Hi again, I’m Orla :) Welcome to your completely stress-free creative space! Here exploration is highly encouraged, and positive reinforcement is the main method of guidance. There is no wrong way to the right answer in my classroom! : : Singing Lessons : : • The most important thing to me when working with singers of any age or ability is: Helping them release tension from the voice so as to gain full vocal control and sing healthily without fatigue. • A Beginner Lesson Plan begins by covering the main foundations of healthy, happy, powerful singing: 1. Breath Control 2. Understanding the Voice Anatomically 3. Placement (head voice, mask voice, chest voice) 4. Locating Muscle Tension and Releasing it • I will be teaching all vocal techniques above via my main methodology: Relaxation-First. My Relaxation-First Method works to: - Debunk misconceptions about how to breath, produce sound, sing powerfully, and belting - Pinpoint exactly where the student is experiencing tension or discomfort, and why their body tends to do this - Find alternatives areas to send the tension, and eventually, eliminate it all together. - Take stretching the vocal range, belting, singing riffs/runs, and improvisation from a frustrating experience to an effortless one. - Protect the voice from damage, eliminate vocal fatigue, and heal from past damage • Something that I feel is important to instill in all my students is: - Confidence and stage presence. I put a heavy emphasis on feeling comfortable and confident as a singer through discussing societal misconceptions around singing, and why we want to sing in the first place. This not only prepares some students to achieve their goals of public or internet performance. It is also vital to help students understand that singing is something they should do and deserve to do, even in the privacy of their own homes. - I use my Stage Fright Survival Guide to give my students a step-by-step plan for getting through pre-performance butterflies and feeling comfortable on stage. When covering the Stage Fright Survival guide, I also make sure to deconstruct societal misconceptions about performance/singing in public. This works to help students graduate from viewing singing as "pass vs fail" to viewing it as a gift every singer gives to themselves and to their audience. * Other areas of study available to anyone interested: - Song Writing - Composing/Producing Music on the Computer - Learning to Sing Harmonies - Sight Reading - Ear Training - Acting for Musical Theater Students - Music Business - How to Make Musical Content for Social Media and YouTube - Beginner Piano Please feel free to message me with any questions. It’s my pleasure to make this process as seamless and comfortable for you as possible 🤗 I can't wait to sing with you! : : Meditation Lessons : : • The most important thing to me when working with students of any age or ability is: Learning that the success of meditation is not based on what happens during it, but simply sitting down to do it in the first place. Once my students see that meditation is not a complex nor strenuous exercise, that it is all based in simple mindfulness and relaxation techniques, and that ones mind does not need to be made "blank", they may realize how capable of meditating they have been all along. They may feel brave enough to try meditating all on their own. • I begin with brand new meditation students by teaching them about basic mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness meditation does not center a certain goal, but rather encourages the meditator to passively notice what is happening in their external environment, and eventually their internal environment. This gentle and judgement-free practice is very accessible and requires no stillness of mind or even patience of any kind. I find that beginning with mindfulness meditation helps to demystify meditation in general. And this demystification is key to building a gradual path towards independence and curiosity as to what ones mindfulness practice can be, even outside of class. • I also specialize in guided, full body relaxation. This is an excellent practice for beginners as well. Full body relaxation aids in insomnia, healing from trauma, releasing chronically tensed muscles and blockages, managing carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic stress, and decreasing anxiety and depression. This practice tends to be so relaxing that when my students are already tired, they will fall asleep! This is totally natural and welcomed, as you are here with me to be comfortable and supported, in whatever way your body and mind tell us they need. • I like to make it clear to all my student that I am not a licensed therapist or medical professional. I have been meditating with teachers, pre-recorded audio, and completely on my own since age 14. I have explored Mindfulness Meditation, Full Body Relaxation, Transcendental Meditation, and Hypnosis. Meditation helps me manage anxiety and depression, has helped me heal from trauma, and has been an absolutely integral part of my self care routine for over 14 years. I have come to learn that meditation is something we can learn, practice, and then take with us into our daily lives. We do not need to become Monks or dedicate every moment of our day to Mindfulness just to be able to meditate regularly, on our own. I want to be a resource to anyone looking to incorporate practical, easily accessible meditation into their lives. I am here to be a comrade and mentor to anyone interested in re-prioritizing or even just balancing their contemporary and fast-paced lives. I am excited to help you slow down and chill out, and I can't wait to meet you on this particular step in your journey 🤍 Please feel free to message me with any questions. It’s my pleasure to make this process as seamless and comfortable for you as possible 🤗 I look forward to meditating with you. My classroom is safe and welcoming to folks from all walks of life. At any age and any stage of your life, we can commune and share together, without risk, judgement, or retraumatization. My classroom maintains a zero tolerance policy towards bigotry. : : My Background : : ~ Berklee College of Music, Bachelor of Music - Magna Cum Laude 2015 ~ Voiceover Actress and Singer for digital media such as: theme song for computer game Necken in original score composed by Paul Zimmermann in 2019, and Tilly Turtle in Tilly Turtle's Friendship Gift, a Read Aloud Adventure composed by Matthew Boerner and sponsored by Annie's Mac and Cheese in 2021. ~ Original writer, composer, producer, vocalist, band leader, and performer of ORLA. Have toured through the Boston, New York City, and Washington DC live music circuit since 2015. Performed as ORLA in the Gradient Perspective's Twitch stream Covid fundraiser in 2020. ~ Professional acting career began age 12 with Ford's Theater's annual production of A Christmas Carol 2005, continued with the national touring production of Les Miserables 2007, and concluded with 2020 Production's original Web Series: Orange Juice in Bishop's Garden in 2010