Meet Jennifer May
Vocal Coach & Artist Mentor
The work begins with truth….
I’ve always been drawn to people who live without disguise —
those who speak plainly, feel deeply, and let their art reveal what cannot be said any other way.
The light. The shadow. The ache. The wonder.
All of it.
For me, singing has always carried something sacred.
A doorway.
A pulse.
A way of listening to the deeper currents that move beneath a life.
When we sing — honestly, without pretence — something opens.
Something ancient, simple, human.
That is the place I work from, and the place I invite you into.
My own path has been long, restless, and particular.
I searched everywhere for freedom — in technique, in expression, in the body, in the spirit.
In surrender.
In discipline.
In the wild places of sound and the quiet places of self.
What I found is this:
The voice frees when the whole self frees.
Technique matters.
Expression matters.
But the centre — the pulse — is truth.
My work is to help you uncover that centre.
To return you to your own voice — not the loudest voice in the room, but the truest.
Expressive Voice Work® is the meeting place of everything I’ve studied and lived:
the technical, the emotional, the spiritual, the physical, the creative.It’s a way of working with the whole human voice —
with honesty, precision, instinct, and imagination.
We sing.
We write.
We listen.
We let go.
We look for what is alive, not what is impressive.
The work is simple. And deep. And sometimes surprising.
My Background
For more than twenty-five years, I’ve worked with artists across the spectrum—
from major-label performers and award-winning musicians
to devoted adult beginners taking their first real steps into their voice.
I have coached backstage at Wembley,
in the hush of home studios,
and in rooms filled with nerves, doubt, hope,
and the rare electricity of becoming.
My training spans Estill, CVT(Dip), Vocal Process, BA(Hons) Music, multiple performance and vocal diplomas, and certifications in NLP, EFT, TLT, and coaching. Please see below for my fuller training and qualifications.
Of course, training is only the scaffolding.
What matters is the listening.
The instinct.
The willingness to sit in the real work with another human being.
Full Training & Qualifications
Vocal Technique & Pedagogy
Estill Voice Training Levels 1 & 2 — Royal Academy of Music
Speech Level Singing — Seth Riggs (RAM & Private Coaching)
Core & Advanced Core Training — Vocal Process
Diploma in Complete Vocal Technique — Cathrine Sadolin
Vocal Anatomy for Voice Professionals — Jacob Lieberman
Belting Explained — Birmingham Centre for Speech & Language
Belting & Beyond — Anne-Marie Speed
Breathing, Support & Estill II — Royal Academy of Music
Moving Vocal Education into the 21st Century — Meribeth Dayme
The Voice in Violence — Lise Olson, CSSD
21st Century Singer-Teacher Training — Dane Chalfin
The Developing Voice — Deirdre Trundle
Music, Performance & Artist Development
BA (Hons) Music (Composition) & Philosophy
Artist Development — British Academy of New Music (Distinction)
Pro. Performance Diploma (Voice) — London Music School (Distinction)
Diploma in Music
Level 4 NVQ in Live Vocal Performance — London Music School
The Artist’s Way — Julia Cameron
Songwriting Summer School — LIPA
The Gathering — Free voice improvisation with Maggie Nichols
…this list just scratches the surface. I study dozens of courses each year and am committed to long-term learning.
Personal Development & Coaching Certifications
Certified NLP Coach (ABNLP)
Certified TFT Practitioner (ATFT & BTFTA)
Certified Life Coach (MASC)
Diploma in Health & Social Care
Mindfulness Diploma
Certified Hypnotherapy (ABH) & Time Line Therapy Practitioner (TLTA)
WHY I DO THIS WORK
Because every person has a voice that is wholly their own.
Because expression is a human birthright.
Because art—especially uncertain, imperfect, honest art—can free people.
Because the world needs artists who are awake and unafraid.
And because I love this work.
All of it.
The breakthroughs.
The questions.
The quiet moments.
The messy ones.
The songs that rise from nowhere.
The voices that tremble, then steady, then open.
We are all beginners in something.
We are all explorers.
Your story matters.
Your voice matters.
Your work matters.
If something in you is ready—even faintly, even uncertainly—
I’m here.
Jennifer May – Vocal Coach & Artist Mentor
working with serious artists of all abilities – aspiring, emerging, and established-through vocal coaching, artist development and Expressive Voice Work®.
working online worldwide, and offering VIP intensives in London. for singers and recording artists seeking immersive, high-level work.
From the Blog
What Is Vowel Modification?
Vowel modification means making a small adjustment to the shape of a vowel as you sing. Usually, this means making the vowel slightly more open, more closed, more spread or more rounded as the pitch changes. This...
Stop F*cking Hiding
I went to the Tracey Emin exhibition yesterday at Tate. Her work has been an inspiration for me for most of my life. Her immediacy, her boldness, her vulnerability, her...
“I worry our business is becoming risk averse”
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Radiohead Community (@radiohead.one) "It takes time for artists to find their voice, to learn their craft and where it will take them. I worry that our business is becoming...
I really encourage all the singers and artists who work with me to deep dive into who/what they love, to help them know themselves and their trajectory.
Here’s some of the artists I love so you can get to know me!: Tori Amos, Nina Simone, Bob Marley, Billie Eilish, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Melanie, Lady Gaga, Sam Brown, PJ Harvey, Sam Cooke, Björk, Miley Cyrus, Pink Floyd, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Lauryn Hill, Sam Smith, Sinead O’Connor, Nick Cave, Art Blakey, Jeff Buckley, Alicia Keyes, Billie Holiday, Eminem, Patti Smith, John Coltrane, Linda Perry, Maria Callas, London Grammar, Miles Davis, Lana Del Ray, Odetta, Sleaford Mods, Dolly Parton, Sylvia Plath, Big Mama Thornton, Dash Snow, Taylor Swift, Jewel, Tracey Emin, Tracey Chapman, John Lennon, Marvin Gaye, Kate Bush, Yoko Ono, Leonard Cohen, Florence and the machine, Barbra Streisand, Sandy Denny, Martin Luther King, Jesus, Buddha, Cy Twombly, Roberta Flack, Antony Gormley, Rhianna, Velvet Underground, Anne Sexton, Thom Yorke, Schoenberg, Beethoven, Vaughan Williams, Joan Baez, Gus Van Sant, Sean Penn, The Doors, Nirvana, Eddie Vedder, Francesca Woodman….(and maybe you!) :0)
Image credit: Tina Maria Elena
“I sowed a seed, Underneath the oak tree, I trod it in, With my boots I trampled it down. Grow, Grow, Grow” PJ Harvey
If you’re looking for a transformational singing teacher in London look no further!
Every INDIVIDUAL POSSESSES a voice and every voice is important.
We all have the capacity to open our hearts, our minds, and project our voices onto the world. If you feel a pull towards this path, heed its call.
This work is of profound importance for both beginners and seasoned individuals alike. We are all on a constant journey of new beginnings.