COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What kind of singers do I work with?
-Those eager to learn and develop
-People who just love to sing for fun, between ages 5-95!
-Children looking to maximize their voice appropriately for their age
-Aging vocalists looking to maximize the richness they’ve gained, or rehabilitate from underuse
-Recording artists going to record in the studio, or on tour
-Singer/Songwriters looking for songwriting help, artistry and stylization coaching, as well as technique
-Novice singers to professional
-Singers and dancers auditioning for Broadway shows, community theater, cruise line auditions, college music/theater program auditions
-Actors who’ve never sung before
-Dancers who’ve never sung before
-Karaoke singers
-Beauty Pageant contestants
-People with stage fright
-Choral singers
-Speakers looking to maximize their tone, inflection and speech patterns
-People looking to rehab vocal issues beyond what speech therapy has given
-People looking to work with their mind/ body connection and use vocalizing as an embodiment practice for stress relief or regulating their nervous system
-Anyone wanting to learn how to better use their voice!
What can I learn in lessons?
-So many things! Whatever you’re wanting to learn!
-Develop muscle and ligament strength and coordination
-Learn tongue and lip coordination for vocal acoustics and balance
-Learn vocal acoustics for maximizing resonance, balance and power
-Learn how to adjust those vocal acoustics through tongue coordination and vowel tuning
-Learn to adjust for whatever style you’re aiming for- pop, Broadway, classical, folk, rock, R&B, jazz, etc...
-How to transition through low, medium and high registers
-How to control your dynamics and volume
-How to use pressure and tension for your advantage, instead of straining and extra effort
-Learn breathier singing versus higher pressure singing
-Learning better breathing and pressure
-Learning belting and mixing
-Learn to hone skills to becoming second nature
-Stylization and artistry coaching of songs
-Learn the embodiment practice that singing is, how meditative, calming and energizing it can be
-Learn how to have healthier vocal habits for speaking and expressing yourself through speech, for better tone, for projecting, or not losing your voice, or speaking with authority, or with compassion, or better inflection
-Learn healthier balance and adjustments for rehabilitating vocal issues from injury, working to incorporate rehab prescriptions into our sessions from your ENT or SLP
-Learn how to work with an aging voice and all the things you can do with the benefits of the richness that comes with it
There are endless possibilities with the voice and how you’re wanting to sound, so we can work on training and tuning into whatever sound you’re wanting to create!
How long of a session time do I need?
30 minutes
Best for those looking for…
An introduction to singing
Basic skills and understanding of the voice
Introduction to basic technique
Short application to song
OR
A short vocal assessment
45 minutes
Best for those looking for…
More time for higher level skills
Deeper understanding of the voice
More time for fine tuning
More intensive vocal training
More time for song application and detailed work
60 minutes
Best for those looking for…
Leveling up with intensive vocal training and skills
Deeper understanding of the voice for direction and intention
More fine tuning of resonance, vowel tuning, coordination
More detailed coaching and fine tuning of song and stylistic choices
90 minutes
Best for those looking for…
Preparation for Performances, Auditions, Recordings
Time for vocal warmup and training to clear the voice
And align and balance for easier singing and less tiring
Time to fine tune and use repetition to solidify
In Studio Coaching
2 hour minimum
Vocal warmup and alignment
Help set the voice for placement and emotion
Help the voice if it feels strained or tired
More efficient time and effort used so you get the most out of your time
How often should I come for lessons?
That depends on what level you are and how quickly you would like to progress. Most students come every week. This gives time to practice on your own what we have worked on together and learn how to feel it for yourself and repeat it to engrain those coordinations into your muscle memory and nervous system. Some like to meet more often if they have a performance or recording coming up or if they want to progress even more quickly. Every time we meet I can help correct issues that come up and help them not become poor habits and re-feel better alignment. Some people have more negative habits to help get rid of before we can move forward in relearning healthy habits. But the whole process is not linear, there are steps forward and back and it’s exciting that every lesson and practice session as you’re taking time with your vocal instrument you can always take more steps forward. You might consider more frequently meeting depending on how often you want to have the correction and realignment and direction from me as you learn balance, and then we can progressively add strength to that balance, and tune more and more finely as your skills progress. If you can’t meet as frequently, I would recommend a longer lesson time when we do meet to be able to get more deeply into things and hone those skills with more time for repetition. So meeting 2-3 times per month for longer, rather than every week for a shorter time. Everyone is different though, so you can always try one time and frequency and adjust to what seems to fit your goals.
