Singing Is For Everyone Part II: The WHAT and HOW of Singing

This is Part II of the series Singing Is For Everyone, where we dive into the WHY, WHAT, and HOW of singing through interviewing students of diverse career backgrounds. You can view Part I of the series here.

In Part II of my series, I asked some of the students and clients I have the pleasure of teaching WHAT they’ve gained from lessons (vocally, personally, professionally) and HOW we have achieved those gains. Below you’ll read about WHAT they’ve gained from lessons; you’ll read about the vocal technique some have gained, the confidence they’ve built, and the opportunities that have come their way. As I said in Part I, the hope is that maybe you see yourself in some of these other folks. I believe that all people have the right to sing, no matter their goal. And if you want to sing and take voice lessons you have a right to explore your creativity, push yourself, gain some confidence, have a great time, find success in the audition room, and on and on. Consider this your push and sign to take the leap for yourself!

CHRISTINA, Registered Nurse

“Within a month of working with Andy, I and my family started to notice a significant difference in my voice, specifically in my vocal range. Songs that I would not have attempted in the past because they were either too high or I was concerned about being off key became more attainable. One thing that I consistently struggle with is being critical of my perceived failures. Andy has pushed me to find my successes in my mistakes and use them as a means to grow.”

AARON, Mental Health Therapist

“There are so many things I’ve learned while working that have been instrumental to me as both a singer and a therapist such as knowing that I have to do warm-up even before my sessions being that I see clients all day, it did not occur to me that my voice is being affected. Another huge thing is the idea of cooldowns. I will confess, prior to classes with Andy I was not aware that I had to do warm-up or cooldown exercises so I would talk all day and sing, no wonder my voice was croaky the next days. On top of all that I learned valuable lessons about how I naturally approach singing in comparison to proper technique. To me, this is still a daily challenge to stay in awareness of and not just fall into the regular pitfalls of nature in my singing. Andy has helped me feel more confident in all forms of speech through talking to my clients to applying proper technique to recording music and performances.”

LIAM, PhD Student in Chemistry

“Technically I've developed a way better understanding of the voice as a whole and so much more comfortable with both my speaking and singing voice. As someone who isn't a performing musician one of the most interesting things to me is how much more I can appreciate competent and experimental singers. It's really changed the way I listen to music and opened a whole world of awe and astonishment at singers. I have a lot of curiosity about vocal production and extended technique and I've figured out my goal is to really feel comfortable and competent with both more traditional singing and non-traditional techniques.”

JOSH, Sales Professional

“What I've learned from my near decade in singing lessons is that I love a challenge, and it's the people that really make a pursuit worthwhile. I started uncomfortable with my voice but through this journey (and watching the friends I've made progress), I've learned my voice is unique and how I use it is special. It's my personal instrument that I can take with me wherever I go! Not only can I now perform songs I never thought I would, but I've also learned about perseverance and self-discovery. Progression has required patience, persistence, and humility to accept where I am moment to moment. There have been frustrating plateaus and exciting breakthroughs. What started as a personal challenge has blossomed into a rich, rewarding experience that has shaped not just my voice, but my understanding of myself and my goals. Looking back, I'm amazed at how far I (and the friends I've made) have come, both as singers and individuals.”

TIZ, Account Supervisor in Cyber Security

“Repetition is key to success. I've also learned the importance of speaking up—both in volume and confidence—and not allowing the noise around me to drown out my voice. It's essential to advocate for yourself and engage in challenging conversations about who you are and what you're working to achieve. This experience has also helped me let go of judgment, especially since this is a skill I’m learning as an adult. Past experiences and traumas sometimes resurface, but practicing this skill has been empowering, helping me overcome self-sabotage and continue to refine my abilities.”

CARA, Attorney

”I am not exaggerating when I say that taking voice lessons has taken my voice to heights previously unimaginable. I had always loved to sing since as long as I can remember, but I always hated my voice. Recording myself and listening to myself singing after exercises was always such a torture. But after taking lessons, I could hear myself improving and sounding so much better. First, my range improved. I can sing higher notes without worrying my neighbors would call the police on me. Then, I was able to navigate my vocal registers much more easily. My technique also improved as I have more voice control, strength, and flexibility. Also, for those songs I previously struggled to sing in the past, I can either sing them now or sing them with much less difficulty. And finally, I can say I no longer hate my voice. I won't say I love it, but I accept it now and on "good singing days," I can even say I like my voice in its current form. I am very excited to see where this journey takes me and my voice as I continue on with my lessons.”

