Is it worth the Hype? A Vocal Coach as your champion, not just your cheerleader

Every artist has a champion: the person who shows up, tells them the truth, and gets them ready for whatever's next. If you're a singer in Corning, Elmira, or anywhere in the Southern Tier looking for someone in your corner, look no further!

When I was seven, my parents signed me up for T-ball, and as the story goes, I spent more time running away from the ball than trying to catch it. 

That was the extent of my sportsball career and, along with it, “coaches.” 

Flash forward thirty years later and I’ve worked with various coaches, teachers, and mentors and have found certain qualities that differentiate what makes a great vocal coach worth the hype. Bear with me as we get in the weeds with this one. 

Recently, the renowned Opera singer and pedagog Mignon Dunn passed away. I was  fortunate enough to take her role preparation class and a few voice lessons. As a young soprano, I had it in my mind that I “couldn’t sing low” or my low range was “bad.” I spent years attempting to cover up this perceived flaw by singing high pieces that never fully showcased my warm tone, thus creating a self fulfilling prophecy. Mignon, a mezzo, challenged my belief and didn’t let me get away with avoiding my lower range by working my lower register with every vowel and interval combination imaginable! Throughout this process, she gave me tools and then the space to explore the vibrations without too much commentary. Listening back to the recording now, I hear a richness in my tone I hadn’t yet explored that emerges first with trepidation and, as the recording goes on, moves into a confident legato line. 

Later on in the lesson, I was struck by her tenacity to catch the little ways my vocal onsets were coming together. We spent four minutes finding the right onset balance and only then did she say “very good”! 

(and if you don’t know what a vocal onset is or why it’s important, let's schedule an initial fit lesson :-)) 

In our role preparation class, she assigned me a scene from one of my favorite operas, Manon. The scene involved both high and low register singing, often switching between octaves within a single measure. I was excited and terrified by this vocal tour de force as the singing would push me outside of my comfort zone. I was able to take on this challenge because the great Mignon Dunn saw that I was capable and inspired me to try. That scene  became my most successful aria during that time. 

Mignon taught me that being someone's champion means seeing what they're capable of before they can see it themselves and then backing that up with real work towards that goal. That's the same thing I try to do in my own studio. 

A few years ago, a singer told me she “couldn’t sing high” ( her own self limiting belief despite singing a full voiced sustained C6 during our warm ups…) I challenged her to work on Chappell Roan’s Good Luck Babe which goes to an F#5, lower than the C6 she previously sang. This singer and I had worked with each other for a few years and she turned to me and said “are you crazy?? There’s no freaking way I can sing that!?”
I gently challenged her belief by breaking apart the section with the high notes and offering her tools and space to process rather than giving her an out. She did get the note - and was able to integrate it and sing it in context during her next lesson. I reminded her that she didn’t believe me when I said she could and she sheepishly thanked me for pushing her. 

Only then did I say, "good work." That's not me being harsh. That's me believing in her potential more than offering the easy compliment before she achieved this goal.

That's what a champion does — sees what you're capable of, tells you the truth about it, and does the work with you to get there. Not gassing you up, and not letting you off the hook either.

If you're a singer in Corning, Elmira, or anywhere in the Southern Tier looking for someone in your corner, I'd love to be that for you. Start with a Discovery Call — we'll talk about your goals and what you're working toward. From there, we'll set up an Initial Fit Lesson at The Nest Vocal Studio to see if I'm the right champion for your voice.