Intensive one-on-one lessons available in Amsterdam, Netherlands
22 January - 26 January 2009 ======= 15 June - 19 June 2009
"You've done more for me in one lesson than all 3 of my previous teachers the whole time I was studying with them."
vocal lessons, voice coaching & singing classes in San Diego, LA, San Francisco (London UK Oct 2007)
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"You've done more for me in one lesson than all 3 of my previous teachers the whole time I was studying with them."
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This site contains information on my teaching studios
in San Diego,
Los Angeles, and
San Francisco where I work
as a singing coach and vocal instructor. As a voice teacher, I work in both locations
with many singers of all levels. I take foreign students who have travelled to
enroll in voice lessons & vocal coaching from as far away as Asia. I am proud to be
able to work as a voice instuctor and coach and of the voice lessons and coaching.
As a voice teacher, I use Alexander Technique principles in the vocal lessons. I try
to make the singing lessons and coaching as closely related to Alexander Technique as
possible and the vocal technique I teach in the voice lessons is based in it originally.
I invite you in to the site. It is modest but uses frames. I include some of the
more important content below
for if you have an age-of-the-dinosaurs browswer. If not, click here to enter the site.
Congratulations to voice coaching and vocal teachnique students and clients:
Blues singing lessons - see 145th Street at Adams Avenue Street Fair and Music Festival this year in San Diego. Steve Bulger
is a long time voice lessons student of mine and a fantastic singer. He fronts 145th Street Blues Band.
Congratulations to young Graeson Harris-Young who has been taking voice and singing lessons in San Diego for about
2 years - he worked hard to get an audition to a local performing arts high school and was admitted after an
audition. I am very proud of Graeson Harris-Young and his singing accomplishments!
Chris DeRose is taking voice and opera lessons from me in Los Angeles and has landed a lead part on
the tv show "desire" as the Mob Patriarch which highlights his great speaking voice. I am proud of
you Chris! Good job!
Carra Barratt took voice lessons from me prior to going out on the road on tour of the US twice
in the recent past. I am proud of her singing and songwriting and that she gets to play in Chicago,
Louisiana, Florida, and other places around the country. She was also featured in San Diego Magazine!
Way to go, Carra.
Daraugh Adamson - who took jazz singing from me has been doing great work and landed a weekly gig
at a location ot be announced. I am very proud to have been able to work with her on her singing
through coaching and lessons in San Francisco. She has a teaching studio of her own as well and
teaches singing and jazz and piano in the San Francisco area. And what a voice!
Student Quotes
What my voice and singing lessons students have told me (to my face anyway...)
Quote of the Week ...or whenever I get around to changing it!
"You've done more for me in one lesson than all three of my previous teachers the whole time I was studying with them."
- Male rock singer
GOAL: Came in complaining that he gets hoarse/loses his voice after very short time singing or speaking (severe vocal strain and possible injury) - eliminate these things
PREVIOUS INSTRUCTION: 3 previous instructors of various lengths
LENGTH OF STUDY WITH ME: 1 lesson so far (60 minutes)
"I noticed an improvement after the first lesson. And I am not *even* kidding!
- Female Country music singer/songwriter
referring another student
GOAL: to sing better on stage with her band
PREVIOUS INSTRUCTION: 3 months, another instructor
LENGTH OF STUDY WITH ME: 3 months at that time, still a student since Jan 2003
"You are the first singing teacher I've had who has been able to tell me what I was doing that makes my voice so tight."
- Female Singer/Songwriter
GOAL:"to sing without straining myself"
PREVIOUS INSTRUCTION: 3 months with one instructor, 3 months with another instructor
after 3 lessons, took 12 weeks, achieved goal
"I want to call all my previous students up and show them (what you showed me). I want
to call them all and give them a free lesson so I can can check them.
I hope I wasn't passing this stuf on to my students."
- Female Singing Instructor and Vocalist
GOAL:"to enrich my teaching experience"
PREVIOUS INSTRUCTION: bachelor's degree in vocal performance
1 lesson taken
"You really know your stuff."
- Female Classically trained vocalist
GOAL:"to add onto my skills"
PREVIOUS INSTRUCTION: doctorate degree in vocal performance from Indiana University
3 lessons taken
"I am so comfortable with you."
- Beginning male recreational singer
GOAL: "to learn to sing on pitch and not be so shy about singing"
PREVIOUS INSTRUCTION:none
TIME OF STUDY WITH ME: 1 lesson at that time, took 12 weeks & accomplished goal
"(our daughter) made the audition into the school. We just want to say thank you because we really feel like you made our goals your goals."
- Parent of a 13 year old student admitted to an audition only arts school
TIME OF STUDY WITH ME: 1 year at that time, still a student since Jan 2002
"I never thought I would make it this far. I not re-enrolling like I thought I would because I accomplished more than I set out to do a lot faster than I thought was possible - I sing on pitch, I feel confident and I feel like I can go join a great choir now or go play out if I want and I never thought I'd be able to do that." - A male adult student who started with "tone deafness"
GOAL:"to see if I am tone-deaf and if I'm not to learn to sing on pitch and not be embarassed to do that in public",
PREVIOUS INSTRUCTION: none
TIME STUDIED WITH ME: 12 lessons in total
"I tried to get the breathing thing for a few months before and couldn't get it, but you showed it to me in 5 minutes!"
-Female Indie Rock singer
GOAL:"to learn better technique and peform some of my own songs with a band one day"
PREVIOUS INSTRUCTION: 3 months
TIME STUDIED WITH ME: 1 lesson, still taking since Dec 2002
"I can't believe the improvement in my voice in three weeks. I had no idea I could hit those high notes without cracking."
- Female jazz singer
GOAL:"to sing without straining myself"
PREVIOUS INSTRUCTION: 7 months
TIME STUDIED WITH ME: 3 lessons, took 12 weeks, achieved goal
"My voice does not hurt anymore after I sing. I played two shows in a row this week and wasn't hoarse at all."
