Apparently I am not alone in my deficiency. Chloe Goodchild addresses the issue of terror right up front, and makes it clear that "singing" is not what her program is about. Instead, she uses the word "sounding" and points out that one of the aims is to help others "rediscover the sound inside you."

Anyone familiar with her earlier work, The Naked Voice, will already have discovered that Goodchild, herself, has a wondrously smooth and pleasant voice, both for speaking and singing. She traces her interest in the naked voice - what she calls "authentic sound" - to a partial hearing loss in childhood. Discovering that there was no place to go to study such a thing formally, Goodchild forged her own path "to find a language of spirit that transcends culture."

Throughout these 5 CDs, Goodchild teaches exercises meant to loosen the body and dislodge psychic obstructions that block the flow and intent of authentic sound. She assures us that we can "undress the persona voice," and discover the original, core sound of the true self.

Awakening Through Sound is not just a series of motivational sound bites, either. Godchild gives us so many exercises and insights that the five hours of instruction could be used for a lifetime of learning.

Session 1 explains the history and purpose of naked voice training, and starts us out with what should be a simple experiment - open your mouth and let your sound come out. I needed three days to work up the courage for this experiment, finally opting to hide in the chicken coop while I tried it. As I belted out my inner self, I was surprised to see that the chickens showed no signs of trauma. More surprisingly, I felt my chest vibrating! It was a strange and pleasant sensation, so I kept sounding. By the time I left the coop, I was a believer.

Session 2 addresses ‘Your Inner Voice,’ and explores the "devotional or contemplative voice" used for hymns and chants. Goodchild gives us some background on the sacred AUM, including a reading from the source Mandukya Upanishad, and then leads us step by step through a seven chakra mantra.

Session 3 , "Your Wisdom Voice," introduces sounds that activate different emotions. Goodchild explains that, as a singer, she was frustrated by a system of sound that allowed her to express herself only "from the heart upward." Her search for a fuller, more satisfying method of sounding led her eventually to the Indian scale, which she teachers here as a method for "supporting the emotional body."

Session 4, ‘Your Healing Voice,’ demonstrates applications of musical modes - Ionian, Aeolian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydia, and Mixolydian. These modes are more than just healing sounds, says Goodchild; they constitute an innate connection to fundamental sound.

Session 5 offers remarkable tales of discovery by students in Goodchild’s courses, all of them rich with the delight of people who opened themselves to possibility and sounded their thoughts and feelings in a way that had not been available to them through other mediums.

The audio course thoroughly explores the power of vibration and sound, lays out easy but effective vocal exercises, and combines musical pieces and instructional material in perfect balance. But wait - there’s more! A 40 minute DVD, which can be used at any point during the course, shows clearly how to use mudras, and gives visual guidance to enhance the process of cultivating your own true sound.

By the time I reached the end of Awakening Through Sound, I was happily and unabashedly sounding along with Goodchild. Her encouragement has introduced me to my inner Dixie Chick, and I am convinced that naked voice methods really can, as one of her followers insists, change the resonance of the world.