Barbara McAfee - Full Voice: The Art and Practice of Vocal Presence

More Praise for Full Voice

A book on voice that is more a book on the art of living through the voice. All true works of prose point back to the essential truthsto be true to ourselves, to express who we are in the world completely, and to communicate fully with others.

Joseph Bailey, psychologist and coauthor of Slowing Down to the Speed of Life: How to Create a More Peaceful, Simpler Life from the Inside Out

Barbaras words are wise and wonderful; the tools are practical and playful. If, indeed, voice is the muscle of the soul, Barbara offers a most pleasurable Olympic training opportunity. What a gift!

Jayne A. Felgen, MPA, RN, President, Creative Health Care Management, and author of I2E2: Leading Lasting Change

This book is a gift and a call to reclaim the deep roots of our own life. It is an invitation to rediscover, embrace, and release the power of our unique voice into the world so our work can be vibrantly alive. It provides language, tools, practices, and stories that illuminate the journey. As an educator, I believe the inspiring ideas and messages in this book must be shared with all children so they understand not only the song that is uniquely theirs to sing but the deep ties between their voice and their calling and how they can bring them to life.

Stephanie Pace Marshall, PhD, Founding President and President Emerita, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, and author of The Power to Transform: Leadership That Brings Learning and Schooling to Life

I found Full Voice such a delight to read! I never anticipated that learning about vocal presence could speak to me on so many levels. The metaphors and examples helped me visualize and connect to the message. And Barbaras intimate writing voice makes it seem as though she is sitting right beside me, talking with me.

Lori Addicks, President, Larkspur Group

Barbara McAfee leads us on a transformational journey in finding our true and authentic voice! This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to make a difference through the use of his or her voice.

James L. Roussin, strategic change consultant, leadership coach, and coauthor of Guiding Professional Learning Communities: Inspiration, Challenge, Surprise, and Meaning

Every life is a journey into song. To find it, however, has often been a mystery that has involved a long, uncertain journey through a dark forest with no clear path to follow. Until now. Full Voice is a magnificent guide that illuminates this path and makes this eternal dream possible. It helps us appreciate that the vulnerability of our voice is also the source of our greatest power, courage, and strength. Every voice is needed now. The world cannot evolve without it. Each of us has a song to sing. Without it, the world will be incomplete.

Michael Jones, pianist, composer, leadership educator, and author of Artful Leadership: Awakening the Commons of the Imagination

I came to Barbara McAfee wanting to learn a song for every occasion. I got that and so much more. Using the simple practices she offers in Full Voice, Barbara taught me how to fill a large hall with my voice, how to hear a chorus of voices and my own at the same time, and how to truly lift off and soar to the heavens. The Tibetans speak of body, mind, and voice, rather than body, mind, and spirit. This book offers wise guidance for opening our voicesand spiritsto their full expression.

Eric Utne, founder, Utne Reader

The Art and Practice
of Vocal Presence

Barbara McAfee

Full Voice

Copyright 2011 by Barbara McAfee

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Ordering information for print editions

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First Edition

Paperback print edition ISBN 978-1-60509-922-4

PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-60509-923-1

IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-60509-924-8

Enhanced IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-60994-114-7

2011-1

Cover design by Valerie Brewster

Book design and production by Beverly Butterfield, Girl of the West Productions

Copyediting by PeopleSpeak

Indexing by Rachel Rice

To free the voice is to free the person.

Kristin Linklater

To my one and only mother

Wynn McAfee

And in memory of my father

W. R. (Bob) McAfee, Jr.

This book makes a large claim. It declares that the quality and meaning of our lives may be dictated by our relationship with our voice. I always thought the voice was God-given. Some can sing; most cannot. Some people are soft-spoken; others can be heard above the crowd. Some are born to speak; others are born to listen. As I get older, my voice gets quieter and I keep asking others to speak more loudly.

This book also says that to find our voice is not about our willingness or ability to find the right words. It is not about speaking even if not spoken to. It is not about being introverted or extroverted. Those frameworks are just stories. When Barbara writes about finding our voice, she means it in the literal sense: the resonance, texture, and subtlety of the sounds that come out of our mouths.

This means that my willingness to inhabit my voice is a major determinant of a fully lived life. This gives new meaning to the phrase living out loud. I thought living out loud meant claiming your freedom, converting fate into destiny, fully occupying the space the world has handed you. I can now see that living out loud has to include finding and shaping the sound of your voice, not just the willingness to be noticed and make a splash.