My awesome project is to teach awesome Chicago women how to scream safely. I am a vocalist in a metal band, and people are often surprised to hear me speak after a show. They expect my voice to be raspy, cracked or injured--not realizing the amount of technique that goes into a single performance. I would like to share my technique with women (singers or not) in the Chicago area who are interested in learning how to strengthen their voice.

I was inspired to do this idea because of a vocal workshop I led for GirlsRock! Chicago. The girls, age 12-15, were a mix of vocalists and instrumentalists of all skill levels. We went through a series of exercises that I perform in my own practice and after, shared our experiences. I remember the girls using words like "liberated," "strong," and "badass" and immediately knew that I wanted to provide a similar workshop to adult women.

My plan is to offer three, 90-minute workshops on scream technique in three different areas of Chicago during Women's History Month (March). I've approached a local organization, Black & Brown Babes, that fully supports this idea and can help in terms of booking space and marketing the event.

I think this project will be relevant to two types of women: singers who are interested in expanding their rock vocals and non-singers who use their speaking voice on a regular basis (teachers, telemarketers, managers, etc).