Soprano/Belter, Gender-Affirming Vocal Coach, Music/Choir/Vocal Director
Masters of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from Arizona State University, with a concentration in Vocal Pedagogy for contemporary (popular) singing styles
EDS Zebra (Hypermobile type) with MCAS, ADHD, FND, Fibromyalgia, and more!
I’m accepting new students (ages 12+) to my online voice studio! I’ve worked with many different types of voices for over 20 years now, including all ages (4-90), all skill levels (from true beginners to professionals), and in diverse settings (i.e. musical theater shows, operas, choirs, bands, kids & teens classes, etc).
I sing and teach most vocal styles, including pop, rock, musical theatre, jazz, R&B, soul, folk, classical & choral. I truly believe that, just like any other instrument, everyone has the ability to develop their singing voice. As long as you’re willing to devote sufficient time and energy to develop your instrument, I promise to safely guide you in developing your most resonant, easiest-to-project voice with the least amount of physical effort. Finding your most resonant voice will always be easier to sing and more comfortable to produce because it directly results in a reduction of your overall physical effort.
I consider myself to be a “crossover singer,” with the majority of my formal voice education primarily in classical & choral music since childhood, yet an equally long history of singing popular/ current music, including in musical theater shows. Since my mostly-classical Master’s recital in 2018, I’ve retrained my operatic-sounding voice to have a more contemporary tone quality, embodying and teaching advanced techniques such as “high belting” and even rock distortions (aka rough effects) via advanced coordinations throughout the 6 levels of the vocal tract, that won’t damage the voice.
My teaching philosophy is based in a scientific, functional approach, along with a non-judgmental mindset and straight-forward, but always encouraging, instructions in order to achieve consistent vocal technique. I strive to provide a safe space for everyone I work with, where I hope they feel so comfortable with me that they’re willing to experiment with potentially strange, sometimes funny vocal sounds (I’ll make funny noises with you!), which I believe is absolutely necessary for discovery and growth. My primary goal for every vocalist I work with is to help them understand their own voice so thoroughly, that they not only adopt balanced singing principles for life, but are also able to troubleshoot their own vocal issues (whenever I can’t be there in the future) in a protective way that won’t fatigue or possibly damage their voice.
Read More about my experience at LinkedIn.
If you’re hyper-mobile (naturally flexible or “double-jointed”) like myself, please be sure to check out my hypermobility page for more specific info. on ways you can alleviate your body pain, which releases excessive throat & body tension and allows your voice to soar! Typical vocal issues experienced by singers with hypermobility are: 1) poor breath support/management (due to weak/unstable pelvic floor muscles and postural alignment difficulties), 2) excessive tension problems (in the facial muscles, tongue, jaw, throat, shoulders, etc), 3) inconsistent pitch problems singing sustained notes (from breath issues & sometimes poor proprioception in the throat), 4) an overly-wide vibrato (larynx bobs up & down too far), 5) a brighter/sharper/louder tone quality than average (due to an unusually narrow/high hard palate that didn’t spread out during puberty years), and more. I slowly but successfully worked through each of these issues over time and have finally achieved a sound I really like, and so can you!