The Amazing Human Voice Class can be for large assembly or small class. The lectures and workshops are mostly best in class size.

“The Amazing Human Voice:” For Music Education Classes or Non-Voice Music Majors

An entertaining and fast moving interactive-lecture that demonstrates the Human Voice in its many incarnations, with brief sung excerpts showing vocal technique and style ranging from Pop music to Broadway to Opera, also comparing the natural amplification of the voice to that of traditional instruments, such as a trumpet or a piano. The auditors learn basic vocal techniques and care of their own unique vocal instruments, as well as learning about the use of voice in the traditional performing arts, including how the introduction of amplified sound has changed the vocal techniques of both actors and singers. The class finishes with brief sung operatic excerpts in many languages chosen by the auditors and finally with a question/answer session. This assembly can be done for large groups.

For Voice/Theater/Choral Majors

Interactive lectures, workshops and Master Classes that emphasize many aspects of careers in the Performing Arts, depending upon the needs and curriculum of the Vocal/Theater/Choral Programs and the level of the students.

• Careers in Voice: An overview of the diverse careers specialists in voice can chose including; teaching (all kinds), radio, acting (all kinds), choral, singing (all kinds), etc. Includes extensive question/answer in addition to lecture. This also includes a discussion of the many valid types of vocal technique and the differing types of vocal results they produce.
  
• The Many Paths to Singing Careers: As above, but with an emphasis specifically on singing careers.
  
• Auditions and Agents: A beginner’s guide to understanding the “real world” of developing a solo operatic singing career. Investigates the differing expectations of theaters and agents in different countries. How auditions in theaters and competitions really take place. How to go about finding and getting an agent and discusses how important this is (and isn’t) and at what stage an agent is important. Introduces various sources of information available to the young singer. Question/Answer.
  
• The Differing Styles of Acting and Production in Opera, Musical Theater and Theater: Acting and production styles differ greatly from the very traditional to the harshly modern and the avant-garde random. Includes anecdotes and photographs from personal experience. Students pre-prepared with an aria, musical theater song or monologue are quickly directed in differing, valid international styles to demonstrate the often amusing and difficult demands a young performer might face in “real world” jobs.
  
• Performing Abroad: An overview of the issues facing a performer working in foreign countries, ranging from agents to taxation to practical issues of housing, languages and differing cultural norms. Includes personal anecdotes and question/answer.
  
• Master Classes Opera/Musical Theater/Theater: Group Master Classes with listening auditors and private one-on-one Master Classes where the student can ask burning questions and try out repertoire without the pressure of the public forum. These Master Classes concentrate on encouragement, positive reinforcement, interpretation, pronunciation/diction and helping the student to formulate better questions in developing his/her own unique vocal/career development path. We do not criticize vocal technique and do not offer definitive solutions, preferring to help each student think and analyze. These Master Classes can be for Operatic, Musical Theater or any style of solo singers. Workshops can also be done for Theater students to encourage better and safer production and projection of the acting-speaking voice.
  
• Scenes Programs: If engaged for an extended period, we are delighted to direct and stage a series of pre-prepared arias/scenes for a culminating performance. We are also willing to perform along side the students in select scenes, demonstrating professional commitment as colleagues and not just as “teachers”.
  
• Create an Opera Workshop: An interactive, fun, group workshop, in which students work together to create an original mini opera plot by choosing from a selection of conventional operatic themes. Representational character music (based upon well known tunes) and basic staging of the plot will be taught to all students. The workshop culminates with the presentation of the newly created work, as performed by one or more casts of students, time permitting.

Concert:

A concert or recital of Lieder/Songs/Pops Selections/Operatic Selections can be included as part of a residency package, accompanied by local pianist or orchestra.