It's happened to Julie Andrews, and it's every singer's worst nightmare. The first of our Open Mic contributors, Sophie Garner, talks about her experience of almost losing her voice after a vocal chord operation and how help came from an unexpected source.
Most singers can barely contemplate the potential consequences of a voice operation (financial loss, post-op recovery, rehabilitation) and the unknown: Will the op be a success? Will I still have a voice? How will it affect my career?
I am a full time singer/songwriter. I perform a very eclectic mix of contemporary music ranging from jazz, soul, electro pop and rock, which collectively demands a great deal from my voice.
During the early part of 2008, whilst recording my fourth studio album, it became apparent during the recording sessions that a problem was developing. I had tightness in my throat and the effort required to sing left me with headaches and muscular tension at the end of every performance. I began noticing subtle changes in my ability. I carried on, hoping it would go away with the solid vocal technique and practice I had relied on up to now. It was growing increasingly hard for me to produce a clean vocal on both recordings and gigs without a very breathy sound, and this was very hard to hide in the harsh bare perfection of a digital recording.
After a very lengthy period of multiple hospital visits to discover what the problem was, I finally underwent an operation on 19 April 2010 to remove some fibrous tissue that had built up on my vocal chords. This had created the problems I had been suffering with.
A silent recovery
I had cancelled a very busy schedule of professional performances and had to ‘guess’ the recovery time, so I could have an estimated date to return to work. Much of my work comes from agents, and is booked many months, sometimes years, in advance. The pressure to confirm a date for a return to singing was a major concern for me and not something I, or my surgeon, had the answer to as recovery is a very individual process. Immediate post op recovery required a week of total silence! No whispering, coughing, humming, no talking allowed. Weekly rehab sessions began after this and are ongoing.
Having been a self-employed musician for most of my working life, I found myself in a very uncertain and scary situation. I had no savings, as these had all been invested in recording my debut solo album which had to go on hold because of the op. The release date had to be postponed, and as for the finances required for press and PR... I found myself not knowing how I was going to eat, let alone pay the rent, bills etc. Friends helped as much as they could but it simply wasn’t enough. I remember feeling really relieved to find a forgotten banknote in a pocket!
Help was at hand
Not wanting to go down the DHSS route on moral grounds, I decided to contact the Musicians Benevolent Fund, who help professional musicians in a situation such as mine. They in turn also put me in touch with the PRS for Music Benevolent Fund, who awarded me financial support by way of a grant. Collectively, MBF and the Fund helped get me through one of the toughest financial times I have ever been through; I don’t quite know where I would be now without their support. I had no idea there was so much help out there in the music industry and I think it’s important to be aware that not everyone has to suffer in silence. (no pun intended!) I have now returned to work and although it will be a few more months before I have my full range back I am looking forward to the release of my solo album ‘GENES’ next spring.
I have recorded a blog on YouTube (Sophie Garner little blogette) documenting my experiences, both pre and post op, warts and all. It makes for some interesting viewing. My white board and pen were an absolute godsend and my only source of communication in a week of total silence!
Sophie is setting up the very first Singers Support Group in the UK for pre and post op vocalists and the first meeting will be on 27 January 2011. Anyone wishing to find out more should contact Sophie at voxopinfo@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/sophiegarner
Got something to say? Make your voice heard! Open Mic is a new space for our readers to raise a subject for discussion/ talk about current projects. We reserve the right to edit and select submissions before publishing.
Send your story and photos (jpeg preferred) to magazine@prsformusic.com with the subject 'Open Mic '
Most singers can barely contemplate the potential consequences of a voice operation (financial loss, post-op recovery, rehabilitation) and the unknown: Will the op be a success? Will I still have a voice? How will it affect my career?
I am a full time singer/songwriter. I perform a very eclectic mix of contemporary music ranging from jazz, soul, electro pop and rock, which collectively demands a great deal from my voice.
During the early part of 2008, whilst recording my fourth studio album, it became apparent during the recording sessions that a problem was developing. I had tightness in my throat and the effort required to sing left me with headaches and muscular tension at the end of every performance. I began noticing subtle changes in my ability. I carried on, hoping it would go away with the solid vocal technique and practice I had relied on up to now. It was growing increasingly hard for me to produce a clean vocal on both recordings and gigs without a very breathy sound, and this was very hard to hide in the harsh bare perfection of a digital recording.
After a very lengthy period of multiple hospital visits to discover what the problem was, I finally underwent an operation on 19 April 2010 to remove some fibrous tissue that had built up on my vocal chords. This had created the problems I had been suffering with.
A silent recovery
I had cancelled a very busy schedule of professional performances and had to ‘guess’ the recovery time, so I could have an estimated date to return to work. Much of my work comes from agents, and is booked many months, sometimes years, in advance. The pressure to confirm a date for a return to singing was a major concern for me and not something I, or my surgeon, had the answer to as recovery is a very individual process. Immediate post op recovery required a week of total silence! No whispering, coughing, humming, no talking allowed. Weekly rehab sessions began after this and are ongoing.
Having been a self-employed musician for most of my working life, I found myself in a very uncertain and scary situation. I had no savings, as these had all been invested in recording my debut solo album which had to go on hold because of the op. The release date had to be postponed, and as for the finances required for press and PR... I found myself not knowing how I was going to eat, let alone pay the rent, bills etc. Friends helped as much as they could but it simply wasn’t enough. I remember feeling really relieved to find a forgotten banknote in a pocket!
Help was at hand
Not wanting to go down the DHSS route on moral grounds, I decided to contact the Musicians Benevolent Fund, who help professional musicians in a situation such as mine. They in turn also put me in touch with the PRS for Music Benevolent Fund, who awarded me financial support by way of a grant. Collectively, MBF and the Fund helped get me through one of the toughest financial times I have ever been through; I don’t quite know where I would be now without their support. I had no idea there was so much help out there in the music industry and I think it’s important to be aware that not everyone has to suffer in silence. (no pun intended!) I have now returned to work and although it will be a few more months before I have my full range back I am looking forward to the release of my solo album ‘GENES’ next spring.
I have recorded a blog on YouTube (Sophie Garner little blogette) documenting my experiences, both pre and post op, warts and all. It makes for some interesting viewing. My white board and pen were an absolute godsend and my only source of communication in a week of total silence!
Sophie is setting up the very first Singers Support Group in the UK for pre and post op vocalists and the first meeting will be on 27 January 2011. Anyone wishing to find out more should contact Sophie at voxopinfo@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/sophiegarner
Got something to say? Make your voice heard! Open Mic is a new space for our readers to raise a subject for discussion/ talk about current projects. We reserve the right to edit and select submissions before publishing.
Send your story and photos (jpeg preferred) to magazine@prsformusic.com with the subject 'Open Mic '
