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Release Your Voice

The online course to help you release muscle tension and overcome vocal fatigue.

Is muscle tension blocking your voice?


If you’ve been experiencing ongoing vocal fatigue or dealing with long-term muscle tension, chances are it’s limiting your voice use. You may feel like you have to give up singing, stop attending social gatherings, or even change your career.

When we don’t trust our voice - and especially when it hurts to make sound - it deeply affects the choices that we make, and our overall happiness.

THERE’S SOME GOOD NEWS, THOUGH:


If your voice issues are related to muscle tension, there are extremely effective exercises and practices to help you recover your vocal power.

I WANT TO KNOW MORE

Hi, I’m Elissa.

Vocal tension caught up with me in 2007.


I was in my final semester of my theatre degree - in class all day, in rehearsal all evening, and some nights I was singing with my a cappella group until midnight. I knew I was pushing, but I thought I was invincible.

Then, one morning after an a cappella weekend retreat (IYKYK), I woke up and could barely whisper. It felt like I had shards of glass in my throat, and it hurt to swallow.

I went to a laryngologist who scoped my vocal folds, and told me there were signs that I had experienced a vocal hemorrhage, acid reflux, and vocal trauma. Other than that, though my vocal cords “looked fine” (as in, there was no other visible pathology on my folds). I was put on vocal rest, and sent to speech therapy.

When my voice loss event happened, my plans to become a Broadway performer went poof.  


But I became a sleuth, learning everything I could about the human voice.

I had to heal mine.

On my long and circuitous path to healing, I finally encountered the phrase   “MUSCLE TENSION DYSPHONIA.”
That sparked an aha moment - I realized my tension was keeping me stuck. After that aha, I began to find really useful information...

Information that came from theatre voice techniques, singing pedagogy, speech science, yoga, anatomy & physiology, and the study of the human nervous system.

It’s now nearly 20 years since I lost my voice. My stamina and vocal quality are as good as they’ve ever been. I’m singing and performing again. And I have so much that I can share with you about how I found healing.

join the course
WELCOME TO

Release Your Voice!

THE LEARNING STARTS RIGHT NOW…

 I say this phrase over and over in class: 

“HOW YOU DO THE THING IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT YOU’RE DOING.”

 Let me explain. 

I can - and will - teach you a ton of exercises in this class. Exercises to release your belly, your back, your shoulders, your neck, your jaw, your tongue, your articulators…

But if you rush through these exercises without presence… 

If you practice them while stressed…

If you do them all day long because you think you’ll be able to fix the problem faster…

…I hate to break it to you, but you’ll be reinforcing the problem rather than truly addressing it.

The exercises are the what, but the how matters even more. 

 What’s the how? 

IT’S YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM STATE.

In the introduction of class, before we start learning any specific exercises, we’re going to learn about our nervous system state, and how to shift it. 

Before we do any of the work to “fix” ourselves, we’ll start by letting our system know that it’s safe. That we’re here to help now. That healing is possible. 

See, our voice is not just physiological.

It’s mental.

It’s emotional.

It’s spiritual.

HOW WE SHOW UP MATTERS. SO WE’LL START THERE.

The Logistics

18 CORE LESSONS90 MINUTES EACH.

The class is long and robust; this structure allows us time to do the powerful, slow work that it really takes to heal. Progress is five steps forward, two steps back, twelve steps forward, seventeen steps back. We’ve got time for it.

We also have 5 additional lab sessions, where you can ask questions and receive coaching. The class is fully online. We meet on Zoom on Wednesdays from 12:00pm-1:30pm Eastern Time, with labs on Fridays from 12:00pm-1:30pm Eastern Time. 

Live attendance is encouraged, but if you can’t make it to class, all sessions are recorded. Over 50% of our students participate in class asynchronously. So you’ll be in good company in the course portal. And we’ll never take away your access to the recordings.

There is home-work, but I like to call it home-play. It’s never busy work. It’s an opportunity to reflect on your journey with your voice, practice the exercises we learn, and reflect on your progress. You can share your home-play in the course portal, and also bring your learnings and reflections to class.

 THE SCHEDULE AND CURRICULUM 

Free intro class – Wednesday, February 11th

12:00pm-1:30pm Eastern Time

Open to all

Class 1 – Wednesday, February 18th

12:00pm-1:30pm Eastern Time

It’s a big deal to doubt your voice

In our first lesson, we’ll address the emotionality of voice issues, and why reclaiming our voice is important. We’ll set the tone with meditation and anxiety-reducing techniques, and theory about habit-change.

Class 2 – Wednesday, February 25th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Showing up with presence

In this session, we’ll explore nervous system science, including Polyvagal Theory, and create a compassionate, personalized map for approaching vocal healing with patience and acceptance.

Class 3 – Wednesday, March 4th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Clinical Considerations, with Melanie Tapson

Our resident Speech Language Pathologist, Melanie, will join us as our guest instructor to cover what you need to know about your voice medically, and when it’s important to head to the doctor.

