top of page
Writer's picturedavidgillman

Singing is living with John Oxley

In 1998, I discovered a branch of the family distantly related to mine. They were related to my Great-Grandmother who married into the Gillman branch of my family shortly after the turn of the 20th Century.


Dame Nellie Melba

I was to find, because of one phone call to Bristol, England, that a whole new world of discovery and learning was about to happen for me. It turns out that there is a strong affinity for music in my family. My fifth cousin was one of Australia’s most famous opera singers, Dame Nellie Melba. It also turns out that my third cousin, John Oxley, has also played a very important role in music during his career in performance and teaching.


John Oxley started singing in the local church choir when he was nine years old. He attributed his interest in continuing to sing to his sister Gwendoline, who would accompany him on piano. John was taught by some of the top singing instructors of his day. He then went on to perform for the BBC and at London’s West End after the Second World War ended in 1945.


John Oxley & Jeremy Irons

For over 60 years, John has not only performed on stage, but has also instructed some of our most famous and important singers and actors.


As of writing, John is now retired at the age of 96. He is still very active in the singing world. Having accumulated many years of knowledge of vocals, projection and delivery, he has combined this knowledge into his new singing training course on Udemy . http://udemy.com/naturalsinging


With his encyclopaedic knowledge of music, he continues to correspond with anyone who has questions about his techniques and delivery of sound. John’s course has already reached over 850 students worldwide and the numbers are steadily growing.


John Oxley teaching a class of young singers

In my opinion, this is one of the highest valued courses at the lowest price you can find. The tools that John shares would normally cost you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to acquire. I have this course myself and refer to it often, not as a singing performer but as a public speaker. There is much you can learn from singing which translates exceptionally well into public speaking.


John’s warm up lessons at the beginning of his course, covers the mechanics of how to focus your sound which is incredibly important when you are on stage. Knowing how certain cavities located in your facial area should vibrate, breathing techniques and control of voice are also very important to understand.


It’s also vital to know how to project your voice in an environment where you must be heard by everyone. This is one of the most important aspects of making yourself heard and can be used to advance your career, in whichever field you work.


Think about being heard in a board meeting. Do you know where your face is directed when you are dispensing important financial figures or strategies to your executive team, managers or your staff? I have on occasion observed people giving presentations turning their backs to the whole room in order to look at a screen behind them. This is while they are discussing the key points of a critical restructuring or major company policy or strategy.


Think about a crowded sports stadium. You as coach must get your team to huddle around so they can hear your instructions, particularly at a critical moment in the game. Of course, you may not be singing to your team, but you must certainly be heard by everyone. John teaches you to do just that. He makes you heard. It’s a technique that not everyone has access to.


John Oxley & David Gillman

Before I met John or knew of his singing course, I had no idea about projection. I used to think that if I could maintain a lot of breath and use it to throw my voice that everyone should be able to hear me. Unfortunately, this strategy wears you out quickly. I have some experience learning this the hard way!


Conservation of energy, proper practice and understanding the principles of focusing your voice with an economy of energy is one of John’s foundation lessons for successful public performance.


Once you begin the course, if you decide that singing as a hobby or an interest is worth pursuing to higher levels of achievement, you have an excellent teacher to guide you on your journey.


As a life coach, I have one other beneficial message to offer. Seek out your distant relatives particularly those whom have valuable information to offer. The world is a much smaller place if you reach out to it. Our technology allows us to bridge not only distance gaps but time gaps as well.


If it weren’t for the proper use of technology, I would never have had the means to maintain my friendship with my cousin John and the many hard-earned lessons he has shared with me on his 96 year journey on Earth. It has restarted and maintained a connection between our two families and the welcome visitation of family members to the opposite sides of the world.


To enrol in John Oxley’s course, please click on the following link: http://udemy.com/naturalsinging


To learn more about John Oxley, visit his website: http://www.naturalsinging.co.uk/

354 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page