Vocal Development -What I Do.
Many years ago I took speech level vocal lessons from one of LA's top vocal coaches for one year. It was expensive and I only marginally improved. Unsatisfied, I resolved to study (perhaps owing to my background as an attorney) the voice on my own. In producing music with other singers, I gradually started teaching them what I was learning, including the results from my own research of clinical studies, journals and the top literature on voice. Ten years later, I have taught dozens of people to improve their ability to not only sing, but speak, breathe and feel better about themselves while being creative and singing. I work mostly on referral these days, but sometimes I select people to work with and invite them to the studio. Using this approach, I have scouted and found a lot of people who never thought they could sing, but were simply willing to try. And these people often turn out to be capable of amazing things vocally. I also have had the honor of working with people from many foreign countries, including Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Romania, Sweden, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Vietnam. So if English is not your first language, you need not worry.
Unlike most voice coaches, I also teach music theory for singers so they are able to work competently with original music if they do not already have a background in music or playing an instrument. Music is a language and it has terminology to help us understand what we are hearing. Knowing this terminology is in fact the fastest way to become good.
I teach artistry for those singers who have some experience, but feel something is lacking in their singing or the ability to be creative or write a song.
I teach dynamics and can take a mild or flat singing voice and transform it to a powerful and expressive voice.
I teach each singer how their instrument (which is their entire body and mind) actually functions when it sings. You will learn about breathing, phonation, resonance and articulation as separate systems of sensation in the body, and once deconstructed with awareness, learn how to integrate them back together into a unified, mind blowing experience. Even if you do not become a professional singer, the sense of empowerment you will feel when this happens will likely transform the way you interact in all aspects of your life, repaying you dividends for years to come. Singers have told me that they have experienced reduced amounts of anxiety, increased personal confidence, and a better sense of wellness simply from learning to sing using my method.
At the core, the vocal sound that I emphasize is known in vocal literature as modal voice. Essentially, it is a modern understanding (backed by science and research) of the Italian Bel Canto singing school that dates to the early 19th century. Modal voice can be applied equally well to either pop or rock music.
I work with a lot of female singers. Many female singers do not have strong singing voices. What happens is that when they go to sing a big pop chorus or rock song, they sound weak. When they go to sing something soft and intimate, they sound even weaker. This can be extremely confusing and frustrating for young singers, especially those who have already had some speech level vocal training. Many times they don't even realize they have a weak singing voice, such has their perception of dynamics been destroyed by listening to overly compressed and limited music, littered with auto tune artifacts on voices. Modal voice fixes this problem and gives you a big voice with projection, punch and balanced tone. It can take your instrument and transform it from a Prius to a Ferrari. Then when you go to sing something softer, it will have the appropriate sound. Modal voice gives your sound its full bandwidth, and you have fine control over the volume knob. Modal voice moves us away from dated, artificial concepts like "chest voice" and "head voice," which although they make sense in their own way, can easily confuse and limit a developing singer from ever opening up into her one true voice.
Unlike most voice coaches, I also teach music theory for singers so they are able to work competently with original music if they do not already have a background in music or playing an instrument. Music is a language and it has terminology to help us understand what we are hearing. Knowing this terminology is in fact the fastest way to become good.
I teach artistry for those singers who have some experience, but feel something is lacking in their singing or the ability to be creative or write a song.
I teach dynamics and can take a mild or flat singing voice and transform it to a powerful and expressive voice.
I teach each singer how their instrument (which is their entire body and mind) actually functions when it sings. You will learn about breathing, phonation, resonance and articulation as separate systems of sensation in the body, and once deconstructed with awareness, learn how to integrate them back together into a unified, mind blowing experience. Even if you do not become a professional singer, the sense of empowerment you will feel when this happens will likely transform the way you interact in all aspects of your life, repaying you dividends for years to come. Singers have told me that they have experienced reduced amounts of anxiety, increased personal confidence, and a better sense of wellness simply from learning to sing using my method.
At the core, the vocal sound that I emphasize is known in vocal literature as modal voice. Essentially, it is a modern understanding (backed by science and research) of the Italian Bel Canto singing school that dates to the early 19th century. Modal voice can be applied equally well to either pop or rock music.
I work with a lot of female singers. Many female singers do not have strong singing voices. What happens is that when they go to sing a big pop chorus or rock song, they sound weak. When they go to sing something soft and intimate, they sound even weaker. This can be extremely confusing and frustrating for young singers, especially those who have already had some speech level vocal training. Many times they don't even realize they have a weak singing voice, such has their perception of dynamics been destroyed by listening to overly compressed and limited music, littered with auto tune artifacts on voices. Modal voice fixes this problem and gives you a big voice with projection, punch and balanced tone. It can take your instrument and transform it from a Prius to a Ferrari. Then when you go to sing something softer, it will have the appropriate sound. Modal voice gives your sound its full bandwidth, and you have fine control over the volume knob. Modal voice moves us away from dated, artificial concepts like "chest voice" and "head voice," which although they make sense in their own way, can easily confuse and limit a developing singer from ever opening up into her one true voice.
