For our My Journey to Central blog series, we caught up with Voice Studies: Teaching and Coaching MFA student, Graham D’Souza. He is currently studying at Central and is due to graduate in 2023.
What were you doing before you came to Central?
I have been teaching voice and speech all around Mumbai, India - over the last 8 years. I was working with an expansive demo graph ranging from children to retired professionals, speech impediments, actors, preachers and public speakers of all kinds. My work was deeply involved with the underprivileged community in my city, to whom I taught English and basic communication skills. I also worked in the theatre as an actor and voice coach and have been active in the voice over industry over the last decade. In 2013, I started my own Brand of education in Mumbai called “GramoVox” which ran to help anyone and everyone discover and nurture their individual sound.
Can you tell us more about GramoVox?
I started GramoVox in 2013 with no social media or brand presence other than a humble practice from home whilst I attended college. I strongly wanted to teach voice my way as I had a very different take to what a voice teacher/coach should be. Working with India’s diversity in race, financial standings, and demography, I have learned the role and demands of a voice coach from them and oftentimes all that is required to draw out the voice is an attentive listener and kind guidance. As an industry, the voice doesn’t quite exist back home as most of our people don’t have a voice. I aim towards a ‘Reformed Vocal Guidance’ with GramoVox and look to make it an institute of the vocal arts one day, mainly serving those who wish to develop their truest expression.
How did you find out about Central?
I heard about Central and was immediately drawn to it when I read about it in a book which spoke about the founder, Elsie Fogerty. Her pioneering work with stammerers and actors in the English speaking world was so profound and it resembled my ambition almost completely. This was followed with the realisation that many master teachers of the UK Free Voice, who I studied theoretically and to a degree of practice, are all alumni of the school (Cicely Berry, Patsy Rodenburg, Christina Shewell, Catherine Fitzmaurice - to name a few) I found out about it and found it out excitedly in volume!
How did you decide to apply to Central?
As a former stammerer myself and having been associated with the voice from the time I was a child, I was quite clear about what exactly I was looking for in order to propel my work forward. As I matured, my time was spent in helping the people of my country find their voice; especially the financially underprivileged, the reticent and those eager to make themselves heard.
After a little research, it was quite clear that Central’s Voice Studies: Teaching and Coaching MA/MFA course was exactly the right one for me. It had the perfect mix for my practice and is world renowned for producing the best vocal coaches/ voices teachers.
What advice would you give to someone that is thinking about applying to
Central?
Don’t worry, keep an open mind. You will grow with everyday and the course ensures that you do. If you are an international student like myself, settling in a new country is hard but Central is currently strong against racism and relentless on inclusion and no matter what you may tend to feel, you will be at home whilst in school.
What have you enjoyed most about your time on your course?
The openness of the classroom and the education - the freedom to question and challenge theories no matter how well founded or revered. The teaching style is very different from what they have in India, and that alone is changing me significantly on a daily basis; I’m loving it!!
What has surprised you the most about your course?
This course has surpassed my expectations. Being the foundational course of the school at the Albert Hall all those many years ago is evident in its rich legacy and constant quest in guiding the pedagogue and equipping them with the tools to empower the voices around them. I am conditioned daily with kindness from my facilitators, and that influence is often underplayed as it ultimately formulates your teaching style and the way you handle a class in several challenging situations. It is a brilliant course in my experience, and its energy stems from the Principal and Course Leader.
What do you plan to do after you graduate?
I wish to continue the work I started - but on a larger, more significant scale. I want to take my work beyond India, to different communities and help people realise the power and majesty of their vocal instrument.
If you would like to see more of Graham’s work, check out GramoVox. You can also follow him on Instagram @graham.dsouza and Facebook @gramovox.in.
You can also listen to more about Graham’s work and journey with the voice on The Thinking Voice Podcast. The episode releases this February. Graham is being interviewed by Stephen King, a leading voice practitioner & Founder of The Voice Care Centre and Vocal Health Education.
Learn more about the Voice Studies: Teaching and Coaching MA/MFA at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
