Singing with Laurie G.

I had taken voice lessons from Laurie for seven years before I moved away for college. During that time, my vocal ability grew in ways I could not have imagined. Laurie has an amazing ability in helping you reach your greatest potential. She is intuitive, perceptive, and meticulous in discovering your weaknesses and helping you overcome them. Like an athletic trainer, she has an intricate knowledge of the muscles required for your performance, and she is excellent in helping you strengthen them. Being a performer herself, Laurie is constantly evolving and honing her craft, which in turn is very beneficial for her students. Throughout my time with Laurie, she was always excited to share a new technique if she found it successful. However, Laurie is not only an amazing teacher, she is also a wonderful person to be around. I always loved coming to her lessons, not only because I learned so much, but also because she became a great friend.

Hi I am Evana Flores. I am Soprano 2, soon to be 18, and a senior at Coppell Highschool where I am in the A Cappella Choir and a few show choirs. Laurie and I have known each other for many years now. I started taking group class lessons with her when I was in the fourth grade for musical theatre, and then soon after began taking solo lessons for fun. She was super friendly and she is great with children and taught me good songs for auditions, how to breathe with my diaphragm, and most importantly confidence. I was in a Musical Theatre company and she was one of the directors where she was able to adapt and teach a bunch of voices from kids of varying ages. Going into middle school I signed up for school choir in 7th grade and they allowed us to take Voice at school, so I only saw Laurie sporadically. It wasn't until the summer before my junior year of high school that I sought out Laurie’s help once again. I was kind of in the rut vocally and with my confidence level because I was good, but I wasn’t improving… specifically with the All State Competition. I was doing well for my age, but I wasn’t advancing as far as I had wanted to and it was frustrating. Transitioning from a 30-minute weekly school lesson to Mrs. Lauries 1 hour+ lessons was kind of overwhelming at first because these lessons were so concentrated on technique. But by the end of that summer I had already learned how to project my sound and raise my soft pallet. If that is not convincing enough, let me tell you how I did in my standings in the All State Process before and after her lessons. My freshman year I made the district choir (17th chair) and did not advance to the Region choir at the next round because I got 31st chair; I had to make top ten. The next year as a sophomore I made 11th chair at district and made 15th chair at the next round of Regionals so I was cut once again. That summer I went to Mrs. Laurie, and after having lessons for only a few months with her I was a million times better and I think my results from my junior year are quite telling. I made 6th chair at District, 3rd chair of the Region Choir, 6th chair at Pre-Are, and was 2nd Alternate to the All State Choir. I didn’t actually get to sing with the choir, or neither can I technically call myself an “All Stater” but now I know that I have the potential to be one if I work even harder this year, and Laurie saw that potential in me from the beginning, My junior year Laurie helped me make audition tapes for SWACDA and I made their Honor Choir. I also received a 1st Division rating on my solo at State Solo & Ensemble, where I had gotten a 2nd division rating the year before. But Laurie’s knowledge surpasses classical singing and she also helped me tremendously with show choir auditions and what not. In my show choir, Vivace, I auditioned for solos and a filler singing “Heart of Life” and was given the featured solo in Jai Ho and my John Mayer filler was put in the show. But beyond my accomplishments, Mrs. Laurie has been a very special influence in my life. She cares for her students as their own mother would and her encouraging personality never made lessons intimidating. In my lessons I have learned how to raise my soft pallet, proper breath control, how to lift my check bones, relax my tongue, use my lips, stand, drop my jaw, and be free in my singing (which was very hard to do with choral training). But most pertinent to my voice, she found my voice as a soloist and not as a choir member. She uncovered so much of my range as a soprano and helped me feel at ease singing there. Mrs. Laurie is a wonderful person and teacher whose expertise is rare to come about these days. She always has the best in mind for her students and her passion for teaching and voice and performing are so evident. To her potential students, take from her! I highly recommend it. Thanks for everything Mrs. Laurie. Love, Evana

To Whom it May Concern: It is with the utmost pleasure that I recommend Laurie as a private vocal instructor. Having known Mrs. Laurie G. since 2006, at which point I was only 12 years old, I can honestly say that she is one of the few people who had such an impact on my life as to shape it musically and otherwise. When we first met, she recognized a vocal talent that I had not yet realized and she encouraged me to pursue it. Thus, I joined the middle school choir (which was, at that point, under her instruction) and became one of her private students. In the nearly 4 years that I took voice lessons from Mrs. Laurie G., I received a solid classical training experience that prepared me for a multitude of accomplishments. While under her instruction, I earned the Lewisville Independent School District Outstanding Soloist Award three years in a row, performed soloist roles in the musicals Once Upon a Mattress, Annie, and Aladdin, sang at a few private gigs, and gained admission to the vocal department at the esteemed Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in downtown Dallas. After starting high school there, I went on to become a member of the 2011 All-State Choir, represent Booker T. Washington HSPVA at two SWACDA conventions, and perform in and direct Abbondanza, the school’s annual musical production. Additionally, I became a member of the Booker T. Washington HSPVA Opera Workshop, performing as one of the Three Ladies in a production of Die Zauberfl�te and in the role of Adele in Die Fledermaus, as well as gaining behind-the-scenes access to numerous events at the Dallas Opera. Lastly, I became a member of the Booker T. Washington Jazz Singers, a contemporary jazz group, which won the 2013 Monterey Jazz Competition and became one of two high school groups in the nation to be featured at the 2013 Monterey Jazz Festival. Laurie gave me the foundation I needed to succeed in classical and contemporary vocal environments and helped me build the personal confidence I needed to put myself out there and strive for success. She always goes above and beyond the call of duty, endeavoring to assist her students in their pursuits in any way that she can. She is an individual that I will always hold near and dear and I know that, if given the chance, she will be the same for you. Sincerely yours, Alexa Weiand Colorado State University