Singing with Christine P.

The Exquisite Voice, Inc.  Christine is a professional vocal coach with an exceptional reputation and over ten years teaching experience. She is the owner of The Exquisite Voice, Inc., and now resides in Springfield, Virginia. She is an expert at helping students achieve high-quality vocal techniques that can be implemented in all legitimate vocal styles, with an emphasis in vocal intonation and expression that allows her to work with all styles of singing. Intonation itself is what gives a voice its character, range and ultimately its uniqueness in quality, besides simply how an instrument is built and leaving it up to that alone, although necessary to understand, but we are not limited to just the voice type like so many believe. Intonation is always at the forefront of what makes arguably singing good or bad. Simply put, we are more than just the physical instrument that we start with and cannot change, which is why it should not be the primary focus like it so often is. I want my students to work from the viewpoint (on what they can do) that they can access almost endless artistic choices with the instrument as it is, given the right technique, support, and insight on what their instrument can actually really do. Christine is an insightful, confident, and generous vocal technician with a heart for helping her students learn more about themselves as artists. Under her direction, expect to achieve straightforward, professional results that honor your natural voice, while learning the fullness that your individual instrument has to offer. Christine is able to rapidly diagnose a full range of vocal issues and to work immediately towards strengthening needed vocal areas. This is implemented by her giving clear and easy to follow exercises and song choice selected to specifically support vocal growth and needs. This helps to encourage continued advancement in every lesson. Christine has a resourceful and extensive method of highlighting vocal concepts in relatable ways in order to achieve success. She carefully explains the process of singing so that each student can make their own personal connections necessary to achieve and develop techniques for themselves. She tailors her instruction based on the student’s learning style. Christine’s main goal is for her students to eventually feel confident and knowledgeable enough to instruct themselves. She thinks this should be the goal of every teacher so that a student realizes that they are in control of their voice. She addresses how to have a healthy relationship with your voice to stay motivated and encouraged. A little more insight about myself as a teacher: I am extremely generous and enthusiastic as a teacher. I will always have your best interests at heart. I promise to do my part and give everything I have in terms of knowledge and insight. I provide a safe place to work on lessons. You can be completely new to singing or a professional. I am a dramatic soprano, with Verdi-specific coloratura capability and have a B.M. in Vocal Performance. I have continued my vocal studies vigorously with Fabian Bravo, a long-term principal singer at The Metropolitan Opera, and was taught extensively by Luciano Pavarotti. I recorded a full adult contemporary pop album that released several singles on the radio in Europe and made The Billboard indicator charts. I am very confident in the Italian Bel Canto technique, as well as in all popular (pop) genres, including jazz, ballads, R&B, Broadway, traditional, etc. Technique covered: Learn to apply proper body support (alignment) for accessing the most potential for resonating while also coordinating all other supportive components necessary for great singing, including a muscular application that focuses on releasing and creating structure (tongue, lips, throat, soft palate, etc) for directing sound against all hard surfaces (hard palate that primarily carries sounds and resonates into other cavities including the head, mask, and chest) and (what I consider the most misunderstood in the vocal industry as a whole and the most important to master for real vocal success and main determining factor for style), directing AIR that supports, enhances and extends all singing ability. We will learn how to turn the air in the right direction to connect all registers, encourages a healthy position of the larynx, and what is correct for developing a full sound (regardless of dynamics this can be maintained) with consideration of the vocal folds and how to tell immediately the difference (where many students get lost and teachers cannot pinpoint the difference or how to check) that with proper adjustments in these aspects, will always pass due to learning to control the pressure and amount of air released and timing of how to apply while also applying covering techniques and placement in appropriate areas in the head by moving the air. Essentially using air with movement, cover, and structure. We will also learn the difference between the head (misunderstood often), chest, and mask (which is currently overly used in the standard technique taught today and needs to be used in a more limited capacity to make room for a real head voice that extends to the chest, as well as an over-focus on cover and articulation without including air technique that is key to accessing one’s voice. The order that this is approached will be relative to one’s current technique. We will learn how to discipline and coordinate all of these simple building blocks to build solid, sophisticated vocal technique that allows the voice to be cooperative, strong, flexible and to render expressive freedom and beauty of the natural voice in any genre or style. We will enrich and maintain the integrity of all singing elements. This will include resonance, depth, range, core/cut, flexibility, movement, timing, efficiency and use of legitimate dynamics, phrasing and more. Thus rendering a full range of intonation colors, artistic choice and highest potential for continued successful singing. We will also learn many performance and artistic practices as well as how we can directly influence and enhance the technique itself pulling from what is most natural to us or by integrating and capitalizing on the already exception parts we have currently. On a personal note, (if you are still reading 💗) I am Italian-American and I absolutely love socializing with people, which is part of the reason I love teaching. :) I love to share my experience and hospitality. I love sharing a hot cup of tea with a good friend and surrounding myself with family and my adorable pups. Often I will make up cute songs for my dogs and find myself doing a little song and dance for them.:) I love life and take time to reflect on it. I often find a meaningful lesson or joy at the end of the day. I work hard, and find that little things and moments make me very happy. Looking forward to working together! Very warmly, Christine