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After losing his voice to cancer, tenor Toby Spence learns how to sing again

By WTOP Staff

Heather Brady, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – When Toby Spence was diagnosed with thyroid cancer last year, his first response was denial.

The 43-year-old lyric tenor from England had built a life around his voice. The diagnosis and the need for surgery meant the muscles near his vocal chords would have to be cut so the cancer in his throat could be removed.

When he awoke after six hours of surgery and four hours of recovery, he discovered he had almost no voice at all.

“The horror began to dawn on me that I might lose my voice forever,” Spence said in a phone interview from London. “I was worried that it was the end.”

Nearly a year later, Spence will make his recital debut at the Kennedy Center Wednesday.

The journey back from what Spence calls a dark despair was built around his rehabilitation and learning how to sing again.

“When you can barely string two notes together, it comes home as a big shock,” he says. “I suppose after nearly 20 years of singing, you lose sight of how far you’ve come as a performer (and) almost as an athlete as well in the musculature of the voice.”

Spence says it was like being plunged down a mountain back to its base and then realizing how far he had climbed before. Luckily, David Pollard, the singing instructor who helped rehabilitate Spence’s voice last year, had worked with people who lost their voice in similar ways.

“Having to learn singing was like walking out into the abyss — I’ve never done it before,” Spence says. “David very calmly led me through that darkness.”

Pollard used a two-pronged approach that focused on physical and psychological aspects of Spence’s recovery. He encouraged Spence to experiment with new, extreme sounds that Spence says were outside the envelope of his capabilities to help him rebuild his voice and the muscles that support it. But he also kept Spence calm.

“David always encouraged me to look at what has been achieved, and not what was yet to be achieved, to see how far we had come rather than look at how far we had to go,” Spence says. “The healing process that I’ve been through physically has mirrored the healing process that I went through vocally.”

There was a sense of urgency throughout Spence’s recovery. Spence was set to make his debut at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera in November 2012, singing the role of Antonio in Thomas Ad

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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