-empt the recognised difficulties that, as professional voice users, teacher can encounter." Dr. Vivien Johnson, Director E-Qualitas

"Brilliant to think of own protection and how way we use voice because it can impact on everything we do and become a negative cycle if we let it... Excellent incorporation of theory and practice. Excellent exercises and tips on how to use your voice sensibly. I enjoyed all the activities." NQTs Bucks

"Wonderful session. All parts very useful. I will be able to use them instantly. The best session we've had yet. Loved the different activities - fab... Very interactive and gave some useful tips without being embarrassing." Graduate teachers Bucks

"Super friendly person who inspired everyone in how to use the voice in the classroom... I learnt strategies I can use personally and with the children... Great day, this is the first course that has allowed me to be a learner - thank you!... Excellent presentation with a superbly qualified instructor." NQTs

"Tackling voice management to an audience of 230+ students was no mean feat and I thought the session was extremely informative as well as an enjoyable experience for our students. Many thanks." Dr. Mel Norman, University of Brighton

"Incredibly useful to recover elements of teaching tools that might not be so obvious... Eye opening and thought provoking... Really good fun and insightful. Will be doing the exercises all the time! Amazing session! Got me thinking a lot and have been taking your advice." PGCE students Brighton University

"Janet was very informative, interesting to listen to and to learn from - Information sheet really useful." MAND GTP

"It forced me out of my comfort zone to speak amongst other adults on skills focused activities. I had to really consider what made me uncomfortable how I could apply it to my learning and teaching." E-Qualitas trainer teacher

"Thanks to Janet for sharing her thoughts and wisdom... Thank you for answering my numerous queries; it was a fabulously helpful day." E-Qualitas GT

"Janet's knowledge of the anatomy of the voice is second to none and her experience as a teacher means that her delivery is second to none. She is funny, knowledgeable and interesting. She makes the day fly by and has lots of different activities, involving delegates in many diverse activities." MAND participant

"Of all the sessions so far I think yours has had the most impact, making me think about how to care for my voice and now I would like to use it better - to be more 'colourful'! I am more aware that I clear my throat too often and am endeavouring to drink more (water!)." Graduate teacher, Kent

"Thank you so much for a thoroughly fabulous workshop. Our GTPs left feeling invigorated and full of ideas to take back to the classroom and strategies for their own health and well being." - ASK

"A great insight to voice projection and protection.... Ice breakers will be great for using with my tutor group and with new classes.... I am going to ask my subject mentor to observe my body language and voice projection.... I plan to video myself in the classroom and review with my subject mentor.... " - various participants from ASK

"I have been a Team Manager for 15 years and have recently been taken on as a Training Manager. I will be delivering training to a class of 12 delegates, for call centre work (ages ranging between 18 and 30). My voice is quite low in pitch, I was practising as I was reading your reply and boy does it work (the breathing, smiling and aiming my voice) and I am in bed at the moment!"

"I'm graduating in December. It's because of you I passed! I'm very grateful to you. Thank you for the very good lessons." - graduate teacher LMU

"Brilliant presentation; I was totally engaged throughout." - Participant, Lincolnshire

"The best workshop I have ever done." - Graduate teacher, Lincolnshire

"Thanks for the ASK training on Friday at Kingshill. I found this very useful. Much more than I originally thought that I would. I have learnt a lot of useful tips that I will incorporate into my teaching. The session was also a lot of fun." - Sacha, GTP programme Kent CC

"Really excellent. All parts really useful - a superb session, invaluable for any group of professionals who use their voice. Training should be compulsory for all trainees." - Merseyside and Cheshire GTP Consortium

"Really fun, useful and interactive - A fantastic speaker extremely engaging a wealth of knowledge and practical advice throughout the day." - Graduate teacher, Hope University

"Another cracker! Well done and thank you." - Mand, Liverpool

"Trainees really benefitted from the session. Thanks." - BASS, Birmingham

"It was a pleasure meeting you again last Friday, and I'd like to thank you very much for the very good sessions that you did for our trainees." - ASK, Kent

"Having just attended a session with Janet Shell of Talking Voice, I would heartily recommend her course to anyone involved in public speaking. As a teacher for over thirty years I know how important it is to use the voice correctly. Using the voice incorrectly not only impacts on the effectiveness of a teacher but also has repercussions on one's health and ability to progress in the teaching profession. Janet's knowledge of the voice is profound and her experience as a teacher means that her delivery is second to none. She is funny, knowledgeable and interesting. She makes the day fly by and has lots of different activities, involving delegates in many diverse activities. Although Janet has designed this course primarily for new and trainee teachers, I feel that every teacher should undertake her course as it would make the job of delivering lessons in a way that will keep teachers' voices healthy." - Teacher, Liverpool