Class 4 – Wednesday, March 11th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Common vocal habits

Today we’ll cover some common habits that can exacerbate tension, including glottal onsets, vocal fry, and forward head posture. We’ll also have a conversation about how your overall wellness affects your voice.

Lab 1 – Friday, March 13th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Q&A and coaching on nervous system state and vocal habits.

Class 5 – Wednesday, March 18th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

What the heck is breath support?

An anatomical journey from the diaphragm to the larynx to understand optimal breath support for making sound.

Class 6 – Wednesday, March 25th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Balancing release and effort, with David Ley

Today our special guest instructor, David, will share about posture, and balancing effort and ease. David is the founder of Vibrant Voice Technique, and will also give a preview of the tension release exercises in the upcoming movement module, which I learned from him.

Class 7 – Wednesday, April 1st

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Finding an effortless inhalation

An effortful inhalation pattern is one of the primary reasons people’s voices remain riddled with tension. Today we’ll cover how to release your muscles while you breathe to allow for an easy inhalation.

Lab 2 – Friday, April 3rd

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Live Q&A and coaching focused on your breathing patterns.

Spring Break – No class Wednesday, April 8th

Class 8 – Wednesday, April 15th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Tension in the shoulders and chest

On our first day of tension release and movement work, we’ll focus on releasing tension in an important zone: the shoulders and the chest.

Class 9 – Wednesday, April 22nd

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Tension in the neck

As we focus on the neck today, we'll specifically look at the back, sides, and front of the neck so you can discern your own personal patterns of tension.

Class 10 – Wednesday, April 29th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Tension in the jaw

Many people deal with jaw tension. Whether you grind and clench at night or over-exert your jaw during speaking, these exercises will help you release excess jaw tension.

Class 11 – Wednesday, May 6th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Tension in the vocal cords

Today’s the day we visit the area around the vocal cords (aka vocal folds) themselves! You’ll learn various versions of laryngeal massage that can help you release tension at the epicenter of your issue.

Class 12 – Wednesday, May 13th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Tension in the tongue

Tongue tension is extremely common, and surprisingly difficult to overcome. Today we’ll focus on releasing tension in the body and root of the tongue.

Lab 3 – Friday, May 15th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Live Q&A and coaching on your personal tension patterns.

Class 13 – Wednesday, May 20th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Enhancing resonance

Resonance is the most esoteric aspect of voice work. Yet, you’ll be happy to know, it basically has to do with changing the shape of your vocal tract! In this lesson, we’ll do a fun experiential full-body exploration to help transform the quality of your sound, so you can make a more powerful sound with less work.

Class 14 – Wednesday, May 27th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Measuring resonance and listening to ourselves, with David Harris & Laurel Irene

In this fascinating guest session with David and Laurel, they’ll share how to measure your voice on a spectrograph, and create feedback loops for a clearer understanding of what your voice actually sounds like.

Class 15 – Wednesday, June 3rd

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Articulation and speech

Explore how articulators create sound, focusing on speaking with less effort, more ease, and practical text-based exercises. We’ve now reached the speech part of voice & speech. There is so much fun stuff to share about how our articulators make sound. We’ll specifically focus on how to articulate with less effort and more ease, and practice with text.

Lab 4 – Friday, June 5th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Live Q&A and coaching focused on speaking.

Class 16 – Wednesday, June 10th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Vocal health check-in with Dr. Reena Gupta

We'll welcome our resident laryngologist, Dr. Gupta, for a session about what to do moving forward when you encounter vocal health issues.

Class 17 – Wednesday, June 17th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Singing day

We'll apply our new vocal health habits to varied styles of singing, to be sure sound production in every genre can be done with ease.

Class 18 – Wednesday, June 24th

12:00pm–1:30pm Eastern Time

Celebration!

We’ll share, we’ll sing, and we’ll reinforce what we’ve learned over the course.

I’m Ready to join

THE INVESTMENT

 

 BONUS

Once you're a student in Release Your Voice, you can take part in future annual cohorts for no additional course fee.

We offer discounts for BIPOC folks, artists, and those living in countries with an economic scale that differs greatly from the United States. Please read the FAQs below for further information, and write to us at [email protected].

ONETIME PAYMENT

$1199USD

5 Monthly Payments of $249

WHAT'S INCLUDED:

  18 core lessons (90 minutes each)

  5 Interactive Lab Sessions

  Live & Recorded Access

  Home-Play Exercises

  Private Course Portal

  Flexible Learning Schedule

ENROLL NOW

Do you need to go see a doctor first?

 IMPORTANT!


Elissa is a voice coach, not a clinician. This class is not meant to replace clinical treatment, nor is Elissa qualified to diagnose or advise on medical conditions. The course is offered for educational purposes only, and to share tools and techniques that may help you release vocal tension.

