Starting Point:

Sarah came to see me after I had coached her, briefly, at a rehearsal for an Arts Club performance. She had a good head voice, and some ‘chest-belt’ ability, but wanted more mix/belt range and better pop tone.

Sarah was an experienced Film and TV actor but was auditioning for her school's Les Mis soon, and wanted to ensure her singing would be ready.

Process:

Developing a Clean Mix/Belt

Sarah started mixing higher and cleaner in her first lesson, and we simply continued reinforcing and expanding clean, strong mix via carefully chosen exercises and songs.

‘Cross-Training’ for Pop and Legit Singing

Once Sarah’s mix range was mostly worked out and consistent, we began to ‘cross-train,’ adding pop mix/belt songs to her book, alternating with legit soprano musical theatre songs, usually touching on both styles, each lesson.

Results:

Sarah developed a strong mix in a few months—in time to book Fantine in her school show. Over the longer term, she was able to build a very strong, high mix and good pop stylizing skills, while simultaneously improving her legit soprano tone.

Sarah can now sing Kelly Clarkson songs and riffs, authentically, Light in the Piazza repertoire, and even the Queen of the Night aria.