- Male Singer/Songwriter
GOAL:"to find out why I lose my voice after a few songs and to be able to sing the day after a gig",
PREVIOUS INSTRUCTION: none
TIME STUDIED WITH ME: 4 lessons at that time, still taking lessons since August, 2003
A: I teach in two cities right now - San Francisco and San Diego. In San Francisco I teach
out of the Union Square area near Powell Street BART. In San Diego I am located in the inappropriately
named Normal Heights area (near where highways 8 and 805 meet - just north of North Park)
Q: So you teach every week in San Diego AND San Francisco
A: Yes.
Q: Every week?
A: Yes.
Q: For reals?
A: Yes.
Q: OK then.
A: OK.
Q: Can I just take lessons once in a whole or do I need to sign up for a month at a time or
a block or something?
A: You can do any of the above. Most people make the most progress taking weekly but it is
not for everyone. It is up to you what you would like. I am happy to set students up with
occassional lessons (works best for advanced or professional singers), weekly lessons, or
blocks of one month of lessons. I also offer 12 week courses several times a year for those people
who like to have more structure in their lessons.
A: The 12 week courses start on a specific date and end on a specific date. They are private
lessons but you hafta finish all the lessons by the end date. That way you have a definite
deadline which is helpful to a lot of people. At the end of the course, you are required to
attempt a small goal we set together at the beginning that is in keeping with your personality
and musical interests. It does not hafta be a hard goal but it does hafta stretch you a little
bit.
The lessons are generally divided into three distinct parts. A typical lesson starts with a
question and answer session regarding how you did with the homework, any problems you had, etc.
After that, we get your voice warmed up if it is not already and go over technique - we check
existing technique to make sure it is progressing well and introduce one or two new skills for
adults and probably a few more than that for kids since they learn faster. The rest of the
lesson is spent working in actual music in general - going through songs you are working on and
showing you ways to work in the song: phrasing, expressing yourself, finding your own way
of delivering a song, learning stylistic aspects of music (swing feel in jazz, how to express
yourself emotionally in a classical piece, in rock we might look at the keys you are working in
and see if you are straining yourself due to the key being not quirte right, and other issues
that come up in your genre taht wil wokr you towrd your goal.
With beginners the first lesson
usually covers learning the "diaphragmatic" breathing you hear so much
about in singing and posture. These two things alone can make a big difference as
far as your sound and oftentimes working with these two elements can get a beginning
singer through the "crack in the voice".
After the intake lesson, I can set you up
with either ongoing weekly lessons or you may opt to take occassioal
lessons as needed. As far as continuing students, I give either 45 minute lessons at
a "Regular
Time" each week - that time is set up when you sign up for the ongoing
lessons and we can try to work in requests for certain times. I teach in San Diego
and in San Francisco.
Lessons in San Francisco are available each Saturday during the day (as well as some Sundays and Mondays).
San Diego lessons are
Wednesday days and Thursday evenings.
A: You don't hafta sing classical to get a good foundation under your belt. In fact, it is
really important that you sing what is interesting to you because that will motivate you to
study wheras if you sing what *I* like you might not find it that motivating.
That said, the classical education is a great thing in that it gives you a solid foundation
to grow from. If you like it, it is fun to sing and can give you a great education.
However, if you hate it, it is more important that you build your foundation in
something that will keep you motivated. Jazz can provide a similarly rigourous foundation if
that is more interesting to you. Other genres are fine, too, although many are not as rigourous
or thorough.
With young kids, I like to
expose them to a variety of types of music because you really never know what they will become
interested in. However, more than almost anything else, I think a solid technical foundation
is important to singers no matter the genre and that is what I am interested in giving
students.
Q: Is there anything else I should or can do to help me sing better?
A: Alexander Technique is a very important study of how the body works ergonically
for the best vocal production. In many of the finest music schools and conservatories,
there is an Alexander Technique specialist on hand and students are required to take a
course in Alexander Technique. In fact, in all honesty, at the intermediate and advanced
levels, oftentimes and Alexander Technique specialist can be *just* as beneficial as a
voice instructor in solving problems. Whoops - cat's outta the bag now!
Even beginning students are encouraged to take a complementary course for body alignment
such as Alexander Technique or Yoga. If you are *serious* about singing,
take Alexander Technique for sure.
Even those of you who are kinda
just wanting to explore singing may want to do Alexander Technique - it
is a little better for your overall singing and can really make a HUGE
difference. However, you may substitute yoga instead if I really can't talk
you into Alexander Technique. I maintain a list of
yoga
and Alexander Technique instructors in San Diego and
San Francisco including some sliding scale and free resources for your
convenience in finding one in your area and that will fit your budget. You
can access this list by clicking on the "resources" link below.
Q: What's the deal with the performance goals? I am getting freaked out already!
A: The performance goals are set by the student and are supposed to stretch you a little
bit. For those of you who are already in bands or singing in public, a performance goal
might be to get a gig or present new material or make a demo. For those of you who are
really beginning and might have a lot of stage fright, a good goal might be singing in front
of one other person without actually fleeing the scene. So they can vary a lot from person
to person. Here are some goals I have seen in the past few years:
to be able to sing *one song* on key
to not mouth the words to "Happy Birthday" at office parties
to put together a recording for an audition for Cirque de Soliel
to not get hoarseness after I sing (this person had to sing an hour set at the end of his 12 weeks)
to audition for community theatre projects
to sing one song at my wedding to my spouse
Not to suck at Karaoke
to sound better on my recordings (performance goal was to do the recording)
to be more confident in my singing abilities (goal was to perform at an open mike after gaining some basic singing skills)
There is a list of
open mikes I maintin so you can
figure out if one of them might be a good place to go do performance goals or just to check out
other people in various stages of abilities as far as rock, country, jazz, and blues are
concerned.
