Voice work
“When you stop doing the wrong thing, the right thing will do itslef.” – F.M. Alexander
Leaving yourself alone
By doing less, tensing less, and letting go -for instance of tensions in your jaw and/or neck – you can experience that singing will eventually become much easier and that it can be done with less effort. We often have some kind of preconceived idea of what we have to do in order to achieve something: let’s say that high note. But have you actually tried to do it in a different way? Mostly, I hear students arguing that they need more breath support or more effort, but in most cases it’s the other way around. Thinking of support and “doing your best” often results in a tight throat, and consequently little space for a free, resonating sound. Based on the principles of the Alexander Technique you can learn to leave yourself alone, do less and let go of old unnecessary habits and tension which interfere with a free use of your voice.
Up for vocal freedom
Together with my students I am looking for a more comfortable and efficient way to use the voice: vocal freedom. From there you can basically go wherever you like. Since you stopped interfering with your natural free voice, you now have the chance to “add some different colors”. Through my experience with the Alexander Technique I can easily help you to find out what it is that you are actually doing. Then the process of actually inhibiting these habits and creating space for new choices that result in a different use of your voice starts.
I also work with people that have problems with their voice, struggling, for instance, with hoarseness or even voice loss. Oftentimes these problems occur through putting too much tension on the voice while speaking and/or singing.
Qualifications
I have been working as a singer and voice teacher for 15 years now. I teach a variety of people from beginners to professionals of all ages. I teach in the styles pop and jazz, and I am specialized in voice technique in combination with the Alexander Technique.
I have a bachelors degree in jazz vocals from the Conservatory of Amsterdam (2007-2011) and a Masters degree from the University of Performing Arts (2011-2013) in Graz. In 2019 I finished my teacher training at the Alexander Technique Center in Amsterdam (ATCA) studying with Tessa Marwick and Paul Versteeg.
“I discovered Annika through a video of one of her performances on Youtube. I really liked her musical expression and style and therefore started taking singing lessons and later also Alexander Technique lessons with her: A decision I have never regretted!
Annika helps me with my repertoire and provides great accompaniment. She also always instantly hears it when I fall back into my habits from when I used to sing classical repertoire. Since I have been taking lesson with Annika my voice became much more free and easy and singing is now possible with less tension more joy and more swing.”
“As a pianist and accompanist of singers, it has been a lifelong frustration to not be able to sing without damaging my voice. Annika is the first teacher I meet that I can really rely on and trust in the process of relearning to sing in a healthy way. I trust her because her explanations and very fine observations make complete sense to me thanks to her knowledge of anatomy, singing and Alexander Technique. I trust her because I see my progress from lesson to lesson and even friends have noticed my improvement! Her attitude is so cool, relaxed and focused at the same time so that is a pleasure to learn with her. It doesn’t feel like an effort at all, on the contrary, lessons with her are light and enjoyable and leave me inspired to practice every day. She is able to see the slightest movement or change in my face or posture that might be interfering with my optimal singing. She is really an incredible teacher and I thank life for having found her!”