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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 you don’t trust your voice - and especially when it hurts to make sound - it can deeply affect the choices that you make, and your 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.

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, 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." Otherwise, they said 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.

I had been planning to move to New York and audition for Broadway shows, but...

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


Instead, I became a sleuth. I learned 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.”
This was a huge a'ha moment. It could be tension that was keeping me stuck! I knew for sure that I was often pushing to make sound, so it made sense that could be creating more fatigue. No wonder I felt like I had so little vocal stamina! With my new knowledge, I finally understood how to seek out truly helpful information... 

I delved into the world of speech science, and also theatre voice technique, singing pedagogy, yoga, anatomy & physiology, and the study of the human nervous system. 

It's now been nearly 20 years since I lost my voice. I've learned so much, I've implemented techniques that really work, and now my stamina and vocal quality are as strong as they’ve ever been. I’m also singing and performing again!

I have so much that I'd love to share with you about how I healed my voice.

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 an exercise is even more important than WHAT you’re doing...”

Let me explain...

I can - and will - teach you a lot of exercises in this class. Exercises to release tension in 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...
...and your nervous system state is the  HOW.

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

In other words, 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. 

In this class, we'll heal our voice...

Physiologically

Mentally

Emotionally

Spiritually

Start Learning Now
Lauren
TEACHER AND UNION LEADER, MINNESOTA


"Before starting this class, I fought my voice to try to make it better and was only measuring progress by how I sounded. I wasn't aware of how my body felt or the tension I was creating. Now, I’m surprised that I am okay with my voice still not sounding "good enough" to sing a song in a performance. Merely vocalizing in a way that feels good to me is satisfying and sometimes leads to a good song-singing session, depending on the day. I'm being very kind to my voice and appreciating what it can do now, understanding that performance is not the end-all. I regard my voice with kindness and gentleness, which has trickled into how I'm treating my overall self. My speaking voice projects much better and does not get tired or worn out, even though I speak through a mask all day. I allow my voice to sit at a higher register, which feels more natural to me, even when I must speak authoritatively in high-stakes negotiations situations. My life has improved in that I am noticing my body and how it feels in different situations, taking a moment to adjust and give my body what it needs in the moment. This is huge."

The Logistics

 18 CORE LESSONS   90 MINUTES EACH. 

This class is robust, with 18 core lessons, which are pre-recorded, and 90 minutes each. This design is intentional, so that class goes slowly enough to allow you to do the powerful work that it really takes to heal. True progress looks like five steps forward, two steps back... twelve steps forward, seventeen steps back. We’ve got time for it. Each year, we have 5 interactive lab sessions, where you can ask questions and receive coaching directly from me. 

Live attendance at our labs encouraged, but if you can’t make it to class, all lab sessions are recorded. I will never take away your access to any of the recordings of class. 

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 share about your progress. You can share your home-play in the course portal, and also bring your learnings, reflections, and questions to our live lab sessions.

THE SCHEDULE AND CURRICULUM

NERVOUS SYSTEM & VOCAL HABITS MODULE

Lesson 1 - It’s a big deal to doubt your voice

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

Lesson 2 - Tuning your nervous system for presence & ease

In this second session, we’ll cover nervous system science, including Polyvagal Theory. You'll be given the tools to create a map of your own nervous system, which can allow you to approach your vocal healing with more compassion, patience, and acceptance.

Lesson 3 - Identifying your vocal habits

Our third lesson covers some of the most common vocal habits that can exacerbate tension. These include: glottal onsets, vocal fry, forward head posture, and more. We’ll also have a conversation about how your overall wellness affects your voice.

Lesson 4 - Your vocal health is connected to your overall health

In this lesson, we'll cover why caring for your digestive health and overall health is vocal care. We'll especially address acid reflux and its impact on the voice.

Lab 1 - Friday, March 13th, 2026

  12:00pm-1:30pm Eastern Time

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

BREATHING & ALIGNMENT MODULE

Lesson 5 - What, really, is breath support?

Hint: it's more than "breathing with your diaphragm!" In this lesson, we'll go on an anatomical journey from the pelvic floor to the larynx, and everything in between and beyond, in order to understand optimal breath support for making sound.

Lesson 6 - Discovering an easy inhalation

An effortful inhalation is one of the primary reasons many people’s voices remain riddled with tension. Today we’ll cover how to inhale without excess muscular engagement. This day of class is a major aha for lots of students!

Lesson 7 - Alignment: Balancing release & effort

 Today we'll talk about posture and movement, and how we can exert the effort it takes to make sound, without accumulating excess tension. We'll also discuss various forms of fitness and activity, and how to engage in them without hurting your voice. 

 Lab 2 - Friday, April 3rd, 2026

  12:00pm-1:30pm Eastern Time

Q&A and coaching on your breathing and alignment patterns

TENSION RELEASE MODULE

Lesson 8 -Tension in the shoulders and chest

This lesson includes an overall intro to our approach to tension release work. Then we'll focus on releasing tension in an incredibly important, often very tight zone: the shoulders and the chest. For our anatomy geeks, the specific muscles we'll address include: trapezius, levator scapula, splenius, subclavius, and rhomboids. 