We also do a series of "field trips" throughout the year which can either
meet the performance requirement or be for your personal edification. Yay!
These field trips are usually at least once per month and people are
welcome to attend. The type of field trip you are involved with depends
on your goals and the style of music you are interested in. If you do
classical, for instance, you may choose to go to a recital whereas if you
sing rock, we may set up an open mike. I also have field trips for jazz
singers to piano bars and sit-ins with jazz groups. Every few months,
very beginners can elect to go to a karaoke bar before they try any of
the scarier field trips. Although take it from me - the World's Worst
Karaoke Singer - karaoke is MUCH harder than playing with a live
band. More info on our latest and upcoming field trips is available.
Questions about Voice Lessons in General
Q: What's the Deal if I'm tone-deaf? Am I doomed to sucking?
A:
"Tone deafness" is not an official disease. What a teacher means if they say you are tone deaf is - two things really: 1. You are having difficulty replicating a pitch you are given, although you can probably hear it just fine. 2. Your teacher is really lame.
I'm sorry, I don't mean to bag on other teachers, but really, when are we gonna get out of the Stone Ages here? A lot of people start off in music being "tone deaf". It doesn't mean you're not talented. On the contrary, many people who start off having pitch difficulties at first end up quickly passing their peers as they absorb their education. That is what they say when they mean someone is talented, not whether you have perfect pitch.
Having perfect pitch might qualify you to tune pianos, but it doesn't guarantee that you could do it well. Tuning pianos takes not only the ability to tune, but also the ability to listen to the instrument as a whole. It takes what is called "musicality", a sense for the instrument and for music - an artistic sensibility. Some people just don't have that and for these people, no matter how perfectly in pitch the piano is, it won't sound right because equally important to having the instrument tuned is having it sound good wholistically. This process may involve "tweaking" it a little so it's not absolutely tuned perfectly according to the laws of physics.
Musicality is what I look for. Sure, pitch problems take hard work to fix and you have to be dedicated but they can be remedied whereas I'm not so sure about people who lack musicality. Maybe musicality could be gained over time with a lifestyle and attitudinal change, but I'm fairly certain you won't pick it up by practicing. So if pitch is your only problem, consider yourself lucky.
I know if you think you're tone deaf, you're a little afraid to approach a teacher. I mean, what if the teacher says you just suck and you'll never recover? If that happens, you find yourself another music teacher because the translation of that from music-teacher-ese to English is that the teacher does not want to spend the time helping you learn music or that they just don't know how to teach people how to improve their pitch.
"Tone deaf" people go on to become composers, singers, directors, teachers, doctorate of music holders, and - in all honesty - piano tuners. Sometimes it is an asset because the perception is that tone deafness is this huge incurable thing that you have been smitten with from birth. And so if you think you're "tone deaf", you know you have to be serious and work hard to get somewhere in music. This is really intimidating to a lot of people and they just go do something else. But if it means enough to you, you keep at it even though your lame teacher doesn't believe in you. And I think the people who don't give up under these seemingly hopeless circumstances are dedicated and have a great love and devotion to music because they can remember wondering if they could ever do it.
Never listen to anyone who tells you you're "tone deaf". This is an archaic expression left over from a time when people put pencils into kids' right hands if they were left handed, dinosaurs roamed the earth, and Bill Gates was cute. Some people truly don't know any better. Often, boys will be pronounced tone deaf during their voice change which is completely unfair. If someone came into my studio and truly, truly couldn't hear pitch, it would be the first time ever for me. Pitch problems can be solved remarkably quickly if you put the time in.
As for myself, I was "tone deaf" once (as you may have figured out by my being so opinionated on the subject). I was never told so until after I studied music for about 6 months which for some reason my family didn't encourage me in. I found out why when I was singing as a soloist. It was my mother who mentioned it. She said something like "Wow, I can't believe you singing. You know you used to be tone deaf?" I thought she was kidding. Later still, she told me "do you remember when I used to get headaches all the time and I'd ask you to go sing outside?" I did. "It's because you were driving me nuts. I couldn't take it anymore."
In other words, my mom used to fake illnesses to get me to shut up.
I tell you this because sometimes people can give up after someone tells them they are "tone deaf". If I had known what my mom thought, maybe I would have never even tried. But thankfully she kept her diagnosis to herself and I went on to become a classical soloist with some help from a very amazing teacher who mentored me. I learned a lot from my mentor who sometimes spent 8 hours a day teaching me. I never realised the significance of how deeply she had taught me about music and practically everything else until I started to take students myself and realised I knew something from my education that my mentor had never said directly, but I think it was maybe the most significant thing she taught me about teaching:
A deep love of music is, itself, talent.
===================
Q: I'm a recording artist. How can voice lessons help me?
A:
The most expensive part of recording is often going back in with the voice and "punching in" the parts you messed up. Barabara Adamson, in her article about cutting your first cd, says "If you couldn't cut the tracks live and have them sound close to the way you want them, you will spend a lot more time completing your project."
According to the head engineer at a notable local studio, if the singer does not like how they sound on the first take and is wanting to come up with only their very best sound, "you could burn up a whole day on one song". Times 12 - wow. At $300-1200/day and taking into consideration vocal fatigue that could really cut into your beer money. The difference between nailing it the first or second take and this worst-case scenario that engineer is talking about is - using $300-1200/day as the cost of the studio - is between $3600 and $14,400. That price is for punching in vocals *alone*. So if that's all you paid for, you still would not have the rest of the band...how weird would *that* sound?
Compare that with the price of taking voice lessons from an instructor who knows what they are doing and getting your technique all straightened out. The estimated cost for an entire year of voice lessons from someone good is between $2100 and $2800. And you would also get the benefit of being able to actually *sound* as good live as you sound in your recording. Plus if your cd is well-received you would then be able to uphold a tour schedule because your vocal technique background would allow you to sing for hours without blowing your voice out.
