Скачать или смотреть Befriend Your Voice: A Conversation with Merle Jalakas (in Estonian!)

I sat down with Merle Jalakas, soloist and assistant to the production of performances at Vanemuine Theater in Tartu, Estonia. We talked about the voice and the role of bodily awareness and physical practices in taking care of the voice.

This topic is of particular importance to me as I had an experience of losing my voice for nearly 3-4 months years ago -- this experience taught me not to take my voice for granted.

This interview marks a historic moment in the development of my YouTube channel -- it is the first interview here in Estonian! We welcome the listeners who speak this language and perhaps the others who do not speak Estonian enjoy hearing the sound of this language. Notice how the sounds impact you!

I so loved this interview! Merle Jalakas talks about the idea that we should all take care of our voices -- everything we do with our bodies also impacts the voice, she notes. Indeed, the voice is a part of the body. Merle notes that the vocal cords are very small and we need to use more of the whole body and the resonators inside when we speak.

I hear over and over this sentence: "I don't like my voice." Why do so many people dislike their voices? It does not have to be this way at all! In the interview we talk about the importance of befriending our voice and treating it as an important, intimate part of ourselves and our identity.

It is well worth investing in cultivating a harmonious, pleasant, lively voice through breathing exercises, vocal warm-up exercises, and movement, as having a pleasant voice also helps with relationships of all kinds. Our voice is a part of how we present ourselves to the world.

Merle Jalakas is a beloved soloist at the Vanemuine Theater -- https://www.vanemuine.ee/en/people/me... Check our her performances!!

Thank you for the likes and subscriptions and comments!

Thank you so much, dear Merle!
I hope you all enjoy!
With much body love,
Hiie