THE COUGH DROP AWARD

At the end of each Estill Voice Training Workshop we take some time for the participants to share the important things they learned and how it matches up to their opening expectations. The overwhelming majority always say they are amazed at how much more they learned than what they originally expected.

One baritone at the last summer workshop in Pismo Beach stood up for his turn and ceremoniously presented me with two bags of cough drops. He said that he had come prepared for a week of singing. Singing had always given him soar throats, vocal strain and fatigue. He had been worried about participating for a full 5 days, so he had brought along some “supplies”. He apologized that one of the bags of cough drops had already been opened, but assured me that he had only used one cough drop. He had taken it in preparation for the first session. He said that now that he understands how to anchor the torso to aide in more efficient use of the breath, and how to use the False Vocal Folds to minimize pressure on the True Vocal Folds, he won’t need the cough drops anymore.

Henrietta Carter, Department Chair, Performing Arts Department of Golden West College , summed up her experience by saying:” The Estill Vocal Model reviewed, refreshed, tied together and advanced all of the previous knowledge and skills I had previously gained from a variety of sources”.

Endorsements from credentialed figures are well appreciated, however, the Cough Drop Award is a valued concrete symbol of the effectiveness and efficiency of Estill Voice Training.