So if you think you got it down, head out for the studio and do your thing. Man, go do it - that'll be great. But if you are still struggling a little with the technical aspects of the voice, you oughtta get that straightened out. Or you can go give $4800 to a recording engineer and still not be able to sound good in concert.
===========================
Q:
What should I look for when trying to pick a voice teacher for myself?
A: When looking for a voice instructor, keep in mind that *all* good voice technique
starts with a foundation of good breathing and posture. This crosses schools of thought
and is a universal element in a lot of different otherwise diverse studios. If a "technique"
does not start with good breathing, I personally would run the other way but then I am
protective of my body.
Bad singing technique can cause a variety of serious vocal injuries and especially so
when you use your voice for prolonged periods of time and/or make strenuous demands upon
it. Like singing, for example. What we do is highly demanding and - as with any demanding
activity - you need a solid foundation of skills to learn to get the most out of your
performance.
Primarily - although not always - voice injury is caused by longitunal "misuse" of the
voice. That is, doing stuff over and over that is bad for your voice. Primary among
these "abuses" is lack of proper breathing technique and tension in the tongue. This
is in addition to the obvious stuff like screaming at football games until you are hoarse.
With this in mind, a lot is at stake when you learn vocal technique because what you are
devloping is habits. If you learn to *habitually* tighten your tongue up (this feels
like tightning in the throat and can be caused by poor postue in fact if you can beleive it!),
then that is a dangerous place to be, especially over time. If you learn to sing without
using proper breathing tehcniques, that is also a dangerous place to be, especially over time.
So being wary of methods that do not emphasize these two things - posture and breathing -
is really wise.
Overnight quick-fixes can be misleading and are not only highly unlikely but also may be
dangerous. Voice is like any other instrument that you might take - you can learn to use it
and express yourself in a short time, you can delve into it deeper and become reasonably
proficient, or you can master it after years of hard work. But in any case, the answer
to your singing problems is not an overnight panacea, it is putting in an effort with
solid technique - this does not have to be classical!
If you have children you are looking for lessons for, it is even more crucial that you
are very careful in trying to find someone *good* and experienced with kids. This is
important because kids' voices are very vulnerable. They are still developing and they
are easy to damage. You want a CONSERVATIVE teacher. Not one that pushes the kid to
push their voice as high as it will go.
Breathing and good posture are the essential tools singers use to protect their voices
and that is why it is important that your instructor use them as the fundamental building
blocks of the technique. They help you use your body to your best advantage because, as
vocalists, we have the instrument that is the most well-integrated with the body and
therefore, possibly the most dependant upon good in-body techniques such as breathing
and stance. Even horn players, while they share the concern of vocalists for good breathing,
can always replace a reed or other part of a damaged instrument if they end up screwing it
up due to poor instruction or just "trying it themselselves". Conversely, any permanently
damaged piece of your voice is with you - possibly for life. So please be aware of how
important your deciscion is to your health and continued singing.
there are a number of conflicting voice theories out there and some of them are actually great
although they may not integrate well together (so taking from divergant teachers may not be the
way to go), but there are a few that work very nicely. Essentially, *I* think the bel canto
techniques are probably the safest and most effective. There are a number of schools of this
and some of them are great (and some not so great). They key is this: are you singing more
comfortably within the first lesson or two, does the teacher communcate the ideas
effectively to you, does the teacher *sound good* (very important).
Conversely, there are a veritable plethora of poor voice techniques out there and what you
risk in studying these techniques and cultivating the habits they teach is your vocal
health. It happens a lot that people sustain serious vocal
injuries due to studying poor technique. If you have no other resources to help you
(you know no one in your area), please refer to my list of books but DO NOT STUDY ON YOUR OWN
OUT OF A BOOK
(it can be just as dangerous as learning poor technique because you will not have the feedback
of the teacher nor will you have the benefit of seeing and/or hearing the techniques demonstrated).
Instead, use them
to become informed about technique so that you are well-versed enough to ask questions that
might help you make a good choice. If you still have questions take a few lessons and email
me with what the person had to say and I will give you my feedback.
The teacher-student relationship comes down to trust - you can gain a lot of info by
talking to the instructor for a while, asking critical and technical
questions that a voice teacher should know (exa: who did you study with, how long, how
does the voice work, what is vibrato, this technique focuses on breathing right?,
what's up with my voice cracking, how is sticking spoons down my throat healthy (correct
answer: it isn't), how come my voice sounds/feels "tight"?, etc). What you want is
to ask a lot of tehcnical questions that,
say, only someone who knows their stuff would be able to answer and have their answers
make sense to you. There are plenty of singers out there who sound great
and could not answer these questions. But if the person is going to be responsible for your
personal vocal health - at least in part - the answers to these questions should be understood by
the teacher and also they should be able to explain it to you since some people aren't going
to be great at *teaching* - a whole other skill than singing...
Established Old-Lady Ex-Opera-Star Voice Teachers mostly operate through word of
mouth. I recommend the Old Lady Teacher if you are in a jam to find someone. Sometimes they
can be old fashioned and they hate anything other than classical a lot of times BUT you will
at least learn to breath right! AND if they have had a career of performing, you
will be able to really ascertain how many years they sang - say - opera and never had a problem.
Singing a few years here and there is much different than looking back on 30 years performing
opera almost every night (a very challenging genre vocally) and being able to say "this
technique got me through a very long and demanding career without any problems." I mean,
some of these opera people sing all day long and if you can do that and not get an injury
after 30 years,
you rule in my book. Especially if you sound good to boot!
