I never intended to be a singing teacher.  I resisted it.  I was dragged into it by Universal Finland.  It’s a big responsibility because bad instruction can hurt a singer. Oddly, there aren’t many really good voice coaches.  Turns out, I’m pretty good at it!  Who knew? 

I’m teaching the same technique used by some of the biggest stars in the US.  Here in Finland, there’s nothing that comes remotely close to being so easy to learn and so useful.  Here’s the key - the technique is easy to learn.  It’s not complicated.  Anyone can do it.  But all technique does is develop your instrument, when you show a SINGER how to use their voice magic things happen.

As a producer and voice coach, my main role in the studio is coaching singers. I found that the artists we worked with lacked the information they needed to train their instrument to get the most out of it.  This isn’t from lack of trying either.  Many had gone to school or taken private lessons, but were taught classical technique.  This is almost useless for a singer who doesn’t want to sing opera or be in musicals.  I combine what I’ve learned from my teachers with what I know about musicianship - I was a professional guitarist in Los Angeles.  I add in the training discipline of an elite athlete - we are getting ready for the “vocal olympics” in a sense.  We’re going to compete with the top singers in the industry for spots on the radio.  It takes training and talent.

My two amazing teachers

Bob Rose and Ron Anderson, are probably the best in the industry.  They’ve built on what Seth Riggs, arguably the first modern “pop” vocal coach, developed.  Seth pulled liberally from the Caruso method and modified it to fit the very different demands of todays singer (this link leads to a google scan of the Caruso book.  I highly recommend it).

Ron Anderson

When you come from a city like Los Angeles, you get opportunities that aren’t easy to find in other places.  As a 19 year old guitarist I got one of many “big breaks,” although I didn’t know it at the time.  I got hired to be the house guitarist for the Academy of Dramatic Arts, in Pasadena California (wiki).  Ron Anderson was in charge of the music program then.  He gave students a special price on voice lessons - $20.  He charges $430 today.  Since I was working for the school he gave me the same price.  The first lesson was amazing.  He lived in this HUGE mansion up at the top of the Hollywood Hills off Mullholland Drive with a jaw dropping view of Hollywood.  I was so blown away - how could a voice teacher have a place like this? 

So I asked him; “So what have you done?” 

He answered; “You know that movie Grease?  I taught John Travolta.” 

Then I got my first great voice lesson.  I walked into the lesson thinking I knew what support meant.  I walked out actually KNOWING what support is, and how to show anyone else exactly what it feels like to sing with support.  Wow!

Bob Rose

Without Bob Rose, my teaching and coaching would be impossible. His background is incredible.  Part of the hippy movement in San Francisco as a teenager, he toured as the singer in a band.  He played on the same stages with Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.  He moved to Hollywood and became a recording engineer for Capitol records (You know that round building they always destroy in the movies?  He worked there).  That was how he met the Beach Boys.  He coached and recorded them.  I met him in the 90‘s because he needed a guitar player.  I played guitar in his band, on demos and his record.  In exchange I got voice lessons.  He has a super attention to detail, studying every aspect of how the voice works and explaining the”why” behind the exorcises.  My students should really thank him, not me. 

About the technique

Now you know a little about where the technique comes from.  But what is it?  Essentially, it’s about breathing by using proper support and understanding what it feels like to sing using the right amount of air.  The exorcises train you to use your muscles so you can feel proper technique.  If you can feel it and experience it you can do it again.  It’s that simple.  Everything else follows breathing.

So what’s wrong with classical?  Classical is supposed to have all of that... breathing, support, placement.  Well, nothing’s wrong with it if you want to sing arias.  In fact, that’s the ONLY way to learn to sing opera properly.   A lot of that time is spent teaching you to think like a classical musician.  Caruso became a tenor in two years, according to his book. In his day opera was pop music.  No additional mental training was required.  Today you have to learn to think like a classical musician.  They tell you a lot of stuff that’s useless outside of the classical world

Train like an athlete

A singer’s instrument is their own body.  Singing is first and foremost an athletic event.  Singers need to think about and treat their voices like an athlete. 

Huh? 

You need to understand your body and how it reacts to different situations.  If you’re sick can you sing?  If you start singing and your voice is junk at the beginning what should you do?  How much rest do you need?  What should you/shouldn’t you eat?  How much warm up do you need?  How much warm down should you do?  Athletes understand these questions and know the answers.  Knowing the answers to these questions is hugely important if you want to be a great singer.  The best musician needs the best instrument.

Master your voice

You’re learning a lot about how your voice works as you train.  The next step is to apply what you’re learning into actual songs.  This is where a coach helps.  One thing you do is take a song with a hard to sing section and work though it.  You have to unlearn your old habits and re-educate your muscles so they do what you need them to do.  For example, a high note needs small air!!!!!  Since we think that the opposite is true this becomes about trusting the technique you’ve learned through actually pulling off amazing notes with ease.  This is just one example of mastering your voice.

A singer is a storyteller

Your voice is in amazing shape and you know how to use it.  Now what?  Singing is a very old method of telling stores and entertaining.  Get back in touch with that.  The first step is to get the lyrics out of your hands!  You should know the lyric by heart.  Reading a lyric almost always sounds stiff.  Get that thing memorized.  Acting lessons aren’t a bad idea either.

Another important step is to use your body.  Remember, your instrument is you.  Tell the story physically as well as with your voice.  You’ll find it’s more fun and it sounds a lot better.  Start by pretending you’re Italian and talk with your hands

There’s a lot more to it than what’s on this page.  I currently take selected students where I live in Helsinki, Finland.  Most of my students have record deals or development deals with a record company but if you’re serious about learning feel free to use the email button at the bottom of the page.