There is no such thing as good or bad singing, only free or less free.

Our collective liberation needs ALL of our voices, especially those who have most often been silenced or shushed or told they “should” sound a certain way.

The wildness and wisdom in your blood and your bones in connected to the wildness and wisdom in your breath and in your voice.

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THIS COULD BE A GREAT MATCH FOR YOU IF:

*You have always yearned to feel free when singing but don’t know where to start.

*You don’t have formal singing training but love to sing and would like to feel more free and connected to your heart and body when you sing.

*You have formal singing training but sometimes feel disconnected from your heart and body when you sing with those tools.

*You are transgender and are exploring new ways of singing and honoring your voice (with or without HRT) that feel like home to you.

*You have have been told that you “can’t sing” and/or have experienced trauma connected to your voice, and you are looking for a gentle, trauma-informed way to ease back into singing.

*You are longing for more Queer and Trans community.

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There will be 10 sessions, online on ZOOM,

Monday nights, 7-9pm*, from January 13th-March 17th 2025

(*except the first session and last session, which go a little longer: 7-9:30pm ET)

The cohort will be made up of no more than 16 people.

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MORE INFO + SCHEDULE:

Sessions will contain vocal exercises and explorations, written reflection, opportunities for discussion and community connection, plus some singing together. There will be an option to have one-on-one support with me, as well. No one is required to ever sing out loud for anyone else, but there will be some opportunities to do so, if you choose to.

Sessions are recorded, but they are only available for the week after each class. The main intention of recording is so that folx can re-listen to the lesson or practice along afterward. I highly recommend coming in real time, as most participants have given me the feedback that the community connection in real time is as much or greater support to their singing (and their souls!) as the lesson/practices parts.

This workshop will center Trans and Queer voices, and also this is open to everyone! Queer, to me, is as much about who you are accountable to as who you love. If you have questions about whether this community is a good fit for you, feel free to reach out to me to check in about it.

1) CONNECTION: Monday, 1/13, from **7-9:30pm** ET (please note, this first session is longer than the others)

2) TRUST: Monday, 1/20, from 7-9pm ET

3) BREATH: Monday, 1/27, from 7-9pm ET

4) POWER: Monday, 2/3, from 7-9pm ET

5) FLOW: Monday, 2/10, from 7-9pm ET

6) CONSISTENCY: Monday, 2/17, from 7-9pm ET

7) MAGIC!: Monday, 2/24, from 7-9pm ET (please note, this session is on a Tuesday not on a Sunday)

8) REVIEW: Monday, 3/3, from 7-9pm ET

9) EASE: Monday, 3/10, from 7-9pm ET

10) CELEBRATION: Monday, 3/17, from **7-9:30pm** ET (please note, this first session is longer than the others)

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ABOUT THE FACILITATOR:

My name is Orion (they/he), and I am a non-binary transgender faggot witch and community minister. I have been singing on stages for over thirty years but I really found my voice when singing with others in the streets.

I’ve taught private + group voice lessons off and on for over 15 years, and everything I offer is rooted in our collective healing and liberation.

Please seemy Voice Coaching page for more info about my vocal philosophies and teaching approach.

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ACCESSIBILITY INFO:

This workshop is designed to work for a wide range of abilities and bodies. Disabled and neurodivergent folks are warmly encouraged to join! Auto captions/Transcript will be provided (from Rev.com and Zoom). It is always okay to adapt and/or opt out of anything, as is right for you in the moment. Please let me know what other access needs you would like me to hold with you on the form when you register, and/or email me directly with requests or questions: workwithorion@gmail.com.

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SLIDING SCALE CONTRIBUTION:

$600-$250 for this 10 week workshop (for 20+ hours of class time plus resources, reflection, and community connection in between sessions).

If these rates are not accessible to you, I recommend checking out the self-paced / pre-recorded version of this same course at this link.

If you go to register and the price tier that is right for you is already sold out, feel free to reach out to me at workwithorion@gmail.com, and I can add you to the waitlist.

