Voice Lessons
What to expect
During lessons
♫ The first few lessons will focus on body alignment and liquescent sounds. We will return to these basics frequently.
♫ Flat shoes or bare feet are mandatory.
♫ Resonance and timbre exercises will be customized for each student. I may also suggest yoga movements or stretches to reverse your habitual tensions.
♫ Most students experience a new way of making resonance (above the palate) within two or three sessions. Once you can consistently activate this (usually about a dozen sessions), we can start working with repertoire.
Between lessons
♫ A summary of customized instruction will be sent to you shortly after each lesson.
♫ Students are expected to practice daily, or as often as possible between lessons.
♫ Please do contact the instructor between lessons with any doubts or questions, especially during the first few weeks. It’s best to start with good habits right away!
♫ Lesson fee is $75 for a one hour session plus personalized notes and support.
♫ Please allow 48 hours’ notice if you have to cancel an appointment.
My voice students
♫ Love to sing!
♫ They sing Renaissance, Baroque, classical and modern composed repertoire; folk, jazz, Celtic, and contemporary fusion; and songs they wrote themselves …
♫ Nearly all enjoy singing in groups.
♫ They want to develop permeable timbre and “straight tone,” and to experience singing in harmonic coresonance with other voices.
♫ Many sing in worship, and/or have encountered the spiritual power of music.
♫ Some have experienced voice (larynx area) fatigue in the past, and want to sing in a healthier, more sustainable way.
♫ Are centred and focused (or aspire to be)
♫ They spend 15-20 minutes, once or twice each day, doing vocal instrument exercises.
♫ Most also have an interest in yoga, tai chi, Alexander technique, Feldenkrais, energy healing, or other ways to enhance the body’s flexibility and capacities at any age.
♫ Ages range from young adult through active young-at-heart grandparents.
Students say …
“
♫ Most important: I have learned strategies for overcoming nerves, and how to separate my instrument from those around me. I’m able to find my own sound and my resonance within a choir section yet still blend with others. This makes ensemble singing a richer and more rewarding experience. (TD)
♫ Aditi coached me to take apart a song into basic elements – notes, rhythms, vowel sounds, emotions and connection with the audience. After mastering each element, we put them back together in different ways until they all fit together smoothly. I now try to approach all my singing practice this way. (SW, singer-songwriter)
♫ I am a passionate baritone chorister with notable hearing loss. Aditi’s vocal technique, emphasizing resonance within the head, has enhanced my joy of singing. The method has given me increased confidence and also allows me better to appreciate the rich harmonies and tonality of the rest of the choir. No more holding a hand behind one ear to tune! (PL)
♫ An excellent teacher with an excellent method. Listens with patient, thoughtful attention, has suggested exercises to correct my [spine] alignment, facilitate breathing and improve my tuning. I returned to study with Aditi after some years away in part because of a pernicious problem with managing the “passaggio” (voice break). Within a few months, I can now say as Aditi does: ‘What break?’ (HC)