MICHELLE, Professional Actor

“Through my lessons, I've learned that I am more capable than I thought I was. I see a growth in the knowledge of my own voice and being able to articulate what's happening in my body. My range has expanded, and I've hit notes that I didn't even think were possible for myself. As my confidence in my vocal ability has grown, my journey with voice lessons includes music that I find more intimidating and stepping even further out of my comfort zone.“

FAYE, Financial Advisor

“I have obviously learnt a lot about singing itself. Technically I’ve developed much more access to all of my registers which has then greatly expanded my range. I’ve also had the opportunity to explore stylistic elements in my singing voice. Through the technical work I’ve been able to access songs I always wanted to sing and songs I didn’t know I COULD sing. But more importantly I learnt about how it feels to have something you’re really passionate about. I’ve always been a ‘good student’ and I do well for my job, but that’s something I ‘have’ to do to earn a living. For whatever I needed to do in school and in work, I learnt/did well to a certain point and then stopped. But when it comes to singing, I have this natural curiosity which has led me into spending a lot of time doing my own research, and has led me into taking an ear training/music theory class and trying to pick up my piano skills which have been long lost from childhood.”

VARSHA, Software Engineer

“I’ve learned how to use different registers and connect them all together. I’ve learned how to control the amplitude, pitch, color, and resonance of my voice, which has made it easier for me to sing a variety of songs regardless of the genre. I have also learned how to manage my anxiety when singing in front of others and got to a point where I can do performances and actually enjoy myself while doing them. I have gotten to a point where it doesn’t take me months of preparation anymore to do a performance. I can now do one with minimal notice. Overall, I have gotten much more confident in myself and have developed an immense appreciation for my voice.”

VICTORIA, BFA Acting & BA Business Advertising and Promotion at Marymount Manhattan College

“Going to my voice lessons has given me the gift of creative freedom. Whether it is trying new songs or singing that one song I loved when I was ten, Andy has always supported me. The consistency of showing up has helped me grow in my love of music and has made me realize the work is never done and there are always new stories to be told, more voices to be heard, and more songs to be sung.”

CRISTINA, Data Scientist

“From a technical point of view, my voice is becoming more flexible and malleable, my vocal range has extended and I've improved control over the registers of my voice due to the many exercises that are a staple of my lessons. Musically, I am becoming increasingly aware of how resonance affects the quality of sound I produce. From a self-discipline perspective, I'm learning that my progress really depends on how much I practice, and that there isn't a substitute for training just like there isn't for athletes.“

AMETHYST, Grants Administrator

“What I’ve learned from voice lessons is that your greatest improvement could come in unexpected ways. I’d only taken lessons from female voice teachers before. I assumed I needed instruction from someone who sounded the way I wanted to sing, but I’ve learned that what really makes a great voice teacher (or vocal coach) is someone who is a safe place to hit those wrong notes in front of, who is patient, who is fun, and who has the experience and expertise to know how to help you reach your goals. It has made all the difference in the world.“

MINA, Musical Theater Student at American Musical and Dramatic Academy

“I've gained the ability to talk about my voice, which is a skill that took me a surprising amount of time to develop. In any voice lesson, it's almost a guarantee that the instructor will ask, "so how is your voice feeling?" or "what are you feeling when you do this exercise". This question honestly used to stump me a lot. I'd almost immediately default to "uh... I think it feels... normal". When I started voice lessons, I really lacked the ability to talk about my voice and what was happening other than on a simple spectrum "good, bad, okay." As I've taken more lessons I've realized these questions aren't just about gauging how easy an exercise feels, but to help me develop the skill of being able to analyse my voice on a much more technical and detailed level. There are so many different muscles involved in singing, which produce a seemingly infinite array of results depending on how you use them. Singing lessons have taught me how to be able to parse out and isolate different parts of the mechanism of my voice, and how all of these different parts work together (or maybe don't work so well together) to produce a sound. And, there are still some days when I don't totally have all of the words to describe exactly what's happening with my voice, but I'm much more able to isolate where a sensation is coming from and what I think may be happening, that I can talk through it with Andy."

AARON, Software Engineer

“Starting out without any experience taking voice lessons, I didn’t know what to expect out of them. I expected some of the obvious things - like learning how to expand my range and having less fatigue - and I’ve gotten those, but I also feel like I have a better sense of my voice more generally. Even though I'm still at the point where I don't always consciously know what I'm doing, I've developed a stronger intuition for the different levers I have for controlling and changing my voice. I've also gotten a lot of opportunities to perform in front of other people, something I didn't start out wanting to do, and have gotten a little more comfortable each time.”