Find your real
and put fun

Layne Christensen

News Reporter
lchristensen@nsnews.com

CAN’T hold a tune?
Nonsense, says voice
coach Edwin Coppard.

“Most people believe in
their mind that they haven't
got an ability (to sing). But
it’s really a social condition-
ing as opposed to a reality,”
says the West Vancouver:
based singer-songwriter.

Coppard has pioneered a
teaching technique that can
help regular people find their
voice. He's taught the tech-
nique at seminars in the U.S.
and Canada, including Tony
Robbins’ 10-day _ personal
growth seminar, Life Master
in Hawaii.

Without wanting to knock
conventional training,
Coppard says music schools
can place too many restri-
tions on a singer’s technique
and in so doing, stifle creativ-
ity.

“The first thing that [ do
in my seminar is | change the
rules, so that really anything
that comes ovt of your
mouth is OK,” says Coppard,
who is offering evening and
weekend voice workshops at
Artist Tree Studios in Lower
Lonsdale starting this week.

Originally from England,
Coppard moved to Canada in
the “60s. A decade later, per-

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forming under the stage
name C.B. Victoria, his hit
single J Don’t Believe reached
Top 10 on the pop charts in
Canada. ‘The singer later
turned to voice coaching
because he recognized he had
a talent for “helping people
find their voice,” he says.

And “finding your voice™
offers greater benefits than
star status at the neighbour-
hood karaoke bar. “It brings
their body into better health.
It brings their mind clearer.
Jt brings them into a more
balanced state in their life,”
says the voice coach.

Most of us could stand to
put a lithe more fun back in
our lives. Singing and music-
making can help us achieve
this, says Coppin.

“We're in a society right
now where work is more
important than play and |
think we're incredibly imbal-
anced because of that.”

Coppin promises that by
the end of bis workshop ses-
sion, every participant will
have found his voice.

In fact, the results can be
quite startling, like ar the
Tony Robbins retreat, where

inte

voice
life

Coppard leads participants
cach morning In a vocal
warmup: “By the end, 2,000
people sound like a choir. It's
friggin’ awesome.”

A choir of real people’s
voices is what Coppin is hop-
ing to emerge from his series
of workshops. He’s created a
record tabel, Real People
Music, and wants to record
songs that tell people's life
stories.

Coppin has big plans for
Real People. He’s thinking of
a kind of Chicken Soup for
the Soul, only told through
song. His firss CD of Real
People songs will be released
in Europe at the end of April.
He’s already working on a
second CD, to be released in
May or June. He'd also like
to produce a live perfor-
mance.

An introductory session, 7
to 9 p.m. tomorrow, March
16, is free. Evening sessions,
March 23 and 30, are $20. A
full-day workshop, April § is
$80. The location for all ses-
sions is Artist Tree Studios,
106 W. Ist St. North Van.
For more information, call
926-0909.

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NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

EDWIN Coppard says song can help get the creative juices to flow. The West Van-
based singer-sonqwriter presents a workshop to “awaken your wild voice.”

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