The Truth
Almost all people can learn to sing and express themselves with the best possible voice that they were born with. The voice you speak with now probably sounds nothing like what you are capable of. You will surprise yourself.
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Go Deep
I operate from a deep knowledge of vocal faults and how to correct them. Almost all people have vocal faults, even many professional singers. You will learn to reduce or eliminate them entirely, no matter whether you are an absolute beginner or an advanced singer.
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Have Fun and Feel Wonderful
Although singing is an intense activity, learning to remove the tension that blocks singing, is an incredibly cathartic experience for many people. If you can allow yourself to feel wonderful, you will have fun while singing and the singing will improve.
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How Does it Work?
Your first meeting will last approximately one hour. It is a free consultation. Depending on your level of experience, I will test your ear and your voice for strength, pitch and range. I will ask you to sing part of one song that you already know well. Don't worry, it is a fun process and is not an audition. The purpose of the consultation is simply to gather information about your musical background and determine what you want to do with music.
If we choose to work together, vocal development sessions can last anywhere from one hour to 90 minutes depending on how long your voice can hold out without experiencing fatigue. For singers with little or no experience, more time is focused initially on concepts and teaching prior to actual singing, which is done to minimize vocal faults and increase your level of awareness.
If we choose to work together, vocal development sessions can last anywhere from one hour to 90 minutes depending on how long your voice can hold out without experiencing fatigue. For singers with little or no experience, more time is focused initially on concepts and teaching prior to actual singing, which is done to minimize vocal faults and increase your level of awareness.
How Much Does it Cost?
Vocal lessons are typically the most expensive type of music lessons in the marketplace. This cost also scares off many people from ever learning to sing. All vocal coaches know that it takes a real commitment to become a great singer, and this takes time. Therefore my aim in my pricing is to charge the least amount of money I can to give you the most amount of time possible. To accomplish this, I charge based on a monthly retainer, which is customized to fit your level of experience, your budget and your goals. Essentially this retainer is one fee for a minimum amount of sessions you are guaranteed per month. How much the monthly retainer is we can negotiate at the end of our consultation.
Some vocal coaches sell packaged voice instruction over the internet. There are also many free videos that teach singing. Some of this free information is quite good. The problem is that learning to sing requires that you have someone knowledgeable watch and listen to you so that they can observe what you are doing. Without this feedback, many a young singer will in essence practice mistakes without realizing it.
I also have a very limited number of scholarship slots open from time to time where I subsidize the cost of your education, provided I am able to use you in my research studies and you are suitable and agreeable to participate in various musical projects the studio is involved in, once your singing talent is ready. Obviously not everyone will qualify for this, and I cannot say if you would until I meet you and do a vocal assessment. Scholarship students see me less often than paying clients since the paying clients obviously have first pick at scheduling.
Some vocal coaches sell packaged voice instruction over the internet. There are also many free videos that teach singing. Some of this free information is quite good. The problem is that learning to sing requires that you have someone knowledgeable watch and listen to you so that they can observe what you are doing. Without this feedback, many a young singer will in essence practice mistakes without realizing it.
I also have a very limited number of scholarship slots open from time to time where I subsidize the cost of your education, provided I am able to use you in my research studies and you are suitable and agreeable to participate in various musical projects the studio is involved in, once your singing talent is ready. Obviously not everyone will qualify for this, and I cannot say if you would until I meet you and do a vocal assessment. Scholarship students see me less often than paying clients since the paying clients obviously have first pick at scheduling.
What is the End Game?
If you are able to complete the method and work through all the issues that may affect your singing, you will achieve a level of mastery that will enable you to have a career as a professional singer, even if (as incredible as it sounds) you have never yet sung a day in your life. I can't tell you how long that will take, or if you will be able to see it through to the end. Its a very personal journey. Many would be singers find this hard to understand with all the changes in the music industry. Many find another career in entertainment to be much more viable. Lets put it this way. When you are an actress, no matter what dreams you have, there are only a certain number of working jobs at any given point in time. Of that number of jobs, only a few roles are available or suitable for you. The competition to get in those few available jobs is very high. You may very well get one of those jobs. But someone is always selecting you for that job, and at some point, usually not too far into the future, the job ends and you have to look for another. Some people thrive on this, but others find it can take a toll after a few years of chasing after roles. If you achieve vocal mastery and can be translated into a music product, you already have the job- you are the role. In other words- no one can take your voice away from you. Singing is becoming a dying art in terms of the number of young people able to do it for a variety of societal reasons that are too long to address here, yet people will never tire of someone who can truly sing amazingly. Scarcity has its value and its potentially worth millions to your bank account. And unlike a lottery ticket, even if you don't become rich, learning to sing will make you feel better in ways you have never before experienced and its a skill you can carry with you and even share with your children someday for the rest of your life. If you can sing to the best of your ability and have something to say, people will want to listen. And if your technique enables you to sing better than your peers, people will pay you for it and you can build as big an empire as you can muster.