If a prospective teacher cites some famous person to try to wow you, don't loose
your head. Ask yourself - does that person actually sound OK? Sometimes you happen on people
who have truend out some terrific singers and other times it is all hype - you never know
until you do the research. Ask yourself questions like did
their voice deteriorate after a few years? Many *great* entertainers have lost a buncha notes
off the top of their voice late in their career because theur technique was not the greeatest
ever - it is not neccessary to know really how to sing well to "make it" or to produce
stuff people like to listen to. Witness the Bob Dylan, the Sex Pistols, and Grammy winner Tom
Waits. All terrific performers but maybe not to be emulated in their technique *if* you
are looking for healthy technique that will maintain your voice in it's current health or
better.
Other resources available are online lists of teachers. For the most part these are paid
services
although not always. In any case, these lists do not PROBABLY reflect a recommendation
neccesarily unless you see "I recommend" in the wording somewhere (unless you got my name off one of
these lists - then they totally recommend the people they list! Really, I mean it!).
Be aware that often times
recommending entities - let's say a website or a business - will recommend only those
who pay fees for that service, those who are members of the paid service or those
who agree to pay a percentage of the booking to the business (sometimes this is a studio
as in the case of a music store or other place where techers rent time or are granted space
based on their membership). Bear in mind, just because you got the person's name from
one of these places DOES NOT NECCESSARILY MEAN THIS TEACHER IS NOT GOOD, but it also does not
neccessarily mean that person is the World's Best Teacher (no matter what it says on their
license plate holder...). Unless the person is recommended by someone
not accepting money for that recommendation, I would consider it to be uncharted water. Always
consider where the recommendation is coming from. From a student of theirs you have never met who
took from them for 2 weeks? A friend of yours with
38 and a half years of voice lessons from them? The Yellow pages? It
may be worth talking to the instructor in question and asking them your List of Hard
Questions to see if they are someone you may be able to eventually trust. It is also good to
note that most instructors who have been around the block a few times appreciate that there
is a problem with quality in our profession and many people out there teaching are teaching bad technique.
Therefore, most instructors will understand that there is a certain amount of critical thinking
neccessary for a student to be able to make these decisions. As long as you are respectful to
the teacher, they will probably be understanding of your position.
If you find someone who sounds good, seems OK, etc, take a lesson and see if they say
things that are consistent with other respected ideas of vocal technique - this will start with
so-called "diaphragmatic" breathing and/or good posture in the FIRST LESSON by the consensus of
most of the good teachers I have known.
If they do not go into breathing as the foundation, it may be that you are being used as a
guinea pig in their New Theory to be Tested On
Your Personal Body. Never trust a teacher until they have gained your trust. That is the
essential thig. You know you have the good sense to know if something is not right. Trust
your instincts.
I took a student once and I will not state the geographical area but this student had shown
a lot of promise when she started to sing two years
before. Because of that, she signed up for voice lessons with a well-known
performer local to her area. When she came to me she could barely sing and had had to
stop all the
professional work she had procured singing in choirs and whatnot. She brought
in a tape to allow me to hear what she had been working on before. I was amazed to hear
that a voice on the tape (her former instrutor) was telling her to "scream" during her lessons.
He said to her on the tape that screaming was normal and that people can do it all day at
sporting events and such. Yeah!
And they lose their voices after a few minutes and a lot of times they injure themselves
and have to go into the doctor as a result. He was also doing stuff like sticking spoons
in her mouth to depress the tongue (which is not great - it can put stress on your larynx which is
a prime cause of vocal nodes second only to poor breathing which is really the same issue
in most people who DON'T stick spoons don't their throats! But I digress! Don't let me get started!
I must stop with the exclamation points now! Anyway, anything that manipulative I would
be wary of - your voice should sound
natural not artificial. Sticking spoons into peoples' mouths went out with burning
witches and using 4.5" floppies (all in the same year if memeory serves me well).
And screaming? I hope you guys all have the sense to know that something that outrageous
is a sure sign that you should get out of the care of that teacher. Please be careful.
Be even more careful if you are bringing a kid in to see someone. Accompany your child
for *at least* a few months. If it was my kid it would take a LONG time for me to trust
a teacher with my child's delicate voice - not to mention their overall well-being.
And finally please remember - just because it is highly priced and the office is nicely
decorated does not make it good technique. Good technique is a free-sounding voice,
which uses proper breathing and support, that does not fatigue from normal use and will
last you your whole life. Like learning any other instrument, there is no short cut to
good technique. Anyone who tells you so is trying to take your money and is probably not
interested in the longevity of your voice. Ask yourself - do I want to still be singing
in 5 years?
===========================
Q:
Are there any public high schools with great music programs in SF?
A:
I am only familiar with a limited number of schools and only because my students go to them
and tell me all about it. In any case, I will spill what I know!
I was surprised to learn that San Francsico's Lowell High, which has a very great reputation
but primarily for stuff like
Math and English and all the traditional "academic" programs also has an excellent choir
under the direction of a fine teacher and conductor, Othello Washington. I don't know
much about Othello except that I LOVE saying his name! Othello Washington! He rocks my world!
Othello's choirs have very rigourous homework such as ear training, sight-
reading, basic vocal technique, and other fundamentals of a solid music education. I get
them in my studio trying stuff like the chromatic scale as an assignment for choir (which
is exactly the kind of music background that singers should have). They sing in many
languages and do classical, folk, and jazz/blues. Not that washed out jazz and blues, either,
it's nice stuff but very age-appropriate. I have never met him in person but have a great
deal of respect for what he is doing with the kids. Lowell is a public school but I believe
you may want to call several years ahead to inquire about space - do it today and email me to
lemme know what they say!
Another great resource in the Bay Area is SOTA - School of the Arts. SOTA is a public school
but has a lot of arts classes so that you can get to go there even if you don't
live in the Avenues where the school is located. My young student Giselle
just got in there and started this fall after one year of training to get to this Big Goal -
boy am I proud of her! SOTA is cool because it is really
focused on the arts and you can really be surrounded with all kinds of creative arts education.
