About

Hi there! Welcome! I’m Heather, and I am a professional vocalist specializing in sacred ceremony, such as weddings, live events and other transformational spaces between souls.

Interview with Heather

How long have you been a vocalist and how did you become an expert at sacred ceremony?

I began taking private voice lessons when I was 12 years old, and continued through my university studies at the University of Virginia where I majored in Music and Biology with a focus on Choral Conducting and Vocal Performance. I continued my study after college, and ultimately was accepted into graduate schools like Boston Conservatory and The Hartt School of Music for vocal performance. Instead of going, I followed my heart to the remote highlands of Guatemala where I taught music for a year in a classroom. With few to no resources, my students and I had a wonderful time singing a cappella for a year! Since then, throughout my travels, I expanded upon group singing for all voice and comfort levels as a method for connecting deeply with ourselves and with others. My two years of experience leading as a minister of music was great training ground for learning how to evoke a beautiful sound from multi-leveled singers.

Now, I’m a professional vocalist specializing in sacred ceremony such as weddings, live events and other transformational spaces because these are the spaces that give me the most joy and satisfaction.

Who are your clients?

My clients are those who, at the most basic level, value the power of music to transform a space and who are committed to creating love and turning back to love wherever they go. My clients want to feel calm, centered and present in environments that might be anything but, and they don’t mind when angels drop in to support them and the event they’ve created. My clients are spiritually inclined, but may not identify with a specific religion – they often feel like their understanding of spirituality lies beyond what is typically taught in religious sects and may enjoy borrowing and sharing from beautiful traditions across cultures and practices.

How are you different than other professional vocalists?

What makes me different than most other singers is my ability to tap into the higher space above while I’m singing in addition to providing pleasurable and beautiful sound. It’s this energetic process that leaves people saying, “Wow.”

Also, I believe my experience traveling in many parts of the world, through regions that are impoverished or considered dangerous has given me an uncanny ability to connect with even the roughest, toughest and tenderest of souls – which is a wonderful skill for creating warmth between people through my work off stage.

What kind of personality do you work best with?

I work best with kind, sensitive, creative, fun souls (you’re all over the place!) who are committed to creating fair, loving relationships between people. But I’ve noticed that there are other qualities, too, to the people who are really drawn to me:

She’s a self-starter, she’s incredibly socially aware, she is rightfully concerned about her public image, and she does her best to do right by those around her. She has a specific vision for her life but might need a little extra juice to give her the edge in getting it underway, and her dreams will require that she leave the old behind.  This can sometimes leave her feeling secretly insecure, which is a massive inconvenience to her sense of self, when she knows that she doesn’t need to be feeling this way.

My client, too, might yearn for a deeper spiritual connection – you know, she intellectually wraps her head around it quite astoundingly, but she might want to feel it without talking about it. Sometimes, she doesn’t articulate this up front but she always says afterwards, accompanied by a glowing sigh of relief, “thank you!” or “Wow, I wasn’t expecting that at all!” or “I cried.”

Personally, I really love it when people cry! It means I’ve done my job and they’re leaving with a permanent gift of release and reprogramming.

 

What kind of personality or client do you NOT work well with?

I don’t work well with people who don’t care about music or care to know anything about it.

And, I am not really your American Idol kind of girl. American Idol and a lot of these other TV shows, as well as the radio, have popularized a kind of sound that is very “belty”, full of vocal tricks, glottal stops, and often a whiny sound. Don’t get me wrong, I really love pop music (if you’ve ever ridden in my car, you know how addicted to flipping my radio and soaking in the latest), but when I sing contemporary songs, I put my own Heather Hightower twist on it.

 

How do you work? What can I expect?

You can expect, whether we have minimal contact or a more in-depth relationship, that I’m going to be very pleased to get to know you! I’m honored to be a part of your special day.

The biggest thing to expect with me is that I contribute myself in utmost presence the day before and of your event, holding the space for you and your guests/event attendees.

My offering is not just in sound but in presence – sensitive, acute energy reading and emotional releasing presence.

If you are working with me closely, with a three-month lead time or more, you can expect that I am going to dive deep with you. First I will work with you to pull out the musical vision that is within you, guide you to choices that will produce the results you want for your ceremony, make musical and event detail recommendations as it relates to music, and then soak it all up within my body so that on the day of performance it comes out perfectly. We have parameters around this process, and I like to keep it fun.

If you are contracting me to participate on the day of the event only, I will show up early to your event, hold the space for all the attendees and you, and sing from my repertoire. And, one of the things that makes me different is that I always attend the wedding rehearsal, unless it truly is impossible. To be able to connec

 

Can you just show up and sing without us being in contact before hand?

If it’s a wedding, I do not ever just “show up and sing.”  Musical moments that happen on the fly can be magical, but when the day has to be magical, I will do everything in my power to ensure that I give to you my best performance. This is why I require advance notice with enough time to learn music, ensure that we’re on the same page, and connect with the event planners and fellow musicians because you deserve to receive the full benefit of what I offer. Additionally, your guests deserve to receive my best performance, and they deserve to be moved. I do my best work when I’ve been given the chance to do a full assessment of the entire situation, partner with you perfectly so that I can contribute my gifts most fully.

Does this really work?

