Imagine reaching your vocal goals!
Guiding Principles
Obert Voice Studios is a safe environment that optimizes learning through the holistic practices outlined here.
Health and Wellness—Maintaining the health and wellness of the voice, body, mind, and spirit require ongoing awareness and attention. OVS clients are encouraged to perform general health assessments and to seek specialized care as needed. OVS optimizes learning and creativity by intentionally using mindfulness techniques that encourage clients to pay attention to thoughts and feelings without judgment.
Diversity—OVS embraces a “come as you are” and “be as you are” policy. All people are welcome regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious or political affiliations, or learning style.
Boundaries—OVS supports and respects the emotional and physical limits people set to establish and identify their personal space within a relationship. Feedback is provided to clients in a manner that is constructive and never cruel, and likewise, clients are encouraged to partner in the learning process by speaking up about the direction of sessions and established goals.
Evidence-Based Practice—OVS strives to deliver the latest research and information related to voice training and motor learning. Evidence-based practices look at current research to guide their actions, their expertise, and the wishes of the client. This triad approach is paramount to a client’s success.
Clear Learning Objectives and Practice Strategies—Goal setting helps teachers and clients be “on the same page” and focuses sessions and training for best outcomes. OVS uses goal setting to focus sessions, provide organization, and improve practice strategies.
OVS simplifies training so you can find the voice that is uniquely yours.
Teaching Elements
In language, sentences are created by rearranging vocabulary words within a grammatical framework. OVS simplifies voice training to a similar construct by teaching the vocabulary and grammatical framework of the craft, enabling the artist to create endless vocal possibilities.
The Vocabulary: “A set of familiar words within a language”
Along the voice training journey, you will learn a variety of words related to your craft. These vocabulary words become the common language in which artists communicate with one another.
Anatomy and Physiology—There are dozens of structures involved in speech and singing. Many of these have primary functions for swallowing or breathing. Singers use the knowledge of where structures are located and what their biological functions are to help them understand the limitations and uses of these structures in singing.
Acoustics—Acoustics is the branch of physics concerned with sound. In the industry, however, professionals use the term to refer to how sound waves reflect in a physical space or to the software programs that convert invisible sound waves into something visual. Acoustics programs simplify the complexity of sound into its frequency components, providing a useful biofeedback tool to those who learn to read them.
Perception—The ear and the brain’s role in auditory perception are often overlooked elements in a singer’s training. Auditory discrimination, or the ability to differentiate between related sounds, forms the basis of being able to replicate them. Auditory perception proceeds production and is critical in the development of a motor skill.
Neuroscience—Singing involves the coordination of dozens of muscles through a complex and intricate network of brain-to-body connections. The application of neuroscientific principles assists teachers in providing effective instruction and performers in implementing practice strategies that result in motor consolidation. What does motor consolidation mean to you? Your body and voice will simply “do” what it needs to do without conscious thought. Motor consolidation makes performing feel easier.
Musical Terms—There are hundreds of words used in music to describe variations in tempo, rhythm, pitch, and expression. The use of musical terms provides insight into the composer’s intent and enables artists to use a common language within related musical fields.
Diction/Pronunciation—Singers change the way they enunciate words based on the musical genre and culture. Variations in diction play a role in intelligibility, artistic intent, and can influence the mechanics of the voice. You will learn to create consonants and vowels for improved intelligibility and also manipulate them to support laryngeal biomechanics and stylistic choices.
The Grammatical Framework: “The whole structure of a language”
Children learn language, vocabulary, and grammar simultaneously over the first several years of their lives. Likewise, vocalists learn the elements of performing, not in isolation, but through parallel pathways of practice and performance. Performing is perhaps the most important of these.
Imagine a person learning the rules of grammar without ever engaging in conversations. Performing is the time when deep, integrated learning occurs. It requires exploration into motivation, characterization, and a comprehension of the constraints imposed on the performance by the musical genre, the setting, and even the limitations of the instrument.
Performing provides an experience that allows the artist to choose how the elements and vocabulary combine to create a personalized expression of themselves. It is visceral, vulnerable, and breathtaking. OVS encourages students to engage in performing opportunities and assists them in preparation for these moments by teaching techniques to explore characterization through embodiment and analysis activities.