Dear Ray:

I wanted to write and express to you my deep feelings of appreciation to you for your life and ministry. I am moved each time I am with you at the spiritual depth at the heart of everything you do.

I have been in your seminar four times and I never cease to marvel at how much of a student you are, never ceasing to learn and always bringing us new materials with each seminar. Even learning the "old" material again and again is very needful for making the right kind of progress. Your dedication to studying and the putting into performance what you learn is a very strong contribution to all that you do.

I feel that your gentle, fun-loving spirit coupled with an equally demanding teaching style goes a long way toward getting your seminar and lesson students closer to the vocal freedom that is your trademark. I can truthfully say after my fourth seminar, and listening to some of your tapes, I have myself, only begun to scratch the surface of all that our Lord has in store for me in vocal music. You humorously say that your students must have a teachable spirit and a tough skin. I say, "if   we really want to learn we are not going to let our skin (pride) get in the way." You help us learn, as I have discovered, if we really want to, and that’s another thing, you really make us want to learn how to sing properly, how to sing freely.

In essence you are the best vocal coach I have ever met. I would heartily recommend you and your ministry of vocal science and practice to any leader of vocal music in church,  community or school organizations anywhere in the world.

I have also seen you work with preachers in helping them to improve their delivery. I feel very confident that you would be a tremendous asset to a seminary in their preaching program, preparing young preachers to use their voice mechanism to more effectively proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ.

In His Music,

Richard H. Bump
Minister of Music & Education

Dear Ray:

Nothing I have experienced can compare with the results of your "Vocal Freedom" Seminar. We left amazed with the accomplishments and ecstatic about the possibilities. Our expectations were confirmed on Sunday morning following the seminar when Debbie Byrd sang. I wish you could have been there! The "Vocal Freedom" expressed in her voice helped set God’s Spirit free to move among us and we were blessed.

During the seminar we laughed, cried, sang, shouted. We began to see the reality of where we are and the dream of what God really desires for His people in worship. We also left the seminar knowing we have a new friend in Christ. Your sensitivity was an explicit example of Jesus’ ministry on earth. So honest it cut to the core, but so loving we dared not resist what God was accomplishing through you. You met each individual at their point of need and stretched our minds and our bodies toward "Vocal Freedom".

Having the seminar and private lessons not only taught us to worship our Lord more freely in speech and song, but also gave us the opportunity to minister to people outside our church family. I am most confident we will see results vocally and spiritually for many years.

We are eagerly anticipating our next seminar and will continually pray for God’s blessings on your ministry, your family and the people you touch.

2 teach is
2 touch lives
4 ever

Especially when it is done with such passion and zeal. God Bless you!

Your Sister in Christ,

Sharon Hallmark

"an eagle beginning to soar"

Dear Ray Holcomb:

What can I say? Your Vocal Freedom Seminar has left us with tools that we cannot begin to utilize all at once. I have never been a part of such a vast amount of information and techniques that actually work for the normal singer. Your approach to the singing voice has given us a new insight to the art of singing. The content and examples you showed all of us will enhance all the choirs on the Treasure Coast.

Our attendance was wonderful – more than 80 people filled our Parish Center and made beautiful music better with your help. I would highly recommend your seminar to everyone in the music field. My three choirs have already improved by using your techniques. I have heard from other churches that attended that their choirs have improved to where even the congregation can tell.

You are truly blessed Ray, and God has given you a great talent that you are sharing to "Praise His Name!" Thank you for the opportunity to share with you; also my private lessons with you have increased my singing range and ability by two-fold.

God bless you and please keep in touch.

Yours in Christ and music,

Dear Ray:

Christian Greetings!

I wanted to let you know the positive impact your Vocal Freedom Seminar had on the members of my choir. Your ability to convey essential information in such a straightforward and understandable way was most impressive. I have heard nothing but affirmative comments from those in attendance.

