About me

My name is Teresa Verney.  I grew up in a large family, one of 6 children and 21 cousins, in a very safe and privileged environment.  It was idyllic in many ways and I am forever grateful to have experienced so much of what I did throughout my childhood.   However, I felt that I was a very small and insignificant person in a crowd of others - through no one's fault, it was just the way it worked out.

At school, music and sport were the things I most enjoyed.  Hovering over me the whole time though was a general feeling of not being good enough and this was reinforced when, at the end, I was not accepted by the London Music College of my choice.

So instead I went to Dartington College, a young, naïve and lonely soul.  Someone fell in love with me and persuaded me to leave college and start a life together, I had no idea how to say no.  Marriage ensued and it wasn't until several years later when a cousin came to stay, that it dawned on me that I had not truly laughed for about 7 years.  It was time to leave.

I trained and then worked as a social worker for the next 15 years, becoming more and more uncomfortable in the situations I found myself.  Meanwhile I had started to sing with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra chorus, and I had taken up the oboe again.  Finally, my teenage dream came true and I was accepted by the Conservatoire to study for a music degree.

Working as a professional musician is a tough job, you are only as good as your last performance and there are many others waiting to take your place.  My interest in the human condition continued to be a major part of my life and I trained and began to work as a psychotherapist.  And then I met Frankie Armstrong. 

She was leading a holiday in Spain entitle 'Find your Voice' - I was enthralled and my experience throughout the week was life changing.   Following this, the focus of my work became the voice.  I started leading Community Singing Groups - where everyone was welcome without audition and my individual therapeutic work became sound based.

In 2008 I unexpectedly moved to North Norfolk and I now live in the very special town of Sheringham with my husband Nick, my dog Oscar.  I run 3 Community Singing Groups, arrange singing holidays and have individual clients for voice work. 

In 2018 I came across Briony Greenhill, a pioneer of the art of Vocal Improvisation.  I went on to attend one of her year long courses and this was yet another point in my life when things dramatically changed.  Through working with her I was able to release so many of my lifelong beliefs about my self, and I have emerged with a far greater understanding of who I am and my unique value in the world.  For that I am immensely grateful.

My voice is my ally and my means of supporting myself, in both good times and bad - it makes no judgement and is totally dependable. 

the background of sound matters

Sound Matters has been 'brewing' inside me for many years.  Firstly as a frustration about my own voice and why I couldn't use it in ways that I wanted to.  Then gradually over the years I have amalgamated a variety of different ideas and techniques which have lead me to what I now offer. 

Since 2000, the people who have most influenced my vocal development have been Frankie Armstrong, the founder of the Natural Voice Network, Anna-Marie Blink, Roy Hart, Kristin Linklater, Chloe Goodchild, and  Hannah Birley who works with the Alexander Technique.   Most recently Briony Greenhill has been my mentor and guide.