RSM People: Jess’s Story

As any singer knows, keeping your voice in top condition is paramount to a long career. So, to run into trouble in your first year as an undergraduate is anyone’s worst nightmare, but that’s what happened to Jess Parnell. A bout of illness that left her tonsils swollen, meant she faced invasive surgery that could potentially affect her voice and her prospects. Find out how she coped and how RSM was able to help.

Currently studying at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Jess began her musical education at Yorkshire’s Rippon Grammar School, where she first found her love for music.

“I had an incredibly enthusiastic Director of Music, who was a really big inspiration to me. I began singing chorally at school, and from there, went to a specialist performing arts college in Wakefield for two years training in musical theatre. During that time, I was a choral scholar, the first ever female, at Wakefield Cathedral.”

The interruption of Covid lockdowns didn’t blunt her progress, instead taking the opportunity of Covid to double down and focus on music completely.

“Gareth Malone led a virtual choir during lockdown called the Great British Home Chorus. I absolutely loved it, he was one of my early inspirations and led me to also be interested in directing and conducting. Afterwards, someone suggested we do a thank you song for Gareth. I thought this was a job for Jess Parnell!

“I was 17 at the time, but I took it on and there ended up being over 3,000 people in the group. We did Thank You for the Music by ABBA, absolute cheese-fest, but it was great!

“That was a really pivotal moment for me in everything I’ve done musically, to actually head a project that big. Off the back of that, I got interest in my teaching, so I set up my own online choir, Together in Harmony, which has about 300 members. I love doing it, there’s such a range of people from all around the world. It’s such an amazing community.”

From there sprung the ambition to apply for conservatoire, but for Jess, Guildhall seemed like a bridge too far.

“I actually applied too late for Guildhall because I was convinced I didn’t have enough experience and I was too young, this imposter syndrome that most musicians suffer from. I got into a couple of other conservatoires, so I thought I would give Guildhall a shot. The day after my second audition, I got a letter offering me a place, I was mind-blown. I’m off to London, I’m off to the big city.”

And that brings us up to date, with Jess starting at Guildhall in September 2021. But only days into her course, the problems began to surface.

“When I moved to London in September, we all got Freshers Flu, and afterwards my tonsils got really swollen to the point where my throat was closing up. My voice sounded very clouded, it affected my resonance when singing. It went on for weeks and they never got better, so I went to the GP, who said there’s no sign of infection, so it was quite unexplained. It felt really uncomfortable though, it felt like I had golf balls in the back of my throat.

“I got referred to BAPAM, who organised a clinician to see me, who then referred me to an ENT specialist. I got some funding through another organisation to see an ENT privately, who took one look in my throat in December and said, “Oh my goodness, they are coming straight out”, but the funding didn’t cover anything beyond the ENT appointments.”

That’s where RSM came in, to help shoulder the cost of tonsillectomy surgery.

“I come from quite a low-income background, so there was no way I could have funded it myself. The wait on the NHS was over ten months, and my teachers were also very keen for me to have the operation now in my first year when it’s going to be the least disruptive to my studies. So, I applied to RSM. I didn’t really know how it worked but I filled in the application form without really expecting the full grant to be given. The staff were really amazing, it all happened in a couple of weeks. It was such a huge weight off my shoulders when I got that email. I am so grateful.”

With the surgery completed in February 2022, the question remained as to how the recovery would go and what effect it would have, if any, when Jess began to resume her singing activities.

“The surgeon said there’s always a risk with any operation; they don’t know the affect the removal of the tonsils is going to have, but said it would most likely it would be positive because I would have more space to resonate. They were careful in how they did things though because I am singer. For example, they didn’t tube me through my vocal folds, instead using what’s called a laryngeal mask, which sits on top of your vocal chords and reduces the trauma to them.”

So, six weeks after the surgery, without any post-op hiccups, has the procedure been a success?

“So far, so good. The first week, day five or six, was horrible. The pain got worse as the area heals and scabs over in the back of your throat. Looking at it in the mirror the week after, I nearly passed out it was so gruesome! But it was a short term pain for long term gain. I ate a lot of shepherd’s pie, I never want to see shepherd’s pie again!

“My teachers have been really understanding, so as I start to sing again in classes, there isn’t a big pressure for it to be perfect. My voice is my instrument, so the level of understanding and care around it has been really amazing. My teacher is also a vocal rehab specialist, so that’s quite useful, in that she is just giving me warm-up exercises at the moment. I can sing and it feels crystal clear. It feels very different.”

Let’s hope the progress continues in Jess’s recovery, and we hear from her again as her studies progress, and beyond. You can follow her choir, Together in Harmony, here. To help others like her, please consider donating to The Royal Society of Musicians here. If you know anyone in the music profession who might need our help, please point them to us at www.rsmgb.org/support.