Meet Corinne Gibbons | Singer/Composer/ Founder of Discover Your Voice

We had the good fortune of connecting with Corinne Gibbons and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Corinne, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I founded Discover Your Voice Teambuilding in 2007 to create an effortless pathway to joy through harmony singing and a non competitive team-building experience where every voice matters equally. Singing is your birthright and it’s as natural as smiling. Tuning corporate teams into their vision and values from both a personal and professional space to support team spirit and to firmly establish a united vision through music for the company going forward.

Composing a bespoke company song that encapsulates the vision and values is a fun touchstone and reminder of the vision that lays ahead for the team.

Singing stimulates the vagus nerve which creates blood flow to all of your vital organs and it also lights up both parts of your brain by engaging with both language and melody. The mental well being aspects of singing are well documented, oxytocin starts flowing after singing for just 10- minutes and eliciting positive emotional states.

I felt creating a joyful experience for corporations could filter into better decision making which may well support better choices in creating a more sustainable future for our next generation.

Search for the Sparkle is my music mentoring program for children. I am currently in the process of inviting partnerships to help me scale this offering so more children have access to the well being aspects of finding their own creative voice.

Music aids critical thinking skills and supports your ability to adapt. Offering these opportunities for young people to connect positively to their own creative voice and to discover the collaborative nature of music stimulates a positive connection to self and each other. Creating an environment where children believe in their own ideas is my area of expertise. We can never underestimate the power of learning through having FUN!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In 2003 and I a series of life challenges that changed my life forever. Major Surgery for skin cancer on my face

My marriage of 13 years ended

I moved to Japan to work singing shows, broke my ribs on day three and my pinkie toe

Which made for a new approach to my show as a limping breathless singer. I chose to weave my injuries into the show and we morphed into a cabaret act with me limping and singing holding my back and interweaving how I believed in yesterday when all my troubles were so far away,

Then I received a phone call that was truly shattering …My sister Danielle was missing in Fiji.

This moment brought me to my knees. Danielle was scuba diving in Fiji.
Within an a few hours of receiving this news I awakened to the idea that the love I had for Danielle was so powerful that I could change the stars and move the mountains necessary to find her.

Me and my family travelled to Fiji and and We mounted a large scale search for Danielle. We aroused the attention of as many people as possible who could help us and I am forever grateful to a groups of friends and family members that stood by us and stepped up to weave the largest scale search Fiji has ever seen.

We didn’t find Danielle and 2 weeks into our search for her my grandmother passed away. I was grief stricken,. Danielle was my closest friend as well as my little sister. It was painful losing my Nanna but I really felt she departed in order to assist my sister in someway.

My world changed forever …..For the first time in my life I entered the dessert of despair, I was reduced to the smallest version of myself.

I couldn’t imagine a world without Danielle in it.

One dear friend asked me ….what will it take to get you working again? To which I responded if the singing job pays me a lot of money for a short investment of my time then I will consider doing the job.

How does $1000 for 5 minutes sound he responded?

I can do that…..

I had no idea where this kiss would lead it was for a Teambuilding EVENT and I had never heard of Teambuilding.

I did the job – I enjoyed it – I felt genuine enthusiasm and connection. I engaged people as they came into work to sing with me in the elevators at their desks and in their meetings.. I wrote a song to embrace the theme of the event “tell it like it is” and ended up singing the song in harmony with members of the team in NYC to engage their global team….none of this was in the brief but something about the experience facilitated my imagination to reactivate.

That same day I spoke with my ex and let him know that I was interested in checking out this Teambuilding thing. I had felt genuine happiness doing this job and I felt I may well be able to support others to connect to their singing voice.

He directed me to call aquantinces that had a Teambuilding company with drums to ask questions. Through a series of miraculous serendipitous conversations I met with the director and he offered me a job as a facilitator in their company in SIngapore as a drummer and sales rep.

With literally no experience in sales no skill at drums I accepted the job. I would have to learn the drums for the job and leave for Singapore in 2 weeks.

I had literally expressed I needed to climb a mountain in order to reconnect with life and do something that was SO challenged that I reconnected with living again to my flatmate that week and then THIS happened.

The journey was not easy …2 days after accepting the job and wanting to prepare for my new drumming career I discovered another skins cancer and has it removed from my left arm which precluded me using it…the stiches would however dissolve by the timeI had my first facilitation in China….the day after arriving in Singapore.

When I think back it looks kind of comical however as I boarded the plane to Singapore on my new adventure I pondered whether my one armed drumming escapade with little money in my bank account with no real experience ofr knowledge of what I was doing ….maybe I needed to consider that you are legitimately crazy.