In addition to regular instructors, they also have visiting faculty (artists in residence kinda
things), concerts all the time at the school, excellent non-arts programs (science, English, etc).
SOTA is audition only. The audition (I went in with Giselle) consists of a very limited sight-
reading test, a very limited ear test (sing patterns of notes), a range test, and a prepared song.
They will allow you to audition multiple times if you do not get in the first time so it is also a great
learning experience in auditioning.
SOTA has an orchestra and also a voice department (in addition to fine arts, film, piano, theatre,
and theatre design). I know the voice students are encouraged to be very multi-genred so you
hear classical work as well as jazz, pop, blues, and other genres at their concerts and
recitals. It is very cool and very exciting.
If you are starting off as a beginner and want to get into SOTA, I would recommend taking
about one year or so to start voice training,
prepare a few pieces, practice singing in front of others, learn some ear training and sight
reading,
and do the other stuff required to make a go at the audition.
For more information on SOTA, visit their website or you can also email me with questions about
it and I can tell ya what I know!
Q: I've been studying opera for about maybe 8 years
and I still am not happy with the way I sound even though I have a buncha skills.
What's the deal with that?
A:
OK, lotsa times the intermediate and advanced singers have this problem. You may have a lot of
skills already - like you might be able to lift the soft palate a bunch, your breathing might be right on,
you may have great focus, stuff like that. But somehow there is a certain something lacking.
Sometimes this something can be interpretation - soul - that people tend to lose sight of as they become
obsessed with technical skills. However, often times this is a lack of integration of the parts
of the technique. For instance, let's get back to the idea of a more advanced opera singer. She has,
say, great focus, good breath support, can life her soft palate while not tensing up elsewhere,
her posture is good - feet right where they "should" be, etc. But the thing is that each of these
systems - the feet, the breathing (focused on the abdominal area), the posture focused on the sterum area,
the soft palate and tongue position focused in the mouth. All these systems are operating independently
of each other. THey are not co-operating. This may seem trivial to you while reading it but when you hear a voice
that is actually intergrated, the difference is phenomenal compared to a more typical non-integrated
voice you find with lots of highly trained singers. It is not a far journey now that you have your techniques
in the bag but it is neccessary to feel involvement of the entire body. And not involvement like you might
think about it as being super active and tense, but just to feel that as you move your whole
body is involved - even a little tiny bit - or affected - even a little tiny bit - but that movement.
Integration can ven out irregular vibrato, cause a voice that sounds dull and lifeless to sparkle,
and allow a singer to express themselves outwardley instead of feeling they expressing themselves only to
find that it is not noticable to the audience - it is caught inside the performer and never makes it way out.
In my mind, these are the typical technical problems that advanced singers have when I see them.
Sometimes it is so profound that the person does not even get much joy out of singing anymore. If this
is a problem you are wrestling with, occassional intense lessons might work out just fine. Alexander
Technique is a big part of dealing with these types of issues.
San Diego & San Francisco Singing teacher Eleonor England
Group voice and singing lessons in San Francisco, San Diego and New York City
12-week sessions-singing/voice lessons in San Diego and San Francisco
Monthly Packages-private lessons in voice and singing (San DIego, San Francisco)
below...
12 Weeks of private vocal coach session, singing coach Sessions-singing lessons or speaking lessons
Must be registered by 2nd week in session
40-minute vocal lessons sessions or 1-hour singing lessons sessions available
12 voice lessons or coaching meetings between June 1 and Sept 1
All voice lessons and singing coach meetings and vocal coursework must be completed by Sept 1
COST: $800 for 40 minute singing/voice lessons, $1000 for hours
Discounts given to price as follows:
Cash Payment 5% off
Vocal or Singing Lesson time is during weekdays starting before 2.00pm 5%
Pay by June 1 10%
Deposit of $200 required to reserve your time slot for the voice lessons-remainder due at time of 1st session.
One makeup voice lessons session may be scheduled for student absence and one for instructor absence but all meetings must be done by Sept 1
Click here to go to purchase page for voice and singing lessons.
Monthly Packages of vocal and voice lessons or vocal coach sessions (San Francisco and San Diego only)
Payment for the voice lessons or voice coach packages must be received all at once
1 voice/singing lesson session per week for one month (excludes holidays)
All voice instruction (vocal coaching, voice lessons, singing coach sessions) must be done by the end of the calendar month
Weekly singing coaching slot is reserved for you - same time each week usually
48 hour cancellation policy to reschedule a singing lesson or coach session later in the calendar month
COST: $195/25 minutes of voice coach work, $285 for 40 minutes vocal lessons, $380 for 55 minute sessions of voice and singing lessons
Pay voice lessons packages before the 1st of the month for 10% packages (20% if you are taking during the weekdays before 3.00pm). Add 5% to that if paid by cash before the 1st of the month
Email Eleonor for details or to inquire about spaces left for vocal lesson sessions
My original vocal training was in the Henderson technique, originating with Larra Henderson in San Diego. The technique is designed to maintian the voice and to teach techniques useful for preventing injury to the voice which can occur with certain types of misuse. Some types of misuse can result in permanent damage that cannot even be repaired by surgery, so it is imperative that a safe technique be used at all times.
The Henderson technique is a bel canto method and relies on proper breathing and breath support and is very much inter-realted with Alexander Technique. Alexander Technique, in case you are unfamiliar is, I think, best summed up as the study of the ergnomic use of the body originally developed to help decrease vocal strain). The Henderson technique encourages posture and use of the body that releases tension in the neck, throat, and tongue, accomplished through proper posture and sound breathing, which stop tightness and vocal strain. If you are experiencing pain during or after singing, something is wrong and you should stop immediately and figure out what it is before permanent damage is sustained.
