Speakbeak Speech Therapy and Song Studio

18/06/2026

I was packing away materials after a Songbirds singing class this evening and came across these small notes and doodles on the back of some music sheets.

It is indeed a privilege to feel I'm creating something that means so much to these children. ❤️🎶

12/06/2026

Are we paying enough attention to the musical preferences of the boys in our lives?

I've been pondering something lately...

In my speech pathology work, around 80% of the children I work with are boys. Yet in my singing groups, boys make up only around a 2% proportion of my singing students.

It has made me wonder: are we overlooking something?

For those of you raising young boys (around ages 5–10), what music do they genuinely enjoy?

Not just what's playing in the car, or what the rest of the family listens to, but the songs they actively request, sing to themselves, move to, or light up when they hear.

Do they have strong preferences? Have those preferences surprised you? Do they gravitate towards the same music as siblings or parents, or have they developed tastes all their own?

And perhaps the bigger question... do we take the time to ask? Or do we simply assume they'll enjoy whatever the family is already listening to?

As someone who works with children, I've started to wonder whether boys are given the same opportunities to explore and express their own musical identities, or whether we sometimes overlook what genuinely engages them.

I'd love to hear your observations. What are the boys in your world listening to, singing, humming, dancing to, or requesting on repeat? 🎶

(Image source unknown – vintage photograph shared widely online. Please let me know if you know the original photographer or archive so I can provide proper credit.)

09/06/2026

❄️ SCHOOL HOLIDAY FUN IS HERE! ❄️

Join us for Bards & Birds: Winter Whimsy Workshop — a magical day of singing, street theatre, circus skills, storytelling, movement, creativity, and fun!

A collaboration between Speakbeak Songbirds (that's me!), Fiddlesticks Performing Arts and Backyard Bards Gippsland this workshop is perfect for children aged 6–10 who love to sing, create, imagine, perform, and make new friends.

Places are limited, so jump in early! 🎭🎶✨

🎟️ Bookings via Eventbrite – link in comments

05/06/2026

Professional development comes in many forms. This weekend involves a stage, a score, and a very full heart 🎶

28/05/2026

A little bit vulnerable posting this…

After a very long break (let’s just say… around 20 years 😅), I’ve been back in proper classical voice training for the past 2.5 weeks for a little project quietly sitting on the backburner.

It’s humbling, exciting, frustrating, joyful, and very exposing all at once — but also a good reminder that it’s never too late to return to something you love.

Sharing a tiny snippet of the process, imperfect as it is 🎶

26/05/2026

This is exactly why I love combining speech pathology and singing/music work with children ❤️

So much of what looks like “just music” is actually supporting listening, language, literacy, confidence, communication, connection, and joy — all at the same time.

Thanks Full Voice Music for all the inspiration you provide 🌟

Did you know your voice studio is secretly a literacy lab? ✨

When we work with our young singers, we aren't just teaching them to hit the right notes. We are actually reinforcing the foundational "Science of Reading" through every rhyme, rhythm, and song.

It’s a powerful talking point for parents, and a great reminder of the deep value you provide!

Early literacy relies heavily on phonological awareness. In the voice studio, this happens naturally through:

✔ Rhyming Games: Helping kids decode language patterns.
✔ Steady Beat: Building the cadence and "flow" of reading.
✔ Articulation: Training the muscle memory needed for phonics.
✔ Lyric Exploration: Bridging the gap between hearing and seeing.

Musical play is brain-building work that gives students a head start (even if they think they’re just playing! 😜).

By nurturing their voices, you’re nurturing their ability to communicate with the world.

And that is a very big deal.

24/05/2026

This quote stopped me in my tracks today 💛

“Music is a superpower. It can help the shy become confident beyond measure. It can help the quiet find their voice. It can help the lonely find the friends they’ve always wanted. Music changes lives.”

It resonated deeply with me because music gave me a place to belong in my own childhood too.

So much of why I’m passionate about creating gentle, nurturing musical experiences for young children comes back to this. Music gives children a way to connect, express, belong, imagine, and be seen without pressure — especially those who are shy, sensitive, quietly creative, or still building confidence in themselves and their communication 🎶

22/05/2026

🎶 Singing Lessons for Little Voices 🎶

I’m excited to announce my latest offering, individual singing sessions for children in their 4-year-old kindergarten year, or first year of primary school (Ages 4 - 6).

These sessions are ideal for children who:
• absolutely love to sing
• are shy or quietly finding their confidence
• would benefit from gentle encouragement using their voice
• enjoy music, imagination, movement, and connection
• thrive in calm, nurturing one-on-one settings

Lessons are playful, relationship-based, and carefully paced to help children feel safe, capable, and successful. Through singing, musical games, rhythm, listening, imitation, and creative play, children gradually build confidence in themselves and their communication.

As both a speech pathologist and classically trained singer, I bring a strong understanding of early childhood communication development, while keeping sessions firmly grounded in joy, music, connection, and the natural development of the child’s voice.

Parent involvement is warmly encouraged, particularly for younger or more hesitant children, as shared musical experiences can be such a powerful way to strengthen connection and confidence 💛

Based in Warragul. Feel free to send me a message if you’d like to chat about whether sessions might be a good fit for your child.

17/05/2026

Lately I’ve been reflecting a lot on the role opportunities for children to listen to music. Not in the old “Mozart makes you smarter” kind of way, but in a much more human, connected, embodied sense. Music that they might not initially gravitate towards (okay okay - K-Pop Demon Hunters has its place, but....)

A couple of podcasts and books I’ve been exploring lately seem to circle around a similar idea: children don’t just need to hear music. They need to participate in it.

They need opportunities to move their bodies to it. Feel the pulse. Beat out rhythms. Notice changes in mood and dynamics. Ask questions. Pretend. Create. Respond. Laugh. Spin. Freeze. Play. Listen actively rather than passively.

Classical music is incredible for this because it is so rich with contrast, storytelling, tension, release, colour, and emotion. Children instinctively respond to that when they are given permission to engage with it physically and creatively.

Each week in Songbirds classes, I very sneakily introduce different classical works — sometimes as part of our physical warm up, and sometimes during a fabulous end-of-session “jam” where the children experiment with percussion, movement, rhythm and imaginative play.

The reaction is almost always the same:
“Again again AGAIN!!”

I believe that our children are often far more open to complex and beautiful music than we give them credit for. They just need a way into it. 🌟

09/05/2026

To all the incredible mums I have the privilege of working alongside every week — Happy Mother’s Day 💛

The behind-the-scenes work you do for your children is extraordinary. The appointments, advocacy, emotional load, repetition, worry, patience, celebrating tiny wins, holding it together when things feel hard… it never goes unnoticed.

Last week, I found this note on my whiteboard from my daughter. One of those little moments I want to hold onto tightly, while time somehow feels like it’s slipping through my fingers.

Hope today includes at least one quiet coffee, a warm cuddle, or maybe even five uninterrupted minutes to yourself ☕️ 🫂