"There is much more to your voice than a perfectly polished scale. All noises - even those which seem ugly - are valuable psychologically and artistically.

You will never eradicate the shadow in your voice, and thank heaven you won't, for in the shadow lies the seat of the soul."

- Paul Newham

About Kathy Sankey

Kathy Sankey is a vocal coach and private voice teacher in the Seattle area. She studied for five years with Eileen Manzin, a Juillard graduate from Beverly Johnson's studio. She also completed an intensive training in Voice Movement Therapy with Paul Newham in England at the London Voice Centre, exploring creative techniques for opening the natural voice. She was a founding member of Ars Nova Chamber Singers, an internationally acclaimed chorus from Boulder, CO; and a founding member of the City Singers, a professional singing group in Seattle. Currently, Kathy performs in the Northwest Chamber Chorus, a 45-voice choir; an a capella close-harmony group; and The Sisters, a medieval/Renaissance quartet.

Kathy also has a B.A. in psychology and an M.S. in occupational therapy. She has practiced as an occupational therapist since 1990. Her background and experience incorporate anatomy, the mind-body connection, learning styles, and early psychological and physical development. The blend of occupational therapy with classical voice training and voice movement therapy creates a uniquely holistic method of vocal training. This allows for discovery and removal of physical and mental blocks to the natural voice, and helps effectively translate motivation into physical action.

In addition to private voice coaching and classes, Kathy has taught at acting schools and universities.

The VoiceWorks approach is a unique and innovative approach to vocal development using VOICE MOVEMENT THERAPY. Voice movement therapy uses exercises and practices adapted from many vocal traditions, including those of indigenous cultures, to unmask and reclaim the full, natural speaking and singing voice. The work involves understanding the physiology of vocal production; exploring pitch, scale, and register; personalizing your vocal range; working with harmonic timbre, and freeing vocal self-expression through the awareness and release of muscle patterns and emotional and physical "blocks."

Having originally developed Voice Movement Therapy for work with handicapped children and adults, Newham and certified VMT teachers now work extensively with professional actors and singers to help expand vocal range and flexibility, fuse emotion and character with vocal expression, and powerfully connect mind-body-spirit for heightened performance and greater joy in singing.Voice Movement Therapy has been accredited by England's Royal Society of the Arts.