Sarah Wright - Owens
Singing Teacher & BAPAM registered Vocal Rehabilitation Coach
Sarah Wright - Owens
BSc (hons) SLT, PG Cert, GBSM
Singing Teacher & BAPAM registered Vocal Rehabilitation Coach
About
Sarah is a Singing Teacher, registered Vocal Rehabilitation Coach for the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM), and an NHS Clinical Vocal Consultant at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. Having initially trained as an Opera Singer and then toured the UK and abroad for several years before qualifying as a Speech and Language Therapist.
Sarah is currently a visiting specialist lecturer at the University of Birmingham and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She has accumulated a wealth of experience coaching students of all ages and abilities in schools, FE and HE institutions, and in private practice. In addition to this, she has worked as a vocal coach for theatre companies such as The Royal Shakespeare Company, and a number of national musical tours including ‘Grease’ and ‘We Will Rock You’. She has also coached professional Bhangra singers and CCM artists when preparing for studio and live performances.
Sarah is passionate about how singing benefits mental and physical wellbeing. She has lead ‘Singing for Lung Health and well being groups in Birmingham supported by the British Lung Foundation and is a Director/Trustee of the British Voice Association. She also trains teachers and performers in Vocal Health Education courses.
Sarah offers private one-to-one coaching sessions which are planned around the singers strengths and needs. Vocal sessions can be face-to-face in teaching studios in the centre of Birmingham, Worcestershire or North Shropshire. She will also work with people on-line via Zoom.
Lessons can be genre specific - concentrating on one particular musical style of singing, or have a more flexible, 'cross-train' approach to enable singers to learn vocal techniques of different styles. Singing healthily is emphaised throughout training, and students learn to warm-up the voice, increase balance throughout the vocal system, gain a greater understanding of vocal physiology, and improve performance skills and artistry.
Sarah is experienced in teaching all levels from beginner to advanced, amateur or professional singers and teachers. She regularly enters students for singing exams, prepares students for auditions, and is keen to help singers perform to the best of their ability sharing techniques to increase confidence and dispel any performance anxiety.
Teaching
Vocal Rehabilitation
Sarah is part of the ENT multi-disciplinary team in the Professional Voice Users Clinic at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham and also rehabilitates the performers voice in private practice.
The overall aim of vocal rehabilitation is to restore a performers speaking and singing voice back to how it was before the vocal problem or to the best voice that can be achieved depending upon the vocal issue. If necessary, Sarah may refer the performer to another health professional and/or liaise with the performers voice/singing tutors if applicable to ensure a long term resolution.
Testimonials
'Sarah has helped me combat tension and confidence issues when singing. I have used her holistic breathing techniques to help anxious students in my professional practice. At the age of 59 I took my first ever singing exam and was awarded a merit at Grade 8! Sarah used imaginative multi-sensory strategies to help me memorise the words and music and to interpret the repertoire.'
- Dr. Sue Partridge, Teacher/Dyslexia specialist
'What can I say about Sarah that would do her justice? I guess if I’m being honest, if our paths hadn't crossed in 2005 I probably would have had to give up singing. I owe her so much...she helped strengthen and mould the voice the world hears today. Anyone can teach you the do's and don’ts of singing but Sarah has this amazing ability to connect it with your feelings and brain. On top of that she was able to brilliantly associate & manipulate all her western techniques to help with my style of singing which many teachers would have found beyond them. She talks you through the psychological aspect of singing as well which plays such a huge role in connecting the mind, body and vocal cords. I cannot recommend her highly enough. She is as much a part of Jassi Sidhu as I am!'
- Jassi Sidhu
'Professional, supportive and wonderfully knowledgeable - Sarah is by far one of the best singing teachers I have had the pleasure of working with! I am thoroughly enjoying my singing lessons with her and am excited to continue my development with such an experienced teacher.
- Singing Teacher and Singer
My problem was vocal muscle tension. It manifested itself in the form of a split or brake when I sang, what I would call singing between the cracks! This caused me great distress as I never knew when it was going to happen. On meeting Sarah for the first time I was immediately put at ease by her calm and professional approach; she worked through some vocal exercises with me and was able to allay my fears so that I left her in the knowledge that I had not damaged my vocal folds. I then continued visiting Sarah for singing lessons. There is no doubt in my mind that without Sarah’s help and advice I would not have been able to continue performing. I can highly recommend Sarah both in her capacity as a Vocal Rehabilitation Coach and as a Singing Teacher.'
