Once Upon a Voice is expanding as an all-ages teaching studio, record label, music publisher, and show production company online, welcoming everyday people as creators from all backgrounds. Founded by a neurodivergent, disabled survivor of gender-based violence, our mission unites a trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming space for the disabled—including those who are non-speaking, Deaf, hard-of-hearing, or AAC users—with music creation to prevent gender-based violence and uplift survivors. Our vision is to help the silenced find and develop their voices.
Our Method
- Real Records: Kids, teens, and adults will learn by making, protecting, pitching, releasing, and performing commercial works.
- Accessible High-Level Skills: We will provide training tailored to various communication and sensory needs.
- Preventative Advocacy: We will explore age-appropriate themes related to gender-based violence, balancing direct education with positive, indirect modeling.
- Music Producers will compose emotional dynamics (e.g., tension to release), atmospheric contrast (e.g., isolation vs. support system), and fierce empowerment (e.g., high-energy dance beats).
- Songwriters will write lyrics covering direct safety (e.g., spotting stalking), dating boundaries (e.g., consent during sex), and liberation (e.g., celebrating self-love).
- Recording Artists will deliver vocals interpreting recovery (e.g., processing toxic relationships), clear communication (e.g., assertive "no" phrasing), and healthy intimacy (e.g., playful expressions of joy).
Program Structure
- A&R Program (Ages 0–8): Talent discovery where children will build skills and audio assets to prepare for our roster.
- Roster Membership (Ages 8+):
- Recording Artists will choose from 3 one-on-one tracks: Recording Only, Recording & Songwriting, or Recording, Songwriting & Music Production.
- Songwriters and Music Producers will work in small writing or production teams, grouped by age (Kids, Teens, and Adults).
- Pitches & Releases:
- Student Roster Members will begin with a 12-month development period before pitching or releasing songs, transitioning into our long-term management (e.g., up to 12 pitches or releases per year).
- Instructors will operate on a flexible schedule without a 12-month wait, pitching and releasing music to serve as educational reference tools.
Funded Impact
While we offer grants for the initial creation of songs, our fiscal sponsorship will support the finishing, protecting, pitching, releasing, and performing of our music.