Hi, I’m Ali

I’m a voice teacher, performer, massage therapist, craniosacral therapist, and yoga teacher who is passionate about guiding people to understand singing and their own connection to their voice and body, to help empower them to have agency and freedom in their singing.

I have sung forever, and have spent the last 20 years of my life as a dedicated student of the voice. I have spent over a decade healing my own C-PTSD and childhood trauma through individual therapy, RRP group therapy, bodywork, yoga and qi gong, singing, songwriting, and creative expression in general.

Singing is my first love and I always struggled to sing freely, and to have access to my own creative expression. I always thought there was some kind of secret or mystery to singing that someone just wasn’t telling me, so I went on a quest to, well, figure it out. Along the way, I discovered massage & bodywork, nervous system healing, yoga and movement, therapy, and songwriting, all as a means to access more freedom and artistic expression. To feel more whole.

I believe we are all born singers. There is no special gift or talent you must possess to sing. To be human is to express, and singing is a powerful tool and means of expression of the human experience.

Learning how the voice works in a physiological way is a powerful tool for many to gain more agency in their singing. Singing is an interoceptive event, meaning it is a deep inner felt sense experience. Creating more awareness in our bodies, awakening to our actual feelings and sensations in the body, can be life-changing and can transform our singing, giving us an internal map and guide for how singing feels, instead of focusing so strongly on how it sounds. In my teaching, I help guide the student to their felt-sense experience of their singing as a way for my students to gain deeper connection to their voice.

I offer both in-person lessons in Portland, OR, or online lessons. I look forward to supporting you on your vocal journey!

MY STORY:

My singing journey began many years ago, when I was just a little kid wanting to sing on Broadway in Les Miserables after seeing the musical and getting the tape for Christmas and playing it on repeat. I loved to sing and wanted to be like one of those incredible performers. But it never came easily for me - I was never really, as they say, a “natural”, at singing. Despite that, and because of my intense love of musicals and acting, and some kind of deep inner knowing that I was meant to sing in this life, I kept at it.

I trained in musical theater in my early twenties at a conservatory college in Canada, and worked as a professional performer for a decade, touring Canadian fringe festivals, and appearing on stages throughout the country. But still I couldn’t figure out how to sing freely and easily! I used to lose my voice regularly, and struggled a lot with strain and oversinging, not feeling connected to my voice or body (dissociation), and a vicious, often debilitating, inner critic. 

I grew up in a turbulent family, and after learning more about my childhood trauma in my late 20s, and what effect it had on my nervous system, I began to understand how that affected my voice, my brain formation, and my learning style in general. For the past 2 decades, I have studied yoga, other somatic practices, received regular massage treatments, and gone to various forms of therapy, including a three-year childhood trauma therapy group (RRP model). Through all of this study and treatment, I have been able to gain more interoception (inner-body awareness), and this continues to shift my nervous system to be more resilient. Because of this, I am a trauma-informed teacher, and bring many tools of nervous system regulation to our sessions together.

I have been a yoga practitioner and a yoga teacher for more than a decade. I am also a bodywork professional, specializing in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy. 

I always struggled to gain access of my creativity, and I started writing my own songs 5 years ago. I now perform as a singer-songwriter, writing my own songs that speak of my healing journey, showcasing my vocals, accompanying myself on guitar and piano. I’m now working on releasing my first album into the world.

I have studied with countless teachers, but it wasn’t until I found a teacher who specialized in vocal science that I was able to learn how to use my instrument effectively. Learning how the anatomy of the voice works, and how to bring more awareness to the sensation of singing helped me learn to sing in a way that sounded good and felt even better!

Since then, I’ve received my voice teaching certification with BAST, and studied with Maddie Tarbox and received my certification in Evidence-Based Voicework Pedagogy with two of her courses: Vocal Function 101, and Mechanics of Mix & Belt. I have also studied with David Wilson, Annie Little, Chris Johnson, Erika Noot, Gemma Sugrue, and John Henny.