Singing with Holly A.

I recently completed my Masters degree in voice performance at UT Austin where I focused my studies on becoming as knowledgeable and skilled in teaching as I possibly could. At age 14, I began taking voice lessons and went on to major in voice in college at Western Washington University. During my undergraduate work, I helped many college students audition for the vocal department, musical theatre productions, and improve their singing skills for personal fulfillment. My teaching is based in years of applied voice training and the knowledge I gained from both undergraduate and graduate level courses in voice pedagogy. Ever since I began teaching I have been striving to find new and creative ways to help each of my students solidify their vocal technique to grow as singers, musicians and performers. With advanced training in voice science and teaching, I work to help singers of all genres develop a healthy, sustainable way of singing that allows them to achieve the vocal aesthetic they desire. While I have been trained classically, singing in recitals, masterclasses and operas, I am also continuing my training in studio recording vocal techniques and enjoy applying my skills to rock, alternative, and musical theatre as well. *** Lesson Details *** Students entering my studio will find themselves in a fun yet focused environment. I begin all lessons with physical and vocal warm ups that help establish the basics of breath posture and relaxation in singing. These exercises also help us discover what challenges the singer is facing and what tools we might use to overcome them. After warming up and addressing technique issues, we move on to singing repertoire and apply the skills we practiced in our exercises to the songs themselves. This way we stay on track learning music in a timely manner and solidifying the skills that are developing in lessons. Further, all singers will work on improving their ear as well as musicianship skills in areas such as sight reading and musical interpretation. Students will leave my studio with a working knowledge of the voice to enable them to practice more effectively in between lessons. With focused practice, students should hear dramatic improvement in their tone quality and feel a difference in the ease of their singing in just a few lessons. *** Studio Equipment *** Lessons in the in-home voice studio room, keyboard, mirror, guitar, mac for basic recording and playing accompaniment tracks when needed. *** Travel Equipment *** I can provide a guitar and a keyboard, but if I travel to a student's home, I prefer they have their own piano or keyboard. *** Specialties *** I have extended experience preparing young classical singers for choral, opera, musical theatre, and university music department auditions. My formal vocal training has been in classical vocal technique, but I find this healthy scientific approach to working with the voice is helpful and necessary to all styles of singing. I personally enjoy applying my technique to alternative and folk music, and regularly bring in my guitar to accompany students who are interested in performing rock, pop, folk or alternative music. My approach to teaching is always based on scientific knowledge of the vocal mechanism and how to use the voice in a healthy sustainable manner no matter the genre.