How the Nest Vocal Studio does Gender Affirming Vocal Care.

I was walking out of a therapy session with a relatively new therapist when she offered me a rainbow flag sticker with the word ALLY on it.
“Here you go! I got extra”
I was immediately dismayed. After several sessions, it was clear I was NOT being seen or heard. 

I am not an ally, I’m part of the queer community, babe! 

I didn’t have the words for it when I was fourteen singing “take me for who I am” from 1994’s RENT. My high school self didn’t have the words for “queer” or “non-binary” when I would stay up late at night watching the VH1 TV version of Rocky Horror Picture Show putting gems on my face and massive glitter eyeshadow.  My millennial twenty four year old self couldn’t articulate why I experienced a kind of gender euphoria when I sang Tolomeo in Giulio Ceasar, my first pants role (that’s Opera speak for a woman playing a man, like drag without the wink). And yet I still didn’t get it. 

Now I do. While I channeled my queerness through performance, being queer is not a performance for me. It's always been part of my life, whether others choose to see it or not. And I don’t owe anyone an explanation or a certain presentation. FULL STOP. 

Like me, many people come to understand their identity through music, performance, and - let’s call it what it is - Broadway Musicals! 

I understand the importance and intersection of music, performance, and musicals in a queer person’s life. In our community, music is sacred. Whether your generation is Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls or MUNA and boygenius - these songs and stories can feel like a lifeline when your identity isn’t recognized or valued. 

As a voice teacher, I bring not only my journey but my knowledge into my teaching practice. Rainbow Flags and Pronouns on intake forms are necessary - but also the bare minimum. The deeper work is going beyond what your voice presents as and moving towards what you want your voice to become. As a teacher, I approach this dynamic in voice lessons by truly listening to each student who walks in and what THEY want for their own unique voice. That may include gender affirming singing or gender bending singing. Both are valued and valid. When picking music, students and I work together to find songs that fit their voice - not always as it presents now, but how they want it to be perceived in the future. That’s transformational voice work. Our work is not defined by “type” or “commercial appeal,” but as the client wants to be seen, the music they want to express, and the sounds they want to make. That’s queering voice lessons. 

This shows up in my studio when a trans kid brings his comfort stuffies to his lesson and sings songs about foxes. It shows up when a queer adult belts out “Maybe this time” with all the emotions only someone later in their life can express. It shows up when any student of any gender uses the vocal expression they want to use to communicate the feelings and ideas they want to express. This is vocal education beyond polishing an instrument with scales and techniques. This is vocal expression and freedom that becomes unlimited. 

That’s how I show up in the studio as a queer person: listening to each student’s desires and helping to facilitate a pathway for transformative vocal communication that frees them up for their life. I know my place as a voice teacher and I’ve done the work in learning how to facilitate gender affirming lessons through coursework at The Voice Lab INC. 

If that’s a journey you want to be on, I'd love to meet you. Start with a Discovery Call — we'll talk about your goals, your voice, and what you're looking for in a teacher who gets it. From there, we'll set up an Initial Fit Lesson at The Nest Vocal Studio to see if my studio is the right home for your voice.