voice lessons
Heather Pierce Vox + Music
savvy singing: solid technique to work out the kinks for good
Let’s develop your vocal technique healthfully and with skill. Not a lot of nebulous imagery, just straightforward cause and effect instruction to build strength, agility, and power.
Oftentimes, the extrinsic muscles surrounding the larynx (where the vocal cords are located) become overly involved in the singing process, causing tension and not allowing the vocal cords to open and close comfortably. Stabilizing the larynx and allowing for medium vocal cord closure frees you up to pronounce lyrics with ease and clarity, so that your listeners will understand what you’re singing and you won’t have to work so hard physically.
The most challenging areas of the voice to maintain a stable larynx occur in the bridges. A bridge is merely a passage area (known as “passagi” in classical technique and a “break” in contemporary singing) where you shift from one register of your voice to another. By learning proper bridging of the vocal registers, you’ll have control of your voice—no cracking, flipping, strain, or hoarseness. Sing from your chest voice into your middle voice, your middle voice into your head voice and back again with total continuity, resulting in a connected “one voice” sound.
authentic artistry: express yourself—however you feel it
Having true control of your voice leaves the artistic choices up to you. This is extremely important for all genres of commercial singing, where the industry demands that a singer’s bridges are undetectable and each voice stands out with its own unique quality.
in the lesson: how we’ll work together
Each private, one-on-one lesson consists of a series of repetitive scale patterns and vowel and consonant combinations that I tailor to your specific vocal needs. Song work is also included. You choose whatever song you’d like to work on and bring it with you on CD, ipod, or mp3 player. You can also accompany yourself on keyboard (in my studio) or bring your acoustic guitar. If you don’t have the lyrics memorized, please print them out to refer to in our session.
Sessions are recorded to CD (I supply CDs) or SD card (you supply your own SD card) for outside practice. Upload sessions to itunes and create playlists of your custom vocal workouts to take on the go. You will make vast improvements with regular practice!
lesson types: you’ve got options
In-person lessons
Join me at my professional teaching studio, located in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco.
Online lessons
Don’t live within driving distance of SF? Not a problem!
We can work online via Skype, a free internet download that can be used to make video phone calls anywhere in the world. Skype sessions are conducted in the same manner as in-person lessons.
Make sure you’ve got a high-speed broadband internet connection as well as audio and video capability on your computer. Headphones or a videoconferencing headset will also help you hear our session clearly.
Purchase Call Recorder for Skype to record and refer back to your lessons for home practice.
Lesson rates and scheduling
All lessons are offered Monday through Thursday between 11 am and 8 pm PST. Increments of 30 minutes and 60 minutes are available.
Contact me directly for rate information and to schedule a lesson.
studio policies
24-hour cancellation policy:
To cancel or reschedule an existing lesson, you must give at least 24 hours’ notice by phone or email, or you will be charged for the missed session in full. No exceptions. Scheduling a lesson is your acceptance of this policy.
Arrival time:
Please arrive on time for your scheduled lesson. Extra time cannot be added for late arrivals.
