Dear friend 💜,

How are you doing? The energy at the end of this August has been really intense for me. Maybe you've felt exhausted or overwhelmed, or energized. Maybe things have fallen away that no longer serve you, or something old that you love has entered back into your life. Maybe something new has begun and the old way of doing things has just crumbled. Or maybe you're simply feeling the busy-ness of this season of new school years and new endeavors, digging into the hard work of fall to bring our labors to harvest.

For me, this has translated into deeply pondering how we get our voices out into the world. It's no small feat, and it's not just how, but what message we send out with our voices. What energy is it vibrating with?

In my studio, we're always talking about the vibrations of our voice, how they reverberate within our own bodies and out into the world. Have you ever heard yourself on a recording and been appalled? We talk about this all the time, because the feedback we hear of our own voice comes largely from our inner ear, the dark, soft sounds in the back of the throat. The bright, cutting sounds that come out the front of our mouth are what other people hear more of, and we hear less of. The low wavelengths move slower but are bigger; the high notes move faster but their waves are actually smaller.

If you've heard any of my vocal spiels, you've heard me talk about chiaroscuro, the concept of dark and light existing within the same thing. In visual art, they often refer to the concept with Rembrandt. I still remember staring at his The Return of the Prodigal Son in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia when I was on a trip in college and it has stuck with me ever since.

Vocally, having both existing at the same time is where I believe our voices gain the most beauty, in having both dark and bright sounds together. It's not easy to make. Adding the full spectrum of color through resonance and overtones to the voice is one of the most exciting and challenging goals of vocal study.

As someone who has always been thinking, teaching, and searching about the powerful capacity of the human voice, I can't help but reflect, as so many of us have been, on the incredible life of Dolly Parton, her bright cutting distinct voice, and how she used her voice so powerfully for good in this world.

Hers was a voice that came from poverty, a feminine voice, emerging at the very beginning of the women's movement. Somehow, with her brilliance, she built a powerful platform and preached love through her songs, her actions, and her words. I think with her passing, everyone is realizing just how incredible this feat was.

So often, when a powerful message comes from a marginalized voice, it gets shut down, pushed aside, claimed by another, or violently silenced. I think one of her superpowers was two-fold. First, she put on a kind of suit of armor that made her seem non-threatening to the patriarchy. I love the story of how she came to embrace the way she dressed: when her family came into town from the remote Appalachian mountains, there was a beautiful woman she wanted to be like, and only later did she realize the town considered that woman the "town whore." By embracing that persona, she somehow didn't threaten the patriarchy, and was embraced instead.

Her other superpower seems to be the brilliant way she used boundaries. That suit of armor helped her protect her personal life. I loved hearing her speak about uplifting everyone, but refusing to answer any question that would pull her into negativity. She had boundaries about protecting her family and how she engaged with the world in every way.

This is particularly profound for me because I have always struggled with boundaries. My mom was the most loving woman, and she believed deeply in self-sacrifice which blurred my ability to understand and use boundaries as I grew.

Dolly somehow mastered the art of giving and loving in a Christian way but with boundaries. And I find it fascinating that she didn't live the conservative definition of a Christian woman, so often characterized by self-sacrifice, humbleness, a modest appearance, and no room to preach or lead. She was quite the opposite, yet she preached and lived the message of unconditional love clearly and powerfully.

And this is exactly the point where I wish this wasn't a one-way conversation. I dream of being able to chat with you, not just about Dolly, but about how we get these powerful voices of love out into the world. Which is why I'm so excited to share that my online network, Voices of Healing, has opened!

It's a place where anyone who wants to share, lift up, and delve into finding their authentic voice can gather, a "digital hearth" if you will. A bit like a Facebook group, except on our own private, sacred network and we actually get together on zoom and connect! We'll kick everything off on September 13th at 7 PM Central, but you can jump on the platform now and get started and register for the event. It's free. Just click the link below, make a profile, say hello, and jump into conversation!

Explore and Join!

I have some other big things to share next month, but Voices of Healing is a dream I've held for many years. If you're feeling curious, click the button above and check it out. I hope to connect with you there.

And whatever you're carrying this season, know that I'm sending you so much love for all of your challenges and endeavors.

Love and Light,

💜Mary Jane

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Local Opportunities!

It has been wonderful to see you all in August. Reminder the first week of Sept. I am out of the studio. A few things to know for the fall:

Sunday lesson times —I am greatly reducing my Sunday availability as part of my "boundary work". This is the last year that I will have both of my kids at home and I want to spend as much time with them as possible. You will see some Sunday times appear on my schedule, but not very often. Please reach out if you are having trouble finding time to book sessions and I can work with you!!

Booking lessons — Single sessions are now available only in packages: you can purchase three, six, or twelve. Just reply to this email with any questions and we’ll get you on the schedule.

Vocal Empowerment Workshop — Saturday, October 10th, 10 AM–1 PM — I offer this workshop just twice a year, and the first is coming up. Whether you’ve been before or it would be your first time, I would love to have you there, new friends and old. It’s going to be an incredible morning together at Riverside Theatre. You can register HERE​

Reminder of new scheduling policies — I’ve updated my rescheduling and cancellation policies so I can serve as many people as possible. When you open my scheduling link, please take a moment to read them.

Upcoming concerts — The two concert dates are already on the calendar on my website HERE. Check them out and mark them down!

Any questions at all, please reach out — reply to this email or call me at 319-594-3272.

Love you all!

💜Mj