Sharing the Mic - Lydia Flock of FLOCKSTARS Coaching is Redefining How To Train The Voice

I had the pleasure of doing a Q&A with Lydia Flock, the talented and innovative founder of the holistic voice and singing coaching company, FLOCKSTARS.

This dynamic soul is really redefining how the human voice can be trained.

Lydia is a graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama’s MA in Music Theatre programme where she conducted research on the interactions between voicework and well-being.

Based on her research is her unique method to training the voice - The FLOCK Flow.

Lydia’s method struck me because she addresses the mind-body-voice connection.

She addresses the whole artist.

Her holistic approach is essential for the arts community in the UK, particularly when we consider the additional stress that COVID-19 has placed on artists.

Artists need an empathetic approach.

Lydia’s method, The Flock Flow, is exactly that.

In combining somatic resilience training methods like Organic Intelligence® and cognitive healing methods like mindfulness and meditation with the most current speaking and singing voice pedagogy, Lydia Flock is redefining how to train the voice.

Now to Share the Mic, please enjoy my Q&A with Lydia below.

Transcriptions included after each question.

Q: Tell me about Flockstars Coaching in 60s or less.

A: My mission at Flockstars is to, “use the speaking and singing voice as a vehicle for healing, confidence building, and personal growth”.

Based on my research I conducted on the interactions between voicework and well-being at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, I have created my unique approach to training the voice called “The Flock Flow”.

Yes, Flock is my surname, but in the land of the Flock Flow, it stands for Formatting a life you’ll love, Loving thoughts, Open heart, Confident action, Killer results.

The Flock Flow combines voice science with somatic and cognitive healing methods such as mindfulness, meditation, and other speaking voice techniques.

Flockstars offers coaching of singing and voice technique, speech and accents, public speaking, audition prep, and exam prep (UK only).

Everything is currently online due to COVID-19 but usually I offer online lessons in person in London or online via Skype. Either way, we have a lot of fun.

Q: What are 3 things that motivated you to create Flockstars?

A: Failure, curiosity, and dedication.

My feelings of failure began when I was about 17 and I suffered from a vocal injury at a time when I really needed my voice most.

My voice injury created feelings of shame and anxiety around my voice.

Even after I healed from my vocal injury, I took a lot of those feelings of shame and anxiety to my studies and performances.

Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore and my feelings of failure turned into curiosity.

I was at one of the top musical theatre programs in America but I wasn’t enjoying myself anymore. I needed to figure out why, how did I lose my joy and how can I get it back.

Why wasn’t my voice doing the things I needed it to do?

This is where dedication comes in.

After switching schools and taking the pressure off myself, I realised I could have way more fun and my vocal health could be more consistent.

I decided to go back into training, got my masters and conducted research that became the foundation of The Flock Flow and thus Flockstars was born.

Q: Why do clients come to you?

A: Clients come to me because they want to feel good.

Whether that be in learning how to sing for the first time ever, learning more advanced technique, accents, or preparing for an audition or presentation, my clients want to be confident.

They want to actually enjoy themselves when they present or perform. I know what it is like to not feel confident, to be anxious even. Because of this, I am able to empathise with my clients and create a space where we can leave fight or flight at the door and relish in the “stay and play”.

Q: What are 3 key things you’d like people to know about Flockstars?

A: If you are a “Flockstar” or thinking about working with me and becoming one, know that all my lessons are bespoke.

The Flock Flow is malleable and is applied at a pace that works best for you and in a format that works best for you.

The Flock Flow is great for all ages and any level of experience.

It is particularly great for anxious performers but it is also great for beginners and children who are working to build confidence.

I really straddle the balance between being scientific and unscientific.

Although I am all about the kumbaya, essential oils, yoga mats galore, I am also a huge voice science nerd.

Being paradoxically scientific and unscientific is important for a balanced voice practice, and also really important for achieving a flow state in practice or performance.

I am not about the “master and apprentice” model. I encourage my clients to be curious about their voices. We discover things together.

Q: What are 3 experiences your clients say they’ve had with you that have impacted them immensely?

A: One client said,

Working with someone who directly understands and relates to my insecurities was so helpful…the specific exercises opened up a whole new world of vocal thought for me, showing me that I can have control over what my voice becomes.

Another client came to me thinking they might be tone deaf but they really wanted to sing soprano repertoire.

After working with me, I was able to help them have much greater pitch accuracy and they are actually able to sing those soprano songs that they never thought they could sing before!

Lastly, a client came to me because they had no vocal experience at all but needed to sing something for a big event coming up.

This client came to me hoping to learn how to sing as quickly as possible (and they did) but they also ended up experiencing a big increase in feelings of confidence around singing, themselves and their voice.

Q: Where would you like to take Flockstars in the future?

A: I would love Flockstars to become one of the top holistic vocal coaching studios in London and internationally online.

I am planning to conduct qualitative and quantitative research on my method, The Flock Flow.

A big goal of mine is to present my work at various voice conferences around the world and eventually patent and/or trademark my method.

With all these things considered, I would love Flockstars to reach a wider audience and inspire people to enjoy their voices and feel safe and informed when using them.

Q: How can viewers explore further with you?

A: If you are interested in getting in touch or booking a lesson, please email me at lydia@flockstars.com or visit the website www.flockstars.com.

I would also really welcome any Instagram DMs @flockstarscoaching.

I have a lot of free resources on my website and Instagram, so please do follow along. I would love to hear about your voice journey and voice goals.

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I hope you enjoyed this quick Q&A with the budding leader that is Lydia Flock. I really do believe that she is someone with extraordinary promise.

She is a pioneer in her field, redesigning the landscape that is voice work and voice training.

Be sure to follow Flockstars and check out my very own “Sharing the Mic” blog piece about The Creative Genius with Lydia on the Flockstars blog page.