If you are concerned about whether you should participate in this course, if you have had a sudden change in your voice, or if you’ve been hoarse for more than 2 weeks, please consult a voice clinician before enrolling in this course. You can reach out to our resident clinicians Dr. Reena Gupta (in Los Angeles) or Melanie Tapson (in Toronto), or if you’re in the U.S., you can use this tool, created by Johns Hopkins, to find a voice professional in your area. If you’re searching on your own, please be sure to find a laryngologist (specializes in the throat) as opposed to a general E.N.T.

  INSTRUCTORS 

Elissa Maas Weinzimmer

VOCAL HEALTH EDUCATOR


Elissa Maas Weinzimmer is a vocal health educator, presence coach, and the founder of Voice Body Connection. After suddenly losing her voice at age 21 due to a vocal hemorrhage, severe onset of acid reflux, and muscle tension dysphonia, Elissa began studying the mechanics of the human voice. Over time she developed a unique, concrete approach that empowers performers, leaders, and speakers to optimize their voices and share them more authentically. Elissa's clients include Broadway stars, politicians, and CEOs.

Dr. Reena Gupta

RESIDENT LARYNGOLOGIST


Dr. Reena Gupta is an Ear, Nose, and Throat physician, Laryngologist, and Voice surgeon. Her practice is located in Los Angeles, California where she serves an array of performers and speakers at the top of their fields. Dr. Gupta is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of voice, with a unique practice that goes beyond traditional methods to truly address the needs of professional voice users and those experiencing vocal health issues.

David Ley

VIBRANT VOICE TECHNIQUE FOUNDER


David Ley holds an MFA in performance from York University with a diploma in Voice Teaching. He is a Professor in the Drama Department at the University of Alberta where he teaches Voice and Speech, Dialects, and Acting. David has extensive experience in private practice teaching vocal skills to a wide array of professional voice users from schoolteachers to politicians and has taught many voice workshops both across Canada and abroad.

Laurel Irene & David Harris

VOICE RESEARCHERS


David Harris and Laurel Irene are the founders of VoiceScienceWorks.org, an astonishing website and resource for voice geeks around the world. Their teaching helps students understand the central aspects of scientific concepts about voice in an experiential way. Using vocological terminology where prudent, they introduce students to tactile concepts and technical tools to help measure and understand the voice. In their session, you’ll learn how the resonance of the human voice can be measured and how you can change yours.

Melanie Tapson

RESIDENT SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST


Melanie Tapson is a professional singer, Singing Voice Specialist, and Speech-Language Pathologist based in Toronto, Canada. Her practice is specifically focused on voice assessment and therapy for professional voice users and performers. Melanie’s superpower is diving deep into clinical voice research and then translating it into fun, approachable language. She regularly gives workshops to voice users, voice teachers, and fellows SLPs around the globe.

MIKE
NEW YORK, MARTIAL ARTIST & TRUCK DRIVER


I went through radiation. My voice was normal but then about two years later, I started sounding like Mickey Mouse.

I went to tons of clinicians… ENT's, swallowing specialists, and speech pathologists. Their general thinking was that as soon as I started to 'plateau' during the sessions, they would say we’d done as much as we could. But I knew I could heal my voice more. My wife found Elissa’s work and told me I needed to check out her Release Your Voice course. Reading the description really got my attention... I felt that I had finally found someone out there who understood! And sure enough the class has taught me exercises that no one, and I mean no one, ever showed me before! I have never experienced this deep type of training. Now I no longer get winded anymore when I’m expressing myself. And I’m finally finding that I still have strength in my voice after talking over loud background sounds and noises. I can even sing to myself and not get hoarse later on! It is truly a gift. I am so, so grateful for this course.

ANGELA
UTAH, SINGER

 

I’ve always been a singer - a soprano - but when I came into Release Your Voice class I was a couple years into some severe vocal issues.

Over the course of time, the pitch of my voice had dropped significantly and I couldn’t really hold notes without cracking. It was really frustrating… singing used to come easily to me, so it sucked to go from being able to do something super proficiently and then suddenly be at negative 100. I went to get scoped at the laryngologist, and the doctor said that though my vocal cords weren’t moving quite correctly, they looked “fine.” No one explained to me what the problem was or how to fix it. I did a bunch of weekly speech therapy but I just wasn’t getting better. And it was months before one of my speech therapists mentioned the words “muscle tension dysphonia” to me. With that new information, I started researching and I found Elissa’s videos on youtube. I decided to join the Release Your Voice class because I felt like I’d discovered the only person out there that was even addressing this issue. Release Your Voice has turned out to be great. There are so many exercises that have been changing things for me… in particular, it makes a huge difference to do tension release work on my neck and practice taking easier inhalations. Now I can sing with the hymns in church on Sundays about 90% of the time. And much of my range is coming back... I even sang a song around a high C/D area the other day! I am so grateful. 

 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

Your Voice Deserves to Be Heard – Start Your Journey Today

Over 18 lessons, 5 live labs, and a community of supportive students await you. Release tension, reclaim confidence, and make your voice effortless again.

Enroll Now & Reclaim Your Voice