Online Instructional Videos
*Coming Soon!*
The videos give instructions on exercises to help coordinate the voice, to help with balance, alignment, honing resonances, working through bridges and breaks throughout vocal range, extending vocal range, and so many other helps in solving common vocal issues and expanding your vocal abilities. These can be a great way to learn how to work with your voice and answer common questions you might have about singing. They also give an opportunity to choose the level of singing you’re wanting to challenge yourself with, moving up to more advanced levels as you choose to or feel ready to try. Or maybe you’re already advanced and are looking for even more ways to coordinate and strengthen your voice. The voice is an endlessly progressing instrument that always has more room to grow and do even more than before, so the videos can also direct you to more ways your voice can improve that you hadn’t even considered.
Working through the exercises with repetition and consistency can really help improve the coordinations and strength of your voice so you have access to more coordination and strength when you sing a song. Working a song is another step in coordinating your singing, which can be helped with some of the videos about basic singing issues you might be working on.
Then adding in private lessons to help answer questions about these exercises and instruction can help fill in any gaps of understanding and address any specific issues you’re not able to resolve with the videos alone. And attending the classes adds another layer of learning with observing others resolving their vocal issues, which may be similar to yours, or ones you may come up against at some point. And if you choose to participate in the classes, it helps learn in an additional way under pressure, but also to add in more experiences being instructed in any given thing you’re wanting to work on at that time. The videos are a great way to layer in more learning about your own voice and give you chances to share your voice and learn in a supportive community of other singers working on their instruments too!
Classes
Group classes give an opportunity to learn from observing others, which can help you realize similar issues you might be working on. For those who volunteer to be a participant in the classes, they can choose to sing part of a song they need help with, either technically, or dynamically, or stylistically. Maybe a performance is coming up, or it’s just to help on a song you’re working on. You can ask about an exercise that doesn’t make sense, or recommend some exercises that will help with specific vocal issues. You can ask questions about other people’s parts they’re working on to understand more deeply for yourself. Whatever vocal questions you have or want to work on, it’s great to have check-ins for your own voice and to learn from others for self correction and understanding when it’s not you on the spot. It’s a supportive community of singers wanting to improve and happy to cheer each other on in their progress. Another great perk is the classes will be recorded so you can go back and keep learning from them. It’s amazing when you listen back to yourself how much different (and better) it sounds when you’re not in the moment learning and adjusting.
Are Private lessons or Classes better for me?
A combination of both is the most effective and efficient way to learn and advance.
In Private lessons we can get much more detailed and specific and dive deeper. Classes are more of a certain issue in a song we have a shorter time to work on, but can really help those one or two things that just aren’t clicking. In classes, questions might come up for you in different ways when you’re observing others. Learning from the classes will also add to more exposure to other’s vocal issues which can help in self corrections and understanding as you learn from their vocal issues that might be similar to yours, or something you might encounter. It also helps expand your understanding of how singing works as you hear different voice types, styles and personalities. It’s helpful to know everyone has to work to learn how to coordinate their singing and it doesn’t all just easily happen for everyone.
Private lessons allow for fully analyzing your voice, your strengths and areas that need more help, and adjustments to those things as your voice evolves in correcting unhelpful habits and moving forward on better habits, and then intensifying and strengthening on top of the healthy habits and pushing past former limits continually. In private lessons, we can work more deeply into technique and healthy habits, and can work through more of a song, or be able to have more time to spend on especially tricky spots
The classes give time for a short part of a song or part of your voice you would like help with. So even though it won’t go into all a private lesson can, it can help spot fix something you need a little extra direction with personally if you participate, and then we can dive deeper into it with lessons each time. And it also gives the great benefits I’ve listed in what the classes can do for you in observing other people and the things they’re working on.
How many lessons until I become a good singer?
This is like asking a personal trainer- when am I going to be in the shape I want to be in? It depends on so many factors. Some things to consider- how much experience do I have singing and knowing how my voice works? How many negative habits do I have that I need to get rid of before I can build on good healthy coordinations? How much time am I going to devote to practicing? How focused will I be while I practice? How aware am I of my body in general? We can’t see the mechanisms of the voice as we sing (although science has come a long way in being able to see what’s going on through modern technology), as with other instruments, so a level of self awareness in the body is essential to becoming a coordinated singer. All these things come into play with how quickly you will progress.
The amazing thing about singing is that even as a “beginning” singer you can do some kinds of advanced things. Because it’s not linear learning of exactly step by step. Even as an “advanced” singer, there are things we have to keep working on that seem basic. Because some of the so called basics are so foundational, but can also be very difficult. Just because they’re basics doesn’t mean they’re simple or easy. But they are foundational broad strokes that have to be there and solidified and memorized in our nervous system, that can then be built upon. But there are many coordinations we can find the place for even without all of the foundations in place, they might not be able to happen every time, or without focusing on the multiple coordinations we’re trying to do at once, but if you feel something once you can feel it again and again and catch on very quickly with repetition until it becomes a part of you. So progress can be quick in some areas, and a lifelong process for learning all we want to. The voice as an instrument has no ceiling to progressing, which is exciting and daunting! So even the most accomplished singers are continuing to reach new levels with their voices. So your level of singing will depend on so many factors, including what level you’re starting from, how frequent you’re practicing, how focused your practicing is, and how often you need correction with what you’re working on relative to how often you receive it.
