As a voice teacher, my top priority is training healthy singers. The voice is a physical part of the body, and like any muscle or tendon, it can be hurt from misuse. Everything I do in lessons is done in service of preserving and protecting my students’ voices. We learn a variety of techniques that strengthen the voice and maintain its health throughout students’ lives.

Broadly, I focus on three groups of techniques: posture, breathing, and diction. By studying posture, my students learn how to stand and position themselves to encourage a clear, healthy sound. To this purpose, I teach students how to reduce tension around their face, neck, and shoulders. It seems silly to say that I teach students how to breathe, but in voice lessons, we really do learn new ways of using our breath, such as modifying our exhalation to release more air than we use during regular speech. Finally, diction is my favorite technique group; ask any of my students, and they will tell you how excited I get about it! Diction refers to how we pronounce or enunciate our words. By learning new ways to open and move our mouths, singers can access clearer, louder singing without any added tension or pain.

All of these techniques require a sense of body awareness. This, too, is important to me as a teacher. I strongly believe that all singers, regardless of age and experience, should understand how their body makes sound. In lessons, I use a combination of diagrams and practical exercises to teach students about the biologic processes that occur when we sing. While I do not require students to memorize all the technical terms – although I do celebrate when a student remembers how to spell “thyroarytenoid!” – I do ensure they understand exactly why we use the techniques we do and how they practically affect our voices

Singing is a highly personal discipline. Everyone’s voice is unique to them, and training your voice requires a willingness to work on an intrinsic part of yourself. As a voice teacher, I prioritize my students’ emotional safety as highly as their physical wellbeing. My studio is a safe place to experiment, learn, and grow. In lessons, I maintain a judgement-free zone; my students learn to critique their musicianship, not themselves.

I also encourage students to bring their own personal touches into lessons, and we work collaboratively to select repertoire that both suits and challenges their tastes, skills, and goals. My students learn from many genres of music: classical art song and opera, musical theater, and pop styles such as rock and country. I firmly believe that students improve quickest when they enjoy what they sing; that being said, I also push my students to experiment outside their comfort zone. The best singers are those who know their voice, their tastes, and themselves well. My job is to guide them on the path to those greater understandings.