Lesson 9 - Tension in the neck

  In this lesson, we explore the back and sides of the neck (so many muscles!) so you can discern your own personal patterns of tension in this region. Specific muscles we'll address include: sternocleidomastoid, scalenes, sub-occiptals, erector spinae, and platysma.

Lesson 10 - Tension in the jaw

 So many of us 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. Specific muscles we'll address include: masseter, temporalis, pterygoids, digastric.

Lesson 11 - Tension in the vocal cords

This is the lesson where 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, and we'll explore the anatomy of the larynx itself. 

Lesson 12 - Tension in the tongue

Did you know the human tongue is made up of eight different muscles?! Explains why tongue tension is extremely common, and surprisingly difficult to overcome! In this lesson, we’ll focus on releasing tension in the body and root of the tongue. 

 Lab 3 - Friday, May 8th, 2026

  12:00pm-1:30pm Eastern Time

Q&A and coaching on your tension patterns

RESONANCE & ARTICULATION MODULE

Lesson 13 - Resonance: Vocal power with less effort

  Resonance may be 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 full-body exploration to help transform the quality of your sound, so you can make a more powerful sound with less work.

Lesson 14 - Articulation: Clearer speech with less effort

 We’ve now reached the speech part of voice & speech, and it's fascinating! You'll learn how articulators make sound, and how to do so with less effort and more ease. We'll also practice with text and tongue twisters.

Lesson 15 - Vibration for the voice, with Vibrant Voice Technique founder David Ley

 David Ley created a method (Vibrant Voice Technique) to utilize external vibration - aka vibrators - to release vocal tension and enhance resonance. He is the creator of many of the exercises we've learned in this class, and he'll take the helm in this lesson, to help reinforce everything we've learned so far as well as share some additional modifications to consider.

 Lab 4 - Friday, May 29th, 2026

  12:00pm-1:30pm Eastern Time

Q&A and coaching on resonance and articulation

SPEAKING AND SINGING MODULE

Lesson 16 - A guide to navigating the clinical world, with Melanie Tapson

In this lesson, our beloved resident Speech-Language Pathologist, Melanie Tapson, joins as our guest instructor. She'll cover when it’s important to head to the doctor or SLP, important ways to advocate for yourself, and the best questions to ask your clinicians.

Lesson 17 - 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. 

Lab 5 - Wednesday, June 17th, 2026

  12:00pm-1:30pm Eastern Time

Q&A and coaching on all aspects of class

Lesson 18 - Integration and Celebration!

 A final lesson where we share with each other, sing, and reinforce what we’ve learned over the course.

Natasha
VOICEOVER TALENT, LOS ANGELES


"Working with my voice everyday, I've taken it for granted. Over the past couple of years, acid reflux and anxiety have gotten in the way of smooth and consistent voiceover performance. The busier my business has become, the more important it has been to understand my voice. Through this class, I now understand what I need to do to find consistent vocal health. I can see that a daily, lifelong practice of learning about my own idiosyncrasies will be tremendously beneficial for longevity in my career."

Lindsay
SINGING TEACHER, UK


"After taking this class, I felt a mental 'letting go' (which led to a physical letting go), and a lot more patience and acceptance for my voice and my 'rate of practise'. What I learned in class seems to have let me play with my voice for the first time in years. I’m able to explore sound, particularly vibration, as opposed to drilling songs & exercises. I certainly feel a lot more patience for myself and my voice right now and I think I have taken a lot of pressure off of my voice and myself. I feel like my voice and I are more of a team than we were before and I feel like we can have fun again."

INVESTMENT

$1,399USD

-or-

$249/month for 6 months

WHAT'S INCLUDED:

  18 core lessons with Elissa & guest instructors 
  5 interactive lab sessions/year
  Ongoing access to all course material (does not expire)
  Review of 'home-play' assignments

 BONUS:

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

ENROLL NOW

We offer a discount for BIPOC folks, as well as artist and economic scale scholarships. Please read the FAQs below for information.

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. We highly recommend reaching out to our resident Speech-Language Pathologist Melanie Tapson (based in Toronto, available for clinical visits or online coaching). If you’re in the U.S., you can use this tool, created by Johns Hopkins, to find a voice clinic in your area. If you’re searching for a doctor on your own, please be sure to find a laryngologist (specializes in the throat), as opposed to a general E.N.T.

Lisa
REGISTRAR, COLORADO


"Before I started class, my relationship with my voice was horrible. I thought about it constantly - it was literally ruining my life. I couldn't stop it, and I had little hope for a normal life. My muscles were a mess and overall- I was a mess. I now have a much healthier relationship with my voice although this is still a work in progress. My voice and I are more at peace. My voice and my thoughts regarding my voice are not running my life. My voice quality has improved. It is smoother, not as strained. It doesn't fail me as often. I am not going around wondering all the time if "it" is going to happen. My life has improved dramatically." 😊  

INSTRUCTORS

Elissa Maas Weinzimmer

VOCAL HEALTH EDUCATOR | FOUNDER OF VOICE BODY CONNECTION

 
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.

