2-hour Singer Intensives
$100 off any Intensive during the Coronavirus self-isolation period (online only, of course)
These in-depth private sessions focus on 5 of the most import facets of a singer’s craft. The intensives are designed to propel you in a single session to a high level of understanding and skill in a specific area. Any one of them will raise the level of your singing, whether you’re a seasoned professional or just beginning to explore your voice. The combination of all 5 Singer Intensives—basically an immersion course in the art and science of singing—will completely transform your singing. The benefits will extend beyond your music: you’ll gain insights on the brilliance of your design that will allow you to bring ease, creativity, and joy to every aspect of your life.
After the description of each Intensive, you will see a recommended book or article. I chose these resources specifically to complement each Intensive and to pave your way to the deepest, fastest learning. For best results, read the listed work before you take the Intensive.
Scroll down for fees and information on how to register for Singer Intensives.
Fine-tune Your Instrument
We singers hear it all the time: You are your instrument. But how often is this statement, so full of truth, honored in how we learn and practice our craft? It’s so tempting to focus in on the details of vocal technique—the “glamorous” part of the process—without first making sure your body is free of tension, discomfort, and awkwardness. But I can’t go this route anymore in my teaching, not after seeing so many success stories when we pay attention to the student’s instrument first and their technique second. It’s often amazing how the smallest tweaks to how a singer is standing, breathing, or moving can bring about immediate improvements in their singing. Often these adjustments, which are different for every singer, have such a positive impact that vocal technique exercises become unnecessary. And even when some vocal instruction is needed, a free body can carry out the instruction more accurately and efficiently, meaning that progress goes easily and fast. When opera singer Beth Z. took this Intensive, she became aware of a tiny tension at the top of her neck, invisible to most people and not even previously noticed by Beth herself, but just the sort of symptom I’ve gotten expert at perceiving. When she let go of this tension, her voice immediately got more resonant and she was able to easily hit high notes that had always been troublesome. And, once free of the interfering neck tension, Beth was able to more clearly feel and control the delicate processes that make up singing. She remarked that attending the Intensive was like taking a magic potion: one 2-hour session and suddenly she could sing music that had always been too difficult for her.
Recommended reading: Your Body, Your Voice by Theodore Dimon
Technique Analysis & Tune-up
In this Intensive, you’ll delve into heart of vocal technique: the intricate interplay of the muscles in and around your larynx (voice box). When these muscles are working properly, they make possible all the various sounds of the human voice, from an operatic high C to a musical theater belt to an R&B growl. With a healthy balance in your vocal musculature, you’ll be able to effortlessly make sounds in all parts of your range at any volume. Professional jazz singer Leon T. scheduled this Intensive because he was having trouble in and above his break. He could sing his high notes in either of two ways that he found unsatisfactory. He could scream them at full volume, straining his throat and often causing his singing to be under pitch. Or he could let the notes flip into a wispy-sounding falsetto that did not have any power. During the Intensive, it became evident that his falsetto register was underdeveloped, meaning it could not balance the action of his chest voice. I showed Leon how to strengthen the weaker register and get it to coordinate with the chest voice and now he can sing up and down the scale from his lowest to his highest notes with an even sound and perfect intonation. Vocal strain is no longer part of Leon’s technique.
Recommended reading: The Free Voice or this article by Cornelius Reid
Vocal Resonance and Power
Sara A. wanted to audition for musical theater productions, but, though her voice was pleasant, it didn’t have any carrying power. So she scheduled this Intensive and learned how to activate her body as an amplification device, bringing richness and power to her sound—no pushing required. Sara was amazed at how she was suddenly producing so much more sound without needing to expend any more effort. In fact, she noticed that, once she understood how to direct her voice, activating her natural resonance, she could actually work much less hard than previously in her singing. I also coached Sara on how to produce clear, understandable vowels and effortless, well-defined consonants. Along with the wider palette of vocal colors she developed when she tapped into the full possibilities of her resonance, this allowed Sara to embody many different character types, giving her an edge in auditions.
Recommended reading: The Free Voice or this article by Cornelius Reid
Breathing for Singers
Classical baritone Grant P. scheduled this Intensive out of desperation. He had been told that his loud, gasping breaths were spoiling his otherwise beautiful singing. I was able to show Grant how he was breathing in a way that was more suited to life-and-death situations than to artistic singing. He clarified his understanding of how the human breathing apparatus works so that he was able to stop interfering with it. Once we restored his breathing to a calm, inconspicuous state, Grant noticed that the feelings of anxiety and stress that used to plague him on stage had transformed into a state of calm readiness. His pianist also noticed an immediate shift: Grant’s inhalations were now invisible and silent. Instead of interrupting his phrasing, his manner of breathing was now contributing a new expressiveness. Grant has now mastered natural breathing, and can hardly believe that this super-subtle way of breathing—that he himself can barely notice happening—gives him easy access to his full vocal power, enabling long-lasting, supported phrases. Now that he is no longer engaging in effortful and ineffective attempts at “breath support,” his overall vocal technique has become easy and he has become a masterly communicator through song.
Recommended reading: The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown (at least through Part I)
The Singer’s Mind
Judy R., despite being an accomplished pop singer, never seemed to enjoy singing. A recurring cycle of negative thoughts interfered when she was performing or even practicing and sapped the joy from her singing. When she recognized how much she was up in her head, how everything had become harder and less fun, she signed up for this Intensive. I helped her to become conscious of how she actually had a choice: she could learn to free herself from the tyranny of her thoughts. I guided Judy in observing her conscious and unconscious beliefs about singing, herself, and the world and Judy was able to learn to use her thinking productively. She discovered that once she become aware of a belief, she was no longer ruled by it. Her singing got instantaneously easier and better—and more enjoyable. And when she got out of her head and into her music, her whole life became more joyful, more playful, more creative. Judy found the courage to organize a recording project, collaborating with accomplished musicians and sound engineers. She mastered a martial arts move she’d been attempting for years without success. She made more connections with co-workers and started an online community of like-minded professionals. Not bad for someone who’d always considered herself a loner and an introvert!
Recommended reading: The Inside-Out Revolution by Michael Neil
Fees for Singer Intensives
$295 each
All 5 for $1299 (save $176) — immersion course in the art & science of singing
Register for Singer Intensives
When you fill out the registration you will be able to choose a time for a free online or phone consultation during which we’ll schedule your Intensive(s).