Yes. I receive frequent reports of any and all of the following:

• Tears
• Full body shivers
• A sense of release
• A sense of angelic presence
• A sense of presence and magic

This is the power of music, and this is what I endeavor to bring to every, and any, event where I am blessed with the opportunity to open my mouth and sing.

What results can I expect?

You can expect that your guests/attendees will leave feeling uplifted in spirit, able to more fully enjoy the ceremony that they’re attending.

You can also expect to be able to grow present within your own body and feel an opening in your heart so that you can communicate from a true place within yourself on your big day.

Why do I need you? Can’t I just do this on my own?

Before you think about doing it on your own, let me pose a few questions:

If it’s your wedding: Do you want to depend on the first available church choir member of a church where you are potentially not a member to be responsible for setting the musical tone of a ceremony that could perhaps be the first and last massive ceremony of your life? Or if it’s outside, do you want to leave it to a static recording that cannot adjust to the inevitable energetic nuances of the day?

If it’s your live event that you’re leading and I’m supporting you through music: What are you teaching? If it’s not music, chances are you’re better leaving it in the hands of a professional! There are many subtle details that go into effective stage presence, especially with music. Music is an incredible tool for supporting you in communicating from your deepest space of teaching, and for your participants to glean the most from your offerings. I do not typically recommend that non-musicians (or, perhaps I should say “under-practiced musicians”) take on the role of facilitating a group through song because poor or improper leadership can backfire and have the complete wrong effect. However, when led well, I do most definitely encourage participation from non-musicians!

 

Will I see a return on my investment?

Your return on your investment is dependent on a few things – are you open to music as a process to open hearts, including your own? Are you open to the idea that the effect of the offering might never be communicated directly to you? Are you OK with the idea that some people might prefer to simply enjoy their personal sensations without shouting them from the mountain top?

Your return on the investment is measured in part by joy and pleasure – your own, and others. A good way to get a sense as to whether you think I can give you pleasure is to check it out through the ears first – take a listen here! But, like a star, the return from the investment is often seen best by not looking at it directly.

 

Look for these things:

• Brightness in people’s eyes
• Ability to communicate genuinely from the heart
• Ability to articulate difficult things
• Inclination towards affection, closeness, warmth
• Unexpected openness
• Relief

 

I’m really busy and overwhelmed. How much time do I need to work with you beforehand?

How much you work with me is really your call! For some people, your work can be as brief as telling me exactly what song you want me to sing or picking a song from my already prepared repertoire and leaving the rest to me.

For others there may be a gestation period over the period of months, kick-started by a clarity process that I give you to do on paper.  If you’ve never thought much about music, you might find yourself really enjoying the new world of possibility! If you’re leading a day long event that I’m supporting through music, actively engaging with your conference attendees, you may decide you want to communicate more about your content and how you’d like me to fit in.

 

But, again, don’t worry! I’ve got a good guiding hand and can steer you in the right direction and away from wormholes! And as for the day of the event, you worry about nothing related to me.

 

Can I contact other clients you’ve worked with?

You can check out my testimonials page here.

 

I’ve never invested in myself like this before. How can I justify this expense?

Well, it’s possible you’ve never stopped to consider the power of music to transform a space. I mean, really consider. If it’s your wedding, think about this: people are coming from potentially all over the world – your world – to support you. There’s a coming together of families. There’s a mutually agreeing joining and celebrating of spirits on the higher plane. Music literally opens up the heavens – it opens up the energetic space above our time-space reality – to let us enter in. Music shifts around the fibers of the universe. Music issues invitations for all to evolve, process, and mingle in a new, more delightful way….all with this unassuming, deceptively easy, pretty, sweet sound! How incredible!

When handled with care, music is medicine. For the soul, and the space. If you’re worried about the expense I’d ask you, “What do you want to create for the souls present that day?” That includes you – what do you want for your big day? What kind of support do you want? On how many levels? Bring me in if you want the support on the higher plane.

If I’m not quite ready to get started, is there a way to sample your work?

I can understand that getting started with something like this could feel a bit different than normal! But I assure you, even with all this great talk of the spirit, I’m down to earth, too!

First, listen to me sing here. Please note that one of my 2012 intentions is to have the best representations of my musical offerings here online. This is a work in progress.

Second, if you want to experiment with the world of letting music into your life and my approach to it, check out “The Heart Sings: Step-by-Step Vocal Warm-ups for Speakers, Presenters and Anyone Who Wishes to Speak with Confidence and Resonate with Authority and Clarity the Moment It Counts!” It’s a great resource for deepening your relationship with your voice, and your power, through vocal music.

 

 

Do you play piano, or another instrument?

I am a vocalist, and while I have a background that includes playing the standup bass, I do not play another instrument when I sing. When necessary, I contract with a supporting musician from my internal list of trusted musicians. If your venue does not supply a pianist, I can find a great one for your event at an additional fee.

 

I have a few questions for you. Can I talk with you on the phone?

The best way to reach me is by email at heather (at) heatherhightower (dot) com. Send me

• Your name
• Your questions
• The date of your event
• What kind of event this is
• What you most want my help with

 

 

I look forward to hearing from you!

 

With love,

 

Heather

 

And some other tidbits about me:

In addition to singing, I recently published a book called “The Conscious Girl’s Pocket Guide to Backpacking”, so I can officially say that I’m an author now, too!

With travel, music, street food, and warm fuzzies, life is good! I look forward to serving you.