When I first heard that you had conducted your seminar with the choir at Mount Paran Church of God in Atlanta, Georgia, I felt assured that you would provide quality teaching for those in my own choir, but nothing prepared me for your extraordinary knowledge and teaching ability in the area of vocal freedom.

I would enthusiastically recommend you and your ministry of vocal science and practice to anyone involved in vocal music. As a member of my denomination’s state music committee, I will be glad to do what I can to make your services known to music ministers and choral directors in southern Georgia. Your seminar would be a tremendous asset to any music program!

I’m looking forward to having you back at Vidalia later this year. Again, many thanks to you for your service in the work of the Lord.

In His Love,

Chris E. Seaton
Associate Pastor/Music

Dear Fellow Minister of Music….

February 5-7, it was my privilege to teach at the Sandia Baptist Church, 9429 Constitution, N.E., Albuquerque, N.M. 87112. Phone 505 2713, Clark Henderson, Minister of Music.

In addition to the seminar, I taught a total of twenty-five private voice lessons during the day. The three daughters of the Minister of Music, ages 9, 13 and 15 shared a thirty (30) minute lesson time. Glorious things happened with each young lady.

Each girl accomplished the following:

1. Removed the weak breathy soft "little girlish" tone.
2. Began to sing with a full, mature, rich sound.
3. All three girls developed a good, consistent vibrato. The father was "blown away".

Please read the attached (copied note from Paula Miller). Three members of the family had private lessons. Please note some of the results from each lesson:

PAULA had been singing alto. She vocalized to E above high C. She had a very weak tone. The vibrato became consistent. She also developed a rich, resonant ring.

KRISTINA (the daughter is fourteen). When she first sang for me, the sound was weak, breathy, soft and very anemic. After some work, the voice sounded full and mature, the energy was better, the vibrato began to appear and was evenly produced.

SAM (the father) did not attend the first three hour seminar session. Paula brought him to observe Kristina’s lesson. During his lesson time, he tuned up….matching tones, and sat beside me and sang the tenor and bass parts to "My Jesus, I Love Thee"- without missing a pitch. SAM THOUGHT HE WAS A MONOTONE!

This experience is duplicated across the country in many seminars.

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!

Mr. Jim Gill

Church Music and Worship Department
South Carolina Baptist Convention
Stoneridge Drive
Columbia, SC 29210-8239

Dear Jim:

As you know, we recently held, for a second time, a seminar here at our church that was so exciting I wanted to share it with you. It was the Vocal Freedom Seminar led by Ray Holcomb of Alexandria, Louisiana. I observed him work with youth through senior adult; getting them on pitch, changing breathy tones to beautiful resonant tones, eliminating wobbles in the voice, creating lovely vibratos, teaching them to breathe again correctly, improving diction, and much more.

Mr. Holcomb has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in music plus many hours of specialized studies at Westminster, Juilliard, Conservatory of Music, Kansas City, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth. Along with the seminar ministry, Mr. Holcomb is used extensively in concerts and choral workshops for youth, adult and senior choirs. His private students include many recording artists, voice teachers, ministers of music and other professional singers.

Although he is called on regularly to minister to some of the largest churches in our convention (such as First Baptist Church, Dallas), he especially has a burden in heart for ministering to the smaller churches and volunteer music directors. I saw this in action as he worked with guests from our neighboring churches. Mr. Holcomb’s God given insights and ability to help both the professional and the untrained singer is needed across the convention. His noted specialty is getting to the basic need of each voice quickly, without "beating around the bush".

It is truly exciting to hear him talk about his calling from God. At his age (a senior adult) it is still there and he is still excited about what God has in store for him as he ministers to any who will allow him day to day.

One of the most popular parts both times we had him was when Mr. Holcomb shared some exciting "proven" helps with allergies, sinus, bronchitis, hay fever and post nasal drainage. He has gathered helpful information from some of the most outstanding Otolaryngologists and Nutritionists in their respective fields and does not involve taking medicine.