How often should I take lessons?
-To develop and train most effectively, weekly is best
-More frequency makes quicker progress, even 2-3 times/ week if you need to progress extra quickly or feel you have deeply ingrained habits that are harmful
-More frequent for preparing for performances, tours, or recording sessions
-Weekly is ideal, especially to start, but bi-weekly is especially effective depending on goals and deadlines
-It can depend on how disciplined you are to practicing on your own
-It can depend on how secure you feel correcting and adjusting on your own to keep aligning and catch bad habits or straining and correct it
-I recommend longer sessions 2-3 times/ month rather than shorter sessions, then we can get deeper into things with more time
-It can be evolving and adjusting the time and frequency along the way to match your goals at the time
How to prepare for a lesson?
Mainly just try to come hydrated and ready to see where your voice can go! When we’ve already been meeting, making sure to practice what we’ve worked on previously will mean those things are more ingrained and we can progress even faster with higher levels. Even just playing with your voice every day can help vocal coordination because getting to know your voice and the sensations is a huge part of the process. These coordinations of muscles and ligaments aren’t all in our direct control, so we need to ingrain healthy patterns into our nervous system. (This is also what helps training in singing be an embodiment practice, which helps calm our nervous system and lower stress levels. These practices are also what studies show helps keep our brain healthier as we age and works against deterioration.) I will record each lesson to send you the exercises and song application recordings to know what to practice at home. You are also welcome to record our lesson of course.
How to prepare for a virtual lesson?
Just a few basic things to be ready with that will help have the most effective lesson-
***Please find small cocktail straws to use in a cup of water (preferably a clear cup to see through), about halfway full or a little less. Preferably 2-3 straws that are smaller in diameter like cocktail straws, or if not, then a straw that can be pinched to change the pressure. We will use it throughout the lesson and it will make sense when we start. ***
1- CONNECTION- Please be in a place you get the best internet connection.
-Close down any other programs or apps on your computer or device so the connection has a better chance.
2-PLACE—Have a place away from distractions and where you can feel absolutely free to make some very strange sounds. And feel free to express emotions in a song.
3- LIGHT—Have light facing you if possible instead of just at your back
(Then the picture quality is better)
4-SIT/STAND—Sitting is fine for the beginning if you would like, a chair is needed rather than sitting on a bed or floor so you are upright. Standing is great for energy and grounding and aligning, but if you prefer to sit for the beginning that can work too, especially if it’s a longer lesson time.
5-SET—Have a way to set it up to not have to hold the phone or iPad or laptop when sitting or when you need to stand. I need to be able to see from about your waist up.
6-HEADPHONES/ Or SOUND SETTINGS—If using headphones, it's best to have headphones with the microphone attached on the cord to help the sound quality, (AirPods seem to work great, but not the only option).
-Please make sure they can sync to your device ahead of time.
-You may want to try to connect an outside speaker for better sound for you.
-A laptop or computer is great with Zoom because we don’t need headphones and can turn off the "original sound" in settings for the microphone and get "sound for musicians" so it won’t cancel out the higher frequency sounds we make.
7-MUSIC— Please have a separate way to play the music you will be singing with, karaoke and/or with the singer. It’s important for YOU to hear it without delay, I just need to be able to hear YOU. You can find most music on YouTube.
8-LYRICS—Please print out the lyrics to what we’re working on before the session, or have the ones we have used in the past so you can refer to them and write notes. A folder to keep them organized is helpful.
9-STRAWS- please have a straw in a cup (see through if possible) of water, about 1/4 full. We will be using it throughout the lesson and it helps SO much! 2-3 cocktail type straws are best, or it can be a flexible straw that is plastic or silicone to be able to pinch and adjust the pressure. We can work with a metal straw but it is more difficult for a beginner with straw singing.
Great, ready to get started! You’ve probably done video calls before, these are just some things I find helpful to have a more effective virtual voice lesson.
What is your process?
To see where you are and what your particular voice needs, which varies by person, by day, by intensity of effort. We will see where your voice is at on any given day, since it's a human instrument it can vary by time of day, how much sleep, how hydrated you are, allergies, stress, and so many factors! We can adjust according to what your voice needs at any given time to get to the best place it can be then.
We will work through vocal exercises to warm up the vocal folds, strengthen various parts of the voice, balance and align and memorize the feelings of resonance and coordinations of the vocal tract and breathing, all the multitasking the voice requires.
Then we will apply those coordinations to a song of your choice, with vowel tuning, dynamics, stylization, working through the song to make it what you want it to be!