Nichola Leech VHP

In 2016, I was diagnosed with small early onset nodules and a vocal haemorrhage. It felt like my career was over right when I was in the peak of it. During the time leading up to my diagnosis I was working myself too hard, I was over using my voice and mis using my voice which led to my injuries. When I lost my voice, I went to my GP who referred me to an ENT who referred me to a speech and language therapist. This is where my journey began....... At the time there wasn't an available SLT for a whole year and for me as a singer that was absolutely useless as I needed immediate help.

There isn't any immediate help for singers or pro voice users in Ireland that I know of to this day, until now. Speech and Language therapists are absolutely beneficial to us too of course, but they don't have the expertise to help singers and the majority of singing teachers are not educated enough to know how to treat a vocal injury or even know how to recognise an injury and then know what to do. I had to take matters into my own hands.

When I was diagnosed and desperately looking for help and realised I didn't have access to any help, I gathered whatever money I had at the time, note I had zero income due to my injury and being out of work, I decided to study speech and language theory and practice instead, to heal myself. I qualified and was offered a job immediately in Peamount Hospital as a speech and language therapist assistant. Before I knew it I was working in an office, as an assistant to five speech and language therapists. So now not only was I able to heal myself and get paid for it and be my own case study, I was also able to help patients in the hospital with one to one therapy. Under the instructions of the SLT's, I was issuing speech and language therapy to stroke patients where I was able to include singing techniques into the therapy. I was giving therapy to neurological disorder patients, intellectually disabled patients and I was issuing dysphagia treatment too. It was a dream, and I had found a whole new level of passion for the voice. 

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This job is really where my idea came from to marry speech and language therapy with singing techniques to help professional voice users that have been diagnosed and undiagnosed with a vocal pathology. I didn't know how this was going to work, or where I would even start to work on this idea, but I knew I was on to something huge that would eventually help professional voice users all over the world. I also believe that ENT's, SLT's, physiologists and psychologists should also train in how to help professional voice users as our knowledge intertwines on certain subjects. To me it's obvious that these specialists should be able to help singers and pro voice users too. Singing and using our voice for a living is extremely physical and psychological so it makes sense that all professional voice users have access to a multidisciplinary team when a voice issue occurs. Having access to a speech and language therapist with a waiting list of up to 1 year, is not good enough. This is why it's so important that singing teachers in particular and other specialists are educated and trained to help pro voice users so that we have more of a variety of specialists that can help us ie, a multi-disciplinary team!

 

I began to perform again and eventually left the hospital to focus on music and my new idea. I started heavily carrying out research and studying about voice rehabilitation, attending countless workshops in Trinity College, Queens University with topics on vocal anatomy, voice pathologies, respiratory system, psychology, etc. I then began googling courses on voice disorders etc but none existed in Ireland. I realised that if I wanted to qualify in the area of voice pathologies I would need to qualify with a combination of subjects from various different degree courses to achieve what I was hoping to achieve. This wasn't realistic at all, so after years of research and shadowing speech and language therapists giving treatment to patients with a vocal pathology, experimenting with my own students with a vocal pathology etc, I eventually discovered a brand new course in London that I could study online!!! I couldn't believe it. I attended Vocal Health Education, London, for numerous years, attended workshops in person and online, and graduated finally in 2023.

 

So, with all of my studies combined so far, I am a qualified level 5 SLTA, Portabello College, I am a qualified and registered VHP and VHFA from vocal health education, London, I had my practice in Tallaght Hospital SLT Paediatric department and I worked in Peamount Hospital as an SLTA working with patients that have had a stroke, neurological disorders, acquired brain injuries and dysphagia patients. I also have a BA Hons Degree in Jazz Music and performance from Newpark, a Diploma in Rock music BCFE, and a level 10 from UCD for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 

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Which brings me up to date. I have finally opened up my first practice, Voice Care Ireland, to all professional voice users that are experiencing voice issues and need immediate help. I now give treatment not only to professional singers, but to radio presenters, teachers, lawyers accountants and gym instructors. It has been a fantastic success so far and I'm beyond excited for the future success of Voice Care Ireland. Being a performer and the founder of V.C.I is my absolute passion in life......I'm living my dream. 

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