Brighton-based singing teacher achieves the highest level of certification in Estill Voice Training®

Stefan Holmström

Stefan Holmström is a trained opera singer who has been teaching voice for many years now. He has recently achieved accreditation at the highest level within the Estill Voice Training® method, EMCI (Estill Mentor & Course Instructor), and is both the first Brightonian and the first person from Sweden to achieve this. I have been having singing lessons with Stefan for over ten years now, and I caught up with him to find out more about this latest achievement, how he came to use the Estill Voice method in his teaching, and a little more about his path to singing and teaching.

Estill Voice Training® is a scientific, evidence-based system for vocal development founded by Jo Estill in 1988. Jo Estill was an educator, voice researcher and singer who sought answers to the question 'How am I doing this?' The revolutionary system she created uses simple everyday sounds to identify individual anatomical structures within the larynx and vocal tract. These structures are then trained in detail to give conscious, predictable and reliable control of the voice. 
 
First of all, how did you get into a life of music, and singing in particular? ‘I actually started out as a flute player. I grew up in a small town in the north of Sweden, and I was lucky that there were many opportunities to make music there’. From about the age of 15 it dawned on him that he could do this for a living. So he went to university in Gothenburg for a teaching degree in flute, with singing as a second discipline. He started to be drawn to singing – ‘in a way, I got into singing on the back of my flute playing’ – and he started having singing lessons at the age of 20 - ‘a good time to start, when the voice has settled in’. The singing went well, and the dream of being an opera singer suddenly became a possibility. So following a Master of Fine Arts in Music and Performance in Malmö, Stefan came to England for his opera training at the Guildhall, and has stayed here ever since. So his ‘inspired journey’ to singing was quite organic. ‘Opera and voice bring together many things that I’m interested in – I’m scientifically minded, quite artistic, and interested in drama and languages’. So he found that singing offered him wider opportunities for expression than playing the flute, as much as he enjoyed that.

Stefan running a recent Estill workshop at
Club Farense, Faro, Portugal

And how was the singing training he received? Well, it would seem that it was largely traditional, with an emphasis on breathing and placement of the voice. But Stefan describes having a clever teacher that ‘kept me singing, building my range gradually and finding suitable repertoire’. This included folk songs, with an emphasis on communicating the text and telling a story. Classical singing was the ruling aesthetic in terms of technique, but it was also about working slowly and learning to ‘embrace your sound’, as one teacher put it. Stefan then worked as a professional singer for many years, both in opera and in the West End as part of the cast of The Phantom of the Opera. Working on eight shows a week exposed him to many different approaches to singing. He also began to notice what could cause singers problems. For example, a very breath-focused approach often led to singers pushing their voices, and this in turn led to problems with constriction in the larynx. It became clear that his classical training alone didn’t provide answers to these problems. It was during this time that he began having lessons with Paul Farrington, Vocal Health & Technique Consultant at the Royal Opera House. Paul trained and studied with Jo Estill, and was an early pioneer in using her system in voice teaching. For Stefan, (excuse the pun) lessons with Paul were ‘a breath of fresh air’. Paul explained the purpose of exercises, and what was going on with the voice, key aspects of the Estill Voice method. As a professional singer, Stefan found that Paul’s clear, practical approach worked well and was very calming. He also realised that a deeper understanding of vocal craft gives the confidence to make interesting decisions about artistry.
 
How did it come about that he started teaching? Well, despite having seemingly left the teaching degree behind, an interest in sharing ideas, problem solving and helping people had not gone. So when one person came along to Stefan for a lesson nearly twenty years ago, during the time he was working with Paul, it fell into place, and the rest, as they say, is history.
 
What is it about Estill Voice Training® that is so different? For a start, Stefan sees it as much more inclusive - to use a common phrase, ‘Knowledge is Power’. It is based on correct anatomical knowledge, with a scientific approach, and respects how our bodies actually work. In many other schools of voice training, breath is king, and there is a focus on placement of the voice, often without clear explanations. It can be a ‘Do what I do’ approach. But you can progress further and more quickly if you know what you’re working with, and make sure that craft rather than wishful thinking is at the centre of your artistry. Whilst working with the legendary Swedish Wagner soprano Birgit Nilsson in Malmö, he remembers her saying, ‘You should always sing on the interest, not on the capital’. What she meant was using resonance to make the voice carry over an orchestra rather than wearing out the vocal folds with brute force. Whilst she was not an Estill teacher, there is a connection here. Estill Voice Training® focuses on putting the right amount of effort in the right place - you could say, working smarter, not harder.  
 

Stefan Holmström

So what does Estill have to offer classical singers and teachers? Stefan argues that learning how to isolate different elements of what physically makes up the sound a singer produces broadens a singer’s craft and as a result, offers greater opportunities for interesting, emotional artistry. It also means that vocal health can be closely monitored and the instrument continuously balanced to maximise economy. The idea of voicing  ‘on the interest, not the capital’ applies, of course, to everyone, but is extra important for classical singers who rely on projecting the voice without using a microphone. And whether it be opera, operetta, art song or early music, being able to create the right ‘mix’ consciously is a great asset. The same applies to other styles - musical theatre, rock, jazz and so on. This conscious independent control at the heart of Estill Voice Training® means you can choose the kind of sound you want to produce. ‘Classical singing requires long, dedicated training, and because of this it’s easy to get stuck in one sound. The Estill idea that you can change your timbre according to style and take a playful attitude to your artistry is something I find liberating!’
 
What does it mean to have reached this point and receive this accreditation?
‘I’ve always been curious & passionate about anything to do with voice, so it’s actually all part of ongoing, lifelong research. It’s inspiring and thrilling to have knowledge and tools that can help people, but it’s also a hard, rigorous path with lots of ongoing study. The world of vocal development can feel quite unregulated but the EMCI certification demonstrates I’ve done my research and can offer the highest possible standard of teaching available. It’s of course also an honour to be part of an international community of incredibly dedicated practitioners. And it’s fun! That’s important! Voice is a fun journey that never ends!’
 
So where next? ‘I’m looking ahead at developing my teaching here in Brighton, in Sweden and also in Portugal. My courses will offer the next generation of teachers and performers a chance to develop through proper understanding of anatomy, physiology, acoustics and vocal function. And because I’ve been a performer myself I understand what it means to put yourself out there and also what it means to do so with the support of craft you can rely on even on a ‘bad day’! Everyone from a beginner to high level professional can learn to do far more with their voices than they might think’.

Find out more about Estill Voice Training® here: https://estillvoice.com/

and visit Stefan's website here: https://www.stefanholmstrom.co.uk/