“As a nonbinary person I’m very aware of the ways the world is unnecessarily gendered, but Isabella has helped me to even further break down societal gendering of the voice by renaming certain gendered terms. They’ve also helped me understand my voice changes on testosterone by giving me examples of the experiences of other people they’ve worked with. Currently, we are working on the parts of my range that are not as strong as they were before I was on HRT. I’m still trying to figure some things out, but I feel far less distressed about my vocal challenges than I did before I started working with Isabella. I feel reminded that my voice is a tool that needs care and upkeep just like any other instrument. I feel encouraged to lean into vulnerable parts of my voice, rather than avoiding them, in order to further learn about myself.

When working with Isabella I feel safe to be questioning, or silly, or emotional. We work at whatever pace works best for me and I don’t feel pressured to do more than I am capable of. I’m impressed and relieved by the un-gendering of vocal terms and the attention to the way my neurodivergences affect my vocal work. Overall I think they are a great teacher who will take into account your unique characteristics, whether they have to do with gender, neurodivergence, trauma, hypermobility, or all of the above. Vocal work can be very vulnerable and I think Isabella creates a safe space to explore that.”