- Jayne Butler, Soprano
'We have had joint singing lessons as a couple for 12 years. Sarah’s methods are uniquely problem-solving and responsive to our needs. No lesson is ever the same! We do warm ups together, then each sing to our strengths and capabilities. Sarah has helped us preserve and increase the resonance in our voices, bearing in mind we are now in our 60s, when we might expect to be losing quality. We have maintained our places for over 12 years in a top audition choir, thanks to Sarah’s coaching.'
- Choristers
Bhangra is a very high energy form of Punjabi folk/pop/dance music and the vocal is usually placed in the higher end of one’s range and singing at live shows can go on for 2/3 hours at a time with 2/3 shows a week and all with bad monitoring and a loud and very percussive 6 piece behind you. After 30 years of gigging like this, vocal stress and abuse had become a part of my performing life, but for the last decade, Sarah has helped me to get through the rigorous shows that I have to do. The techniques and vocal exercises that she has given me over the years have helped tremendously to not only get me through my shows, but also to understand singing and how the voice works and how to look after it. Her knowledge in the physical mechanical and therapy side of singing is extensive and her friendly, wise and reassuring advise has always acted like a ‘pick me up tonic’ and even if I do not have any vocal issues, I make a point of seeing her once in a while to get a ‘Vocal MOT’ as I call it. I would not be lying if I said that Sarah has definitely added years onto my singing career.
- ShinDCS, Front man and lead singer of UK based Bhangra Band DCS
'I have been having regular lessons with Sarah for 3 years and I can’t recommend her highly enough. She has helped me find my voice in more ways than one; she unlocked a vocal range I didn’t know I had and has given me the confidence to go back into performing and higher education. I’m now a member of BMOS theatre company, have directed a semi professional musical and teach little ones musical theatre - a path I wouldn’t have thought possible before I started my lessons with Sarah..'
- Sian Patterson
I started having lessons with Sarah several years ago – and they have been a revelation. As a life time choral singer, I wanted to preserve and make the most of my singing voice as long as possible and particularly sought help with frequent vocal tiredness and breath control, while also hoping to explore my voice as more than just a ‘choral’ voice. I hoped that Sarah’s dual qualifications as both professional singer and clinical voice consultant would help – and was not disappointed! Singing lessons were a daunting prospect for me as a self-conscious adult beginner, but I felt immediately comfortable and at ease with Sarah. Her interest in the clinical understanding of singing and resourceful, laterally-thinking approach brings new insights and different ways for her students to address problems, alongside her knowledge of repertoire and sensitivity as a musician. She has both improved my understanding and ability to sing well, and given me confidence in myself as a classical singer and musician. Learning with Sarah has felt like a joint adventure - her lessons are always entirely geared to my personal needs, and each one is different, stimulating, rewarding and enjoyable. Thank you, Sarah
- Chorister
Contact
Practitioner Feedback & Complaints Procedure
I do appreciate clients telling me when I have made a positive impact to their voice so please feel free to email me at sarahwrightowens@gmail.com your feedback or even a testimonial that I can put on my website.
On the other hand, if you have a complaint or concern about any aspect of your coaching experience with me, do let me know as soon as possible.
Just give me full details of your complaint and I will undertake to treat it seriously, deal with it promptly and learn from it by reviewing or, if appropriate, improving my standards.
Make your complaint to me either in person or email to sarahwrightowens@gmail.com.
I will investigate your complaint during the following few days and will aim to:-
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Find out what happened and what went wrong
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Make sure you receive an explanation and an apology if this is appropriate
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Identify what I can do to ensure that this problem does not arise again
Raising concerns with my professional register for vocal rehabilitation.
I am professionally registered with the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM).
If you were referred to me by BAPAM and you feel uncomfortable complaining directly to me or do not feel that your complaint has been resolved to your satisfaction, you can find information on raising concerns with BAPAM at https://www.bapam.org.uk/
BAPAM can also be contacted on 020 7404 8444 and by email at info@bapam.org.uk