In my own teaching studio, I try to emphasise individual growth and try not to mold the student into a carbon-copy of how I sound (God help ya...). I feel it is important to know your own voice and to appeciate the unique aspects of it. What may be viewed as a fault can oftentimes be turned around and become a true asset to differentiate you from the veritable plethora of other singers out there. I accept students of many different genres from singer-songwriters, jazz, blues & indie to classical. I accept established singers as well as those with more moderate goals and beginners. The goal is to allow the singer to refine his or her individual and unique vocal sound while teaching how to get the maximum out of the voice and maintain safe technique to allow continued use of the voice throughout the lifetime.
I emphasize posture perhaps more than many other teachers do. The reason for this is that most students think that straight posture involves a lot of work and naturally they then tense up their bodies to accomplish this. This stress in the body can cause vocal strain and in some cases is the only thing standing between the singer and being able to sucessfully sing through the breaks in the voice. I spend a great deal of time in a typical session with a typical student working with the student to try to isolate where the student may be overriding what his or her body wants to do in a less stressed way. For instance, many people hold their jaws very tight and put a lot of energy into that. By releasing the jaw and allowing it to flow more naturally, tension in the voice is also released and this modification alone can improve the sound to a surprising degree. However, in order to do that, the fundamentals of breathing must be solid and a free and loose posture must be in place from the feet up.
Further, I believe and teach with the principle that breathing is a natural outgrowth of proper posture. If you stand easily (read: correctly) and move easily, your breathing will naturally be "diaphragmatic". With many students, one modification in their posture causes what we singers refer to as "breathing from the diaphragm". This modification is not difficult to do and will also help alleviate strain elsewhere in the body.
Although I do not teach pure Henderson Technique any longer, I am still very influenced by that system and continue to be heavily rooted in it. I also deal a lot with Alexander Technique and the ergonomics of movement in your body to alleviate strain.
For more advanced singers, it is important to maintain good habits and keep an open mind to growth (this is why even professional singers often take voice lessons - to maintain good habits, expand their learning, and to get a "second opinion" by way of the voice instructor).
I teach students of all genres but use a variety of materials depending upon the genre, goals of the individual student, etc. Below is a summary of some of the types of things I do in lessons as they vary between classical and musical theatre, singer-singwriter and pop/rock related genres, and jazz/blues related genres:
CLASSICAL AND MUSICAL THEATRE
Vocal exercises are given at all levels.
Beginners - MATEIALS USED: the Vaccai (aka: Vaccaj) book graduating to Marchesi and 24 Italian Songs and Arias (of COURSE...) for the classical singers. Alongside and after a few of the arias, students can start to sing other selections according to their tastes. Theatre students do not have to do opera work extensively and should start to select material that is of interest to them. Goals are set by the student and we work you toward them. MOst beginners have similar goals, though which include: "expanding my range", "strengthening my voice", "singing on key more", "not straining", "learning to sing high", "learning to sing low", "toughening up my vocal cords", etc. These goals are mostly taken care of through just learning the basics of singing. For instance, trying to expand your range by singign super high and "toughening up" your vocal cords can damage your voice whereas learning to move with ease and breath well will naturally expand your range, help keep you on pitch, and reduce strain significantly within a suprsingly short amount of time in most cases. However, sometimes a beginner has a goal like "sing a song at my own wedding" and we can use that as a focus point for the lessons learning the basics and working on the song.
Secondary instruction for intermediate musical theatre students includes preparing for auditions, guiding them through constructing a "book", learning and working on songs for auditions which are chosen by the student according to their taste. Classical students may work on a repetoire, audition preparation, preparing a "book", etc. The student sets these goals and they are met every 12 weeks in order for them to move into the next phase of their live - the performer. Estimated homework load for private students is about the same for both classical and musical theatre - 30-45 minutes and upto several hours is OK as long as the voice is working well, healthy, and you are well.
Advance work in classical and musical theatre is usually mainly coaching (interpretation) with some emphasis on technique. The student's specific concerns are addressed head on and may be set as the "goal". Advanced students can determine the amount of time they spend on the homework but I recommend at least 60 minutes per day for improvement and upto several hours is also OK. If there is an injury or illness in play, we can set a maximum time for vocal usage that is safe for you.
SINGER-SONGWRITER, POP, COUNTRY, ETC.
Vocal exercises are given at all levels.
Beginning - MATERIALS: none used but I do show you some basic vocal exercises to learn technique and are put into working on material that they select (which can be original material). Goals set by beginners will establish some of how we approach the lessons. For instance, if you are concerned about pitch we will work with that in addition to the basic vocal training. People whose goal is to play out will be taught a slightly different set of skills from those who want to learn "for fun" (mike technique would be important to a performer whereas it might not be to applicable to people who aren't too interested in going on stage or recording at any point). Performance goals are very important for people working with original material so open mikes are a good way to do this. Good technique is worked on with the understanding that although technique is important, it is secondary to communicating and should always enchance this in any genre. Mainly, only one or two technical issues are brought up in songs so that the students don't become over-analytical of their technique which definitely takes away from performance. The idea with this group of people is to build habits (muscle memory) during the exercises and in their normal life that will fall into place while you they singing since they will want to keep their mind on the music and not on technique. People in these genres can expect to spend about 15 minutes a day in order to improve. I recommend spending no more than 45 minutes a day on the actual lesson material although you should not refrain from singing for fun unless you are sick or there is a problem with your voice.
Intermediate- Materials are provided by the students and originals are encouraged. Special concern the student has are addressed through goal-setting. Technique, interpretation, and listening assignments are usually a strong part of this although it varies according to the student's stated goal.
