Singing with the Wolf

About Motje

I am Motje and I simply love to teach singing. I help singers to discover their true voice.
I enable you to develop your voice so you can rely on it in every situation.

I understand and use vocal anatomy and voice science in an approachable way. Both give us information about how to build and maintain the voice as our instrument. Building up a thorough vocal technique will help you to interpret music in the way you want, not as technical demands might tell you. 

My students come from all walks of life - professionals to novices - but they have one thing in common: they are fascinated by the voice and are curious to see how far they can go. 

And I can help you with this.

I have been researching and teaching singing in various ways most recently as Director of Research at the Voice Study Centre and as Senior Lecturer at De Montfort University. I am sitting on the steering committee of the Special Focus Group Singing in Music Education of the European Association of Music in Schools and am a Trustee of the Sing Up Foundation.

My vision

With an excellent vocal technique, singers will be able to express their artistic interpretation of any song more accurately. Singing is easy when singers can rely totally on their voice. Singers will understand what to do when choir directors ask for ‘more light’ and gain confidence.

You will SHINE with your voice in a way YOU want to. 

Singing can help us with our emotions, social inclusion and physical health. Doing this with the right vocal technique will enhance this even more. 

Want to find out more? Book a consultation lesson with me.

My Story

I came to singing late. I used to play the violin as a child and that was my instrument. I played in many orchestras, string quartets and as a soloist and was completely engrossed in this. However, singing got me into playing the violin! My mother always tells me that I could sing before I could speak and this was also discovered by my later violin teacher when he tested my sister for musical abilities and I - three years younger - copied her. We sang a lot as a family; every car journey was filled with rounds and folk songs. My sister taught me every song she knew (she really is my first singing teacher). When I was 12, I took part in a musical production for which I had singing lessons. But the teacher only wanted to see me once and then said that I can sing, so no need for lessons. In hindsight, I find this outrageous, as I had no technique whatsoever. As a teenager, I sang in a choir, but only when I studied Musicology in Leipzig, I started having serious singing lessons. I also studied choral conducting as part of the degree and got interested in working with other people’s voices. When I moved to the UK, I couldn’t speak much English and accidentally ended up auditioning for Leicester Cathedral Choir: when I wanted to ask about choirs in the region, it was simply easier to just sing what I was given than to ask any questions! Then I became a choral scholar at Leicester Cathedral and started serious singing lessons with a few teachers. But it wasn’t before I met Alexander Massey that my singing took off. My voice was fine and I could sing most pieces, but it was a thin voice with little colour. Going through the process of really understanding how the voice works has changed my ENTIRE singing practice. I could suddenly sing pieces exactly as I imagined them. I could make sense of the instructions of choir directors (a bit more light here; give me more there; more alto). In fact, I realised that ‘more alto’ could mean almost anything: a higher tongue in order to raise the correct formant, a lower larynx to add darker resonance to match the words better. It opened up endless possibilities. And now, I love sharing this experience with other singers!

My Values

I am a strong believer in teaching with positivity. My studio is a place where we explore,  are curious about the voice and where you and all your mistakes are very welcome. 

I work with you, where you are at and with what you bring. Lessons will be tailor-made around your needs.

There is no pressure to perform - except if you would like to. In this case, I organise regular concerts and music weekends for my students. 

My studio is both virtual and physical, so it doesn’t matter where you live.