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AT COST: $400

Consider paying this amount if doing so would be an investment, but not create hardship for your household. You might choose this rate if you are able to regularly meet your basic needs and have some expendable income, can travel every couple years without burden, and have some debt but are able to pay it regularly. This is the rate I need most folx to contribute in order for me to be sustained in this offering.

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A BIT MORE: $600

Please consider paying this amount if you are comfortably able to meet your basic needs, own the home you live in, have paid or pay for private education, travel recreationally, have access to financial savings and/or investments, have reliable work or do not have to work to meet your needs, have inherited wealth, and/or have increased earning privilege due to your race, gender, or education. This rate is a pay-it-forward rate that makes it viable for me to work with more folx who need a lower rate.

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A LITTLE LESS: $250 (4 spots available)

Consider paying this amount if you have limited expendable income, have little or no access to financial support from family, have significant debt, and little or no access to savings. This is a discounted rate.

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PAY-WHAT-YOU-WANT: $0 (2 spots available) I offer 2 pay-what-you-want spots per cohort. Black folx, Indigenous folx, other People of Color, trans women and trans femmes to the front. If you want to check in about whether or not this is the right tier for you, feel free to email me at workwithorion@gmail.com

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TESTIMONIALS FROM PAST COHORT MEMBERS:

“Orion called to me from across a cavern of fear and helped me know my voice was enough without needing to do anything or effort to make it "bettter"- my voice just gets to be. That gift is tremendous- to know however I develop my voice is not from any place of lack but from a place of growing what it already does.” -Jules Pashall

"This course taught me to turn off the spigot of nastiness from every teacher or mentor (from my extensive Musical Theater and Opera training) who had disparaged me running on a loop in my brain. After studying music my entire life, I had been surprised to know how many more textures and sounds the world could hold. I cried a lot the first time I realized I was allowing my voice to pour from me, rather than spray, project, or filter it. I hadn't really ever heard me. Not in over 30 years of study. I had no idea until I took this course what my voice could be or who I was, and I often wonder what my natural voice could have done if I'd found this course as a child. I find such vitality in knowing that I now have the rest of my life to hear myself as I am." -Holly Hurley Feather

"I struggled with the decision to start hormones because I didn't want to lose the singing voice I learned to really love. I chose gender euphoria, and as my vocal cords thickened on testosterone, I grew in love with my talking voice and wary of my new singing voice. In Orion's Vocal Freedom Workshop, I was shown how to tend to the instrument I had grown angry with and meet it with curiosity and appreciation. I might still have moments of judgement and frustration, but I learned to love singing again! Shortly after taking the workshop, I came across Forefront Church in Brooklyn (An LGBT affirming, anti-racist, nondenominational church, I finally found the place for my soul's renewal.) Once I started attending, I knew that I wanted to join the worship team. I was bringing it all together and bringing it back to where it first started when I was a wee kiddo: using my voice to connect with my God. I even lead worship sometimes! I honestly would have never gotten to this point of comfort and appreciation for my new (and beautifully deep) trans voice if it wasn't for the Vocal Freedom Workshop." -Daniel-José S. Cyan

"The Vocal Freedom Workshop helped me find my voice again after transitioning and feeling disconnected from my voice for 3 years. My mom’s voice is very high and I was able to find a falsetto voice to sing freely with her and also use my low voice to sing with her at a different octave. I was very delighted. Other voices joined in and we were able to weave in and out in harmony. I had missed this so much when my voice first changed." -Keath Silva

“Orion challenges you to eschew judgement, seek truth, joy and embodied presence in everything you do, to articulate goals and stay accountable to them through the inevitable setbacks, and to cultivate an attitude of grace and gentle consistency.”

"Freeing my voice in this container has been a wonderful experience as a trauma survivor, trans person, and artist. My voice in the world feels more connected with personal pleasure and is no longer a trigger of shame or fear since working with Orion in this dynamic and care-full way."

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I look forward to singing with you!!!