FAQS

How would you describe your approach as a voice teacher?

I have a very holistic approach to my teaching. When I work with a student, I start with where they are whether they are a beginner, advanced professional or anywhere in between. It is my belief that everyone can sing or at least sing better.  I look at it as a shared journey and always have in mind what the singer wants from me as their teacher and together we make a plan to help them achieve their vocal goals. The lessons include skill building techniques, inside work, and song coaching. Each student has different requirements and we focus on what’s needed most at that time.

What styles do you teach?

I teach all types of contemporary singing. Just about anything with a microphone. I do not teach classical singing or opera.

How long are the lessons?

Lessons can be one hour, 45 minutes or 30 minutes.

How often are the lessons?

For voice training, I highly recommend weekly lessons. That is the best way to achieve your vocal goals. The goals evolve and change over time as the voice develops. I also do one time stand-alone coaching for auditions or trouble shooting for more advanced singers.

What kind of trouble-shooting do you do?

Usually, a singer who already has some great skills might run into trouble and not know how to solve the issue. For instance, typically contemporary singers and songwriters do not want to take voice lessons for fear that a teacher will train them classically and train the uniqueness out of their voice. They might do fine for awhile, but suddenly find that they don’t have the endurance to do a show anymore, or they cannot any longer hit that high note on a song they’ve sung for years, or they are starting to get hoarse in the recording studio. They have already established their style and don’t want me to change that, yet they want help to fix their problem. I show them techniques that train and use their vocal anatomy in a way that will serve them healthfully. In these cases the singer will come for a few lessons until the problem is solved. Sometimes it may just be one lesson. They are busy and on the road much of the time.:

What do you emphasize in your teaching?

It might sound corny, but I emphasize keeping the joy in the process. Sometimes we can get bogged down in technique work, so I continually keep the focus on why we care about the work we are doing. It is my goal for the singer to leave each lesson happy, empowered and a knowing that there has been progress.

What is the definition of technique?

Technique is the ability to sing anything you want healthfully and sustainably. For whatever style you sing, there are healthy ways to achieve the sound you are looking for. There are also unhealthy ways of getting those same sounds. The task is finding the right tools and learning how to use them to achieve your goals for sustainable singing. The real test to know if your technique is working is when you take on the road and are singing every night and you can stay vocally healthy.

How do you use voice science in your teaching?

Knowing how the voice works makes it so much easier and quicker to get results. We have learned so much more about the voice in the last 30 - 40 years than we did for 500 years thanks to research and technology. I am constantly studying the science to improve my teaching and my own singing. I am an Estill trained teacher and I also continue learning the latest in voice science from various resources.

How long will it take me to become a great singer?

That is almost impossible to answer here. What is the definition of a “great” singer? Is Bob Dylan a great singer? We can agree that he is great and certainly is successful and an important artist that is beloved. It is completely so individual. For one person it might be to finally sing on pitch. For another it might conquering a high belt. Maybe one thinks they are great when others love to hear them sing. It will all depend on the goals and the amount of time a singer puts into their practice to improve their skills. The bottom line is, the more time you put into practicing the skills you learn, the faster the progress.

Can anyone learn to sing?

My short answer is yes. I think everyone should be able to sing if they wish. The real answer is everyone can learn to sing better. Some may have more natural talent to begin with, but everyone can maximize what they were born with.

Are you a voice coach or voice teacher? What is the difference?

I am both. These days the terms are used interchangeably, but technically they are different. A voice teacher understands how the voice works and they are trained to know how to help a singer learn the foundations of singing. A voice teacher employs exercises to help a singer grow their voice in terms such things as range, breath work, stability, pitch accuracy, tone, and fix any vocal issues the singer may have.

A voice coach helps the singer with their song preparation. They coach the songs the student is working on for a gig, or an audition, or one that they are writing and recording. They help with styling, diction, interpretation and even building their repertoire. A vocal coach may have no knowledge of how the voice works, but they know what they want to hear, and they are skilled at helping the student with their stage presentation.

I sing R&B and rock. Are you going to try to make me study classical style and sing in Italian?

No, not at all. I only work with contemporary styles which covers anything that is sung with a microphone.

What ages do you work with?

I work with all ages. I have taught ages as young as six years old and as old as 77. To determine if a child is ready for individual lessons, the student needs to be able to focus for 30 minutes and understand that they need to do the tasks and practice them. Lessons for children look very different than ones for adults. The lessons are more like musical games that help build their skills. I prefer that the child not be younger than 9 or 10, but I have had some great younger students because they really loved to sing and were ready for lessons. Note: If it is the parent who wants the child to have lessons and not the child, it never works. If a child begs a parent for voice lessons, it’s a pretty good indicator that it will work.

Is it true that if you sing Classical, you can sing anything?

No. Classical singing is a specific genre on its own. It takes years of training to attain the skill to be an opera singer. The classical singer learns to sing loudly and beautifully over an orchestra without microphone amplification. The techniques used for that discipline do not translate to microphone singing. When a classically trained student comes to me who wants to learn to belt for instance, work must be done to adjust some of the training and give new options for that singer. One is not right and the other wrong. It’s just a different set-up in the vocal tract and positioning of the vocal structures. When a person trains for years only in one genre such as opera, it takes time to get some flexibility in all the moving parts of the voice.

Is it healthy to belt?

Belting can be done both healthfully and unhealthfully. We often just listen to what it sounds like. If you are singing a song by your favorite artist, and you belt it out and it sounds close, you will think that’s what you need to do. But it could be possible that the way you achieved the sound is not sustainable. It’s important to learn how to “listen” to the muscles and be sure you are employing healthy technique. This idea is strongly emphasized in Estill voice training. Be aware that any style can be sung in an unhealthy and unsustainable way.

Will taking singing lessons train the uniqueness out of my voice?

I like to think of singing lessons as a means to give the student more options to choose from to enhance their unique voice. My personal bias of style does not play a part in the student’s desires for their vocal development.  I do find, however almost every student that comes into my studio has limiting beliefs about their voice. They often base their “style” on their weaknesses rather than building new strengths and taking their voice to new heights.

What do you love about teaching?

That is such a great question. I spent my life as a singer myself and teaching was never on my radar. I never thought I would love anything more than being the one on the stage singing. I went into teaching very gingerly, starting with just helping my fellow singers with their voices. I have been singing over 45 years and counting and keeping my voice healthy has always been important to me. As I studied the science and opened my studio and began teaching others of all ages and styles, I have come to the place where nothing gives me more joy than seeing my student’s progress. Knowing how they feel when they’ve done a moving performance gives me as much of a thrill as when I sing. Maybe even more. I get more nervous watching my students sing than when I sing. I feel every breath they take. I love it!