JAZZ AND BLUES
Vocal exercises are given at all levels
Jazz and blues singers present a very specific body of learning just as classical and musical theatre do and it can be just as rigourous. Much of jazz including blues is based on a swing rhythm and there are very specific ways the breathing is used in jazz that differs from classical. Articulation is different and improvisation, something a lot of people and especially those with a background in classical music find hard to get into, is part of the mix.
Beginners - Materials determined to a large extent on the student's taste and goal. In teaching the basics of jazz and blues, I generally use vocal exercises to teach basic technique and try to get the student through their vocal "breaks" during the first lesson or two which I feel is an important exit skill for beginners to have. We also cover stylistic devices neccessary to be "in the pocket" or to present the vocal line more loosely. I give excercises from jazz and blues standards that are well-known for the first few assignmenets on improvisation. After that, the student is encouraged to pick songs according to their taste and we can work to make a "book" if that is part of the goal, and learn the basics a singer needs to know to sit in with a piano player or combo. I work with students to give them the basic skills they need to be able sing and perform. If I had to say what kind of an approach I take to the music, I would say I emphasize phrasing as indicated through textual analysis of songs and how to use the text to help you develope unique ways to present standards and original material. There are often listening assignments for swing phrasing, loose phrasing, continuity, interpretation, and technique. If you are not already familiar with how to do it, I can also give you enough of a background in music theory to find which keys will work for you when I am not around to help you out, to transpose your charts into the keys you need that don't irritate jazz players (some keys do - they are fussy!), and how to determine additional charts you need in different keys (for example, horn players play in a different key than the paino does but when it comes out it sounds in the same key - but you hafta figure out what key to write the chart in). This stuff sounds complex but it is very easy to grasp and you can go from having no understanding of music at all to transposing your first chart within about 4 10 minute lessons with very little homework. The homework load for beginning jazz and blues singers depends upon if they have been trained in another genre already and are transitioning (exa: used to sing opera - making the transition to jazz), but if you dedicate 15 minutes a day to it you will get better. I recommend 10 minutes of vocal warm ups and as long as you want on the songs themselves. Listening assignments will not take more than 10 minutes per week. I encourage you, as always, not to stop singing in the shower and stuff just because you are taking lessons - you should keep singing for fun.
At the intermediate level, jazz and blues singers may have their own set of issues if they are not one of my continuing students and we can address these defintely. Additionally, intermediate students are asked to set a goal for themselves for one year and work toward that goal with sub-goals every 4 months. If the singer is not already performing, one such goal might be to develope a body of repetoire large enough to play at clubs and apply for club gigs (sub goals might be learning the basics of a set of songs & learning 5 or 6 of the songs very very well so they become signature for you and taking these to a sit in, forming a combo and making charts out for them and becoming so familiar with a second set of songs they become signature for you - singing these at a sit in, recording a demo and producing a package to send to clubs and getting it sent out while learning another set of songs and amking them signature - play them out, polishing the combo and doing follow-up work to place the group at a performance space while learning the remainder of the songs to perform at a sit in and also the actual performances that the student gets as a result of these efforts). It is not mandatory that you complete a year's study with me, but you must make a plan for your future if you are an intermediate student.
Advanced students - I mainly do either coaching or intervention of specific vocal problems with advanced students. The student usually comes in for a reason and dealing with that reason is the focus of the lessons. Vocal exercises will usually be given to deal with any specific concerns about technique. Oftentimes, advanced students still have a lot of vocal stress that they may not be aware of but that degrade the quality of their voice. These are delat with in the first two lessons directly in most cases and continued work in this area is something I encourage. Stylistic coaching or injury recovery are other areas many people seek someone to work with.
A note to prospective vocal students about vocal technique
Good voice technique should be primarily concerned with your voice and health. This may seem obvious, but be aware that sometimes people are not properly trained or they are more interested in making money in what they think is an easy and harmless way. Please listen to your instincts and back away if you sense things are not right, they probably aren't. And the permanent well-being of your voice may be compromised finding out. If an instructor tells you to do something that hurts or feel abrasive, I would find another instructor immediately. Another thing to watch for is manipulative practices - sticking spoons in mouths, etc. At it's worst it can be harmful and at best it will manipulate your voice into something it is not. And singing in a constructed voice does not take advantage of the unique qualities of your own voice. Longitudinal use like that could result in damage so watch yourselves!
A good instructor is someone you can trust and who tells you when they do not know something. You can learn a lot about a technique by doing a little bit if research. Most good techniques are published or have another reliable source such as lists of people using the technique or teachers teaching it. You can find a lot of information in the internet (good and bad - be aware of that). Be overly cautious until you develope a trusting relationship with your instructor.
There are many techniques out there and a lot of them have merit even though they are different from each other. It is never a great idea to mix techniques but realise there are a few ways to get where you are going. That said, beware of techniques that do not teach breathing as a fundamental basis of singing. And there are no short cuts. Singers learn to do things with their bodies that are beyond the average person. For that you need training just as an athlete would. Anyone telling you you can get by in the professional world of singing on a handful of lessons may be putting your long term vocal health at risk. Singing around the campfire once in a while is fun but it is not the same as the stresses places on your voice gigging, singing opera, even speaking for hours on end. Although you may initally "save money" by taking 3 or 4 $300 lessons instead of a reasonable amount of time at a respectable studio, you will be spending tha money fixing injuries and that is not the cheap way out. If you need cheaper lessons, ask! But beware anyone who tells you you can learn everything neccessary for a career in singing in a few sessions. That flies in the face of everything everyone else in the industry will tell you and it is complete fabrication designed to make that instructor very very wealthy. The argument that traditional voice teachers are trying to take your money by long term lessons is nonesense. Professionaly athletes have coaches their entire careers. Singers need to touch base with other professionals also.
For an EVEN MORE opinionated diatribe on this topic (if you can possibly imagine), please refer to my Questions and Answers section for a short article on finding a good voice teacher.
