The Crazy Wisdom Community Journal • May through August 2022 • Page 70
Healing with Sound
Chris McCall — Beyond the Voice Box
Church choir director. My dad worked at Ford, but he started out in show business. He was an MC at a nightclub in Windsor called the Elmwood Casino, a place on the national night club circuit. They had the Rat Pack in there, and people like Sammy Davis Jr. He knew people like that well and he had this whole life in that world. But, when I came along, baby number six, he took a job at Ford Motor Company, hung up his tuxedo, and put on a security uniform. He worked at Ford for 35 years. Madonna Gauding: Did he work in security for his entire career? Chris McCall: He started in security and retired as a fire supervisor. My parents continued to be activists and were committed to the city of Detroit. And there was music. There were lots of musicians in my family. Music was our life. That’s what our holidays were all about, usually revolving around the Church. Madonna Gauding: You mean you sat around and sang in your family? Chris McCall: We did, we actually did! (laughter) We sang when we washed the dishes, in harmony, I’m not kidding!
When the whole extended family would get together, every one of us had their special song. At some point in the night somebody would start calling out each person to stand up and perform. — Chris McCall MG: That sounds made up . . . CM: It does! (laughter) When the whole extended family would get together, every one of us had their special song. At some point in the night somebody would start calling out each person to stand up and perform. MG: Your family was so musical!
By Madonna Gauding Photography by Hilary Nichols Chris McCall was born and raised in Detroit. She grew up in a large, musical family where everyone sang at family events. Today, at 54, she is a professional singer, songwriter, voice coach, life coach, and meditation counselor. She still lives in the Detroit area, in a cheerful, green bungalow in Redford Township, with her three rescued cats, Monkey, Kosmo, and Eilley. Over decades, she has helped hundreds of students find, free, and use their voice in all its fullness and depth. Her unique approach goes beyond the voice box and focuses on the whole body. Through mediation and other techniques, she helps students release long held emotions that cause contractions in the body that restrict the voice. Her coaching is available to anyone who wants to open and relax their voice, for whatever reason: singing, acting, public speaking or personal development. A long-time practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, and Vipassana Meditation, she brings her deep Buddhist training to her voice work, life coaching, and meditation counseling. Her studio is on Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor. Madonna Gauding: Tell me a little bit about yourself, your family and where you grew up. Chris McCall: I was born and raised in Detroit and I’m number six out of seven kids. My parents were activists. They worked hard to get Coleman Young elected mayor and I remember him being at our house. My mom was a music teacher and Catholic
CM: I am really grateful for that. In my work, all the time, I hear people say they are afraid to sing, or they shouldn't, or someone told them they couldn't sing, and it upsets me. Shows like American Idol, or the Voice, promote the idea that only the very talented can or should sing. When I was growing up, everybody sang, and not everybody was headed for a professional career. My dad was a pro, so when he stood up it would be one thing, but there were lots of friends and family members who stood up to sing because they enjoyed singing. We loved every minute of it.
Shows like American Idol, or the Voice, promote the idea that only the very talented can or should sing. When I was growing up, everybody sang… — Chris McCall MG: Full disclosure: We’ve known each other for many decades. I’ve known you as a long-time meditator, Buddhist spiritual practitioner, as well as a wonderful singer, performer, and voice teacher. I am confessing now that I have always been intimidated by singing, and especially intimated by you and other people we know who can sing really well. It’s very emotional for me to say that. So, I think I am definitely a candidate for your work. My voice is so constricted, and my range is so limited. Can you help somebody like me? CM: Oh, I think so. Yes. MG: Someone like me who feels she can’t sing at all, who feels a tightness in her voice, even when talking?