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.

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.

 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

Luis
SALES MANAGER, WISCONSIN


"Eight years ago I was in a really challenging place in my career. My businesses were struggling and I was extremely stressed. And I started to notice tightness in my neck and a change in the sound of my voice. My voice issues continued to get worse but I didn’t know what to do about them. I was both grateful and frustrated when a voice clinician finally diagnosed me with muscle tension dysphonia. I started searching on youtube and found Elissa’s videos. Even the things she was recommending for free were amazing and helping me. So I bit the bullet and purchased enrollment in Release Your Voice.
One of my biggest realizations since starting class has been that even before my acute voice issues started, I was experiencing tightness in my neck. I remember having it as a kid and in high school. My nervous system really does have imprints, as Elissa says, and whenever I come across a stressful situation I have a habit of tightening my neck and holding my breath. These memories are helping me understand that my diagnosis of MTD is not just a purely physical issue. I realize that the work to heal my voice is going to be as much mental as physical.
So that’s what strikes me most about the approach in Release Your Voice... it’s giving me the tools to work on my voice physically, but also to work on my mindset. I haven’t found this approach anywhere else, and I’ve looked! All the steps are in the right place in this class, and I’m so grateful to be getting the help that I’ve really needed."

Mike
TRUCK DRIVER AND MARTIAL ARTIST, NEW YORK


"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."

Mira
SINGER, LEBANON


"After a traumatic event, I started having unexplainable laryngitis that affected the strength and flexibility of my voice. I started doubting myself and my voice, and that affected my whole career as a singer. I did everything I could, from medical tests to therapy, but nothing worked for me. Being a professional singer my voice is my main element in career and life. One day I surfed the net looking for an explanation, and there were I found Elissa! Her story was so similar to mine, so I enrolled in her course. That's where the journey of self expansion, self compassion, self knowledge (specifically around my body, mind, and voice connection) started. I’ve attended the class now for 2 years in a row, and it is just a blessing.  My learning is so rich in discovery, learnings, assimilation, and application. Elissa has created a process, and put everything we need from A to Z to move towards releasing our vocal tension. Today my relationship with my voice is based on openness, groundedness, acceptance, flow, and release."

Lisa
REGISTRAR, COLORADO


"Before I started class, my relationship with my voice was horrible. I thought about it constantly - it was literally ruining my life. I couldn't stop it, and I had little hope for a normal life. My muscles were a mess and overall- I was a mess. I now have a much healthier relationship with my voice although this is still a work in progress. My voice and I are more at peace. My voice and my thoughts regarding my voice are not running my life. My voice quality has improved. It is smoother, not as strained. It doesn't fail me as often. I am not going around wondering all the time if "it" is going to happen. My life has improved dramatically." 😊 

Ai
ENGLISH TEACHER, JAPAN


"Before I found this class, I was in the state where I didn't know what was happening to my voice, nor how to properly take care of it. I had a number of voice issues throughout the year, and I got to the point that I couldn't fully recover from vocal inflammation even after a month. I was devastated as I felt that I had damaged my voice permanently. I was in despair because I couldn't see how I would be able to continue my career as a teacher and a singer with a damaged voice. My voice was something I was proud of and it was attached to my identity so deeply, yet I could neither trust nor rely on my voice any more. I lost my desire to speak and sing because it was physically painful to do so. I never expected I would cry this much.

This course helped me to see the aspects of my life that I never knew existed, yet I needed to see in order to move forward. I am now really grateful that I have gone through this journey as I feel like I am a different person, in a very good way! I have now reached a state where I don't even feel I have MTD anymore. With all the exercises I do regularly, I am pain-free almost all of the time. I don't think about my throat so much anymore and I can completely focus on my joy and passion for teaching and singing. This is really amazing!!

I am also much kinder to my voice after all the learning I did through this course. I try not to push my voice all the time, drink a lot of water, give my voice plenty of rest, and do my vocal care routine regularly.I now not only managed to release my voice from MTD but also know how to properly take care of my voice so that I don't cause the same issue, all thanks to this fantastic course!"

Andrea
SINGER AND SINGING TEACHER, MEXICO


"Within just the first 5 sessions, I started to feel that I had control of my voice, and I started to understand that there was a deeper relationship between my voice and body."

Sally
VOICE TEACHER, CALIFORNIA


"Fatigue issues and age seemed to be effecting my range and ability to sustain notes. In the last several years I began selecting repertoire to show off nuance and expression rather than the power, range, and beauty I used to have. I would never have guessed that tension in my neck, shoulders, throat, and tongue was effecting my singing. I took the class thinking that my voice was the best it could be, but that I would learn something to help my voice students. I was drawn to Elissa because she talked about "speaking your truth," a perfectly timed message for me from the universe. So I was surprised and over the moon to have the improvement in my voice that I have had. Now, my voice and I feel younger and excited to sing. My voice and I just want to have fun! Life changing!!"

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