The Voice Lab nz's Voice Care Team

 

Ensuring NZ’s professional vocalists have sustainable careers.

The Voice Lab nz’s Voice Care Team is a New Zealand first. Our multidisciplinary team- comprised of a speech-language therapist, ENT doctor, vocal technician, and voice physiotherapist- provides collaborative voice care to professional vocalists. Our team has worked with many of New Zealand's leading vocalists – check our testimonial page for more details.

Services include

• Vocal injury prevention plans for artists heading away on tour or into recording sessions.
• Injury rehabilitation for injured vocalists needing to return to work. (This includes recovery from illness, with post-COVID issues particularly prominent at present.)
• Genre-specific voice demands
• General maintenance

In addition to professional performers, we also support amateurs who have high vocal demands, including musical theatre singers, regular gigging musicians, actors and teachers.

Just like a pit crew comes together, focusing on their individual specialities, to maximize the car's performance for those crucial last laps, The Voice Care Team comes together for the performer. By piecing together their individual findings and recommendations, a holistic, comprehensive and individualized vocal care plan is crafted.

To Inquire

 

Our Team

Kelly Hocking

Vocal Coach and Technician - NZ Wide

Kelly Hocking trained in acting, voice and dance at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. She studied singing with the late Tony Award winner, John Peck and has gone on to study with several other renowned teachers in both classical and contemporary styles of singing.
In New Zealand, Kelly has performed in productions for The Fortune Theatre in Dunedin, The Court Theatre in Christchurch, Musical Theatre Dunedin, Taieri Musical Society, North Shore Musical Society in Auckland and in national touring productions for THETA. Credits include “Kate/Lucy” in Avenue Q, “Ellen” in Miss Saigon, “Roxie Hart” in Chicago, “Sally Bowles” in Cabaret, “Mrs. Banks” in Mary Poppins, “The Baker’s Wife” in Into The Woods, "Diva" in Priscila Queen of the Desert and "Glinda" in Wicked. Kelly has performed as a lead vocalist with groups including The Oxo Cubans, St Kilda Brass, La Forza and The Divas.

Kelly was the first recipient of the full Level 3 certification in Applied Vocal Pedagogy and Voice Science from AtlasVoice. In 2014, she completed a course in Somatic Voicework©, The LoVetri Method, which is dedicated to CCM (non-classical) styles of singing. Kelly is a mentor for voice teachers all over New Zealand and has a special interest in vocal health. She also works with professional actors, presenters and other voice professionals to expand their voices in a sustainable way.

Amy Oughton

Speech Language Pathologist, Clinical Voice Specialist - NZ Wide

Amy has worked across both the paediatric and adult acute and community environments as a Speech Language Pathologist, gaining knowledge and expertise in a broad range of disorders. Her passion & focus, however, lies within the field of 'Voice'.

Amy is a singer and performer herself and has combined her training in performance voice with her training in Speech Pathology to create a unique and specialised service, becoming one of the only specialised Performance Voice Speech Pathologists in Aotearoa.

Amy completed postgraduate specialist training in the field of Vocology & Laryngology with a focus on performance voice medicine', trained & mentored by Tom Burke, Speech Pathologist for Broadway & Tedtalks New York.

With a passion for 'voice' diagnostic & rehabilitation as well as a specific interest in Vocal Health and injury Prevention for the 'healthy' vocal athlete, Amy works collaboratively with the Voice Professional team members, the artist management team and the artist directly to achieve optimum results.

Amy goes above and beyond to do work with her clients, making herself available to travel across New Zealand to work on-site with artists in the studio, on stage and when on tour so they can get immediate, direct input that can be applied straight away to their craft & maximise their results.

Amy Oughton, Speech Pathologist, Clinical Voice Specialist

Dr. Matthew Leaper

Otaolaryngologist, MBChB (Otago), FRACS (ORLHNS)

Matthew graduated from Otago Medical School in 1996. He has since worked in New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom, gaining experience in a variety of surgical specialties. On returning to New Zealand in 2000, Matthew worked in Christchurch, Auckland, Hamilton and Dunedin, completing his specialist training in Otolaryngology and head and Neck Surgery in 2006 to become a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Following this, Matthew completed a further two years of post-fellowship training in Perth, Australia.

Matthew works both in the public and private sectors. Publicly, he holds positions at Dunedin Hospital and Kew Hospital, Invercargill. Privately, he operates at Mercy Hospital in Dunedin and Southern Cross Hospital in Invercargill. He holds clinics at the Marinoto Clinic in Dunedin and the Sonos Clinic in Invercargill.

Matthew has a number of publications in medical journals and is actively involved in teaching junior doctors, students and other health professionals. He is a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago Medical School.

Matthew has a passion for working with vocal athletes and ensuring they have access to diagnostic services early to ensure vocal injury is minimised, voice care management is started early, scoping is done regularly for general maintenance, and artists are worked with by a specialist team to maximise overall vocal health.

Dr Matthew Leaper, Otolaryngologist

Ez Zulkifly

Voice Physiotherapist - NZ Wide

Ez is a well respected Senior Physiotherapist in New Zealand and is one of the only Voice Physiotherapist in Aotearoa.

His advanced skills in Manual Therapy are highly sought after and he works holistically with artists, the wider voice team and management to ensure artists are able to excel in their craft and perform to their best with no physical barriers.

Ez graduated with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy from the University of Otago. He had worked extensively in private musculoskeletal practices in Wellington and Dunedin. He completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and a Certificate in Trigger Point Dry Needling and undertook a Master of Physiotherapy by research examining the biomechanics of the jaw.

His clinical interest is varied but has a special interest in:

• Voice Physiotherapy
• Vocal/laryngeal myofascial release
• The jaw, back, head and neck
• Orthopaedic manipulative physiotherapy
• Trigger Point Dry Needling
• Therapeutic massage
• Relaxation massage

Ez Zulkifly, Voice Physiotherapist, A+ Physio