He was very sensitive to the people with which he worked, yet asking them to have a "teachable spirit" and to soar like an eagle. His demanding teaching style stretched us to new heights for God’s glory.

I will hardily recommend Ray Holcomb to any church and would like to see us use him in one of our state music retreats (for both full-time and bi-vocational). I know he will meet a need. He has here and we will have him back for a third seminar.

Sincerely,

Dear Ray:

Sue and I are compelled to tell you how much we enjoyed the private lesson we had with you here at McGregor Church, as well as the group seminar. While Sue has had lessons before; in fact, she was at one time in training to be an opera singer, however, over the last few years she has "GOTTEN AWAY FROM IT" and was afraid she lost it. With your teaching and encouragement, she now knows she still "HAS IT IN HER". Many many thanks!!!

While I have done a lot of singing in my 42 years, I have never before had any training. My lesson with you was the first. I learned more in the ½ hour with you than all my prior life! The breathing techniques and all the other tips have not only helped embellish my singing, but have filled in obvious gaps that had always existed. Also, your honest comment about my "NOT BEING A TENOR" has opened my eyes to the fact that I have probably tried all my life to be something I wasn’t (a first tenor), just because I could abuse myself and sing the high notes.

We would like to work with you more! Please put us on your mailing list.

Please let us know if you are ever in the area (even remotely close) so we can make arrangements to BE THERE!

God Bless you and yours,

Most of us don’t know how to sing! What an accusation for choir directors and soloists – many of whom have been leading others in singing for years. Many of us have had private voice lessons, degrees in music, and have advanced to the stage of giving others voice lessons. Yet we still don’t know how to sing!

Heresy? Not at all. The fact is that what we do know is seldom practiced or conveyed to our choir members in such a way that they learn to sing with freedom in the voice. We are guilty of abusing our voices and theirs. We are guilty of tight throats, constricted muscles, lazy breathing habits, forced tones, and you name it. Lest you think this doesn’t apply to you, let me continue.

The National Christian Choir just recently finished a day long seminar taught by Ray Holcomb. I met Ray at Estes Park when we were teaching at the Christian Artists’ Seminar a few years ago. Our paths later crossed again when we taught at MUSICalifornia. After spending some time talking with Ray about himself, his ministry, and his very close walk with the Lord, I was almost convinced that I wanted to have him come to Washington, D.C., to lead the National Christian Choir in one of his Vocal Freedom Seminars – an event which he describes as "a college level voice class for laymen".

I say "almost" because there was a twinge of doubt in my mind, so I called and wrote some of my brothers in the ministry around the country who had experienced Ray’s teaching first hand. With no exceptions, the recommendations came back with a "go" signal.

So I invited Ray to come last fall. Then our schedule got fouled up and I had to cancel. No problem, I thought: The Choir is sounding great anyway.

Then I listened to a tape of the Choir. Don’t misunderstand me; they sounded wonderful on the tape, BUT my objective ear told me "there’s still much to do with the sound of this Choir", so I called Ray again.

I can now say that I believe Ray Holcomb has as much or more to offer in this category than anyone I have ever experienced. What an exciting day! The Choir members and our invited guests who attended loved it! I have seldom laughed so much and learned so much at the same time.

There was more material to absorb than we could possibly chew up in on day. That’s both a compliment and a complaint. We learned so much that we realized how much we did not know. One such day with a great teacher does not a new choir make; but believe me, it was a day well spent.

So you can guess where I am headed. INVITE RAY HOLCOMB TO YOUR CITY! Have a Vocal Freedom Seminar for your choir.

Ray requires a minimum of 40 persons. If you don’t have them, combine with other choirs. Each person will be asked to pay $25.00 – a real bargain price! Not everyone will like Ray because he comes on very strong! But he has an endearing way about him that melts the defensive nature in us all, and his approach is very Christ centered.