When I landed in Singapore after crying for most of the 8 hour journey…. I was ushered into a cab and the driver turned to me as said SO what brings you to singapore where Upon I answered I have just been asking myself that very same question.He said what do you mean by that Curiosity peeked I shared a capsule of my journey with him and the mission ahead of me and he turned to me and said ….I WILL HELP YOU,

IN that moment this wonderful man gave me hope….he drove me to the storage unit ( turned off the meter) whilst he helped me load 300 small instruments into his cab. He drove me to the airport the next day and he was there to pick me up when I returned from China. We formed a bond and we worked together until he retired. He stayed by my side… it just took that human kindness to ground me and to appreciate the heart kindness and generosity which wove such a wonderful welcome to Singapore for me.

After facilitating drum workshops all over South East Asia and the Middle East for 18 months I found my voice. Drums brought me back to myself and the beat of life. I founded my own teambuilding company Discover Your Voice in 2007. To date I have facilitated over 30,000 people to find their voices in over 15 countries. A highlight was working with Phil Collins Charity the little Dreams Foundation. Facilitating a recording with children from the charity to record a song I composed to raise funds for the charity. We raised Euro 25,000 in the market place of Montreux Switzerland in just 20 minutes of performing the song. Then a 1000 people joined us in singing the song at an MCI International Business meeting, it was Amazing!

I wrote my album Melt in loving dedication to Danielle and partnered with Nat Geo to create a multimedia show about connection to each other and the planet. Executive Producers for the record reached out to me 2 weeks after I finished composing the record and financed the project. It was miraculous. Melt went on to win 2 Nature Film awards in the USA and I won an International peace award for my dedication to the planet through Melt. I performed this all over the world and I am just about to re-release the album in November 2022!

I also found a deep passion for mentoring young voices through my search for the sparkle program…which assists kids to tune into their own wisdom and keep song writing journals of their childhoods. This has produced many wonderful young artists, some have had over 47 million hits on YouTube!! I’ve assisted many young people to believe in their own voice and that it matters. To know that the dream they are seeking is seeking them.I am now in the process of scaling this experience to support children’s mental well being globally.

I have donated 10 years of my time to children’s charities either raising money or facilitating singing workshops. I facilitated a music education program for The Island Foundation in Indonesia for 8 years.

I have just released this song called LIFE which has just hit a million views. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aG3GJ6ul58

I have learned so much on my journey – I healed myself through music. Music flows through everything I do. I totally attribute my creativity and adaptation energy to speaking the language of music.

I am an environmentalist, passionate about the planet and my music is representative of my passion……I always believe that Nature has my back.

Fear anxiety and mental health issues are rife I want to imagine the world I want to live in by contributing offerings that raise vibration and bring joy to millions. It’s happening already, I’m SO grateful.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Day one and 2 I would take them to the top of the La Plata mountains, Kennebec P to be exact. Home to the Ute Indians, this is one of the most magical places on earth. We would then camp a night up at Taylor Lake check out a few waterfalls the next day and then head to the Kennebec restaurant where I have been going for years. The Kennebec is a family owned place with palatable charm as you walk in and food that is exceptionally delicious and made with love.. It is just like going hime for me, everyone is so warm and friendly and easy to joke with.

Day 3

The next day we would go and eat at Turtle Lake Refuge which is good vibe good food good tribe experience. Many artists hang out here. The Food is vegan, grown on a local organic farm, delicious and generous. The we would head to the Toh-Atin Gallery that is a family owned gallery since the 50’s which has beautiful Native American art.

Evening

After would then go to my dear friends place and be part of the sound healing wonders of the free notes. Literally a garden full of instruments and a Yurt totally dedicated to sonic bliss. We would have a b’cue dinner as the sun went down over the mountains. Build a campfire and share wine and songs around the fire.

Day 4:

Free morning early afternoon to rest up ….We would go to the local hot spring and listen to live music in the afternoon early evening and have dinner there.

Day 5 I’d love to drive to Utah and go to the Canyonlands which is about 2 hours away, just for the day and have dinner again at the Kennebec because you have to experience it at least twice in your life.

Day 6 We would then head Silverton take the train through the Narrow Gauge and go hiking. Visit the San Juan historical museum. Go an camp a night or two up at Molas Lake.

Day 8 Come back to Durango. chill out in the day and go to the powerhouse museum in the afternoon I’ll cook dinner – I love to cook ….followed by a concert at the Durango arts centre. in the evening.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Love this!! Yes I would like to dedicate this to my year 6 Teacher Mr Lawrence who always encouraged me, I’d also like to give a shoutout to my Mother Janice Gibbons who always told me I had a beautiful voice.

Website: www.singingisfreedom.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corinne_gibbons/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corinne-gibbons-4034b914/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/corinneleegibbons

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aG3GJ6ul58

Other: This is the book I recently released https://www.singingisfreedom.com/audiobook https://corinnegibbons.bandcamp.com

Image Credits
Black and White photo of me with a guitar Photo Azlida Leo Photo of me on the beach in the green jacket : David Rogers