Lori Pasqualino Voice Studio

My motto is: make practicing clear, easy, and accessible...and your students actually WILL practice! It is for this reason that I offer each of my students access to an online STUDENT PORTAL through this website. Here students will find numbered mp3 warm-ups that they can download & sing along to wherever they are, PDF copies of their sheet music, backing tracks, and lesson plans! An easy one-stop shop for all of their voice training resources!

The most important thing to remember when teaching voice is that every vocal instrument is completely and wonderfully unique! Vocal instruction and coaching is unlike that of any other musical discipline as it must be tailored entirely to the biological instrument and individual personality that walks into the studio. So the first, and most important step of my teaching process is to get to know you! How do you think? What do you want to learn or work on? What tension does your body hold? What learning styles work best for you? Learning about students’ personalities is a crucial step in vocal development for an obvious reason: the voice is an instrument you cannot SEE. There are no keys, strings, or frets to guide your tactile and visual senses, so a successful teacher must learn how to connect to the mind of her student to help guide them in a way that will make sense to their imagination. I often joke that being a vocal instructor is much akin to being a therapist!

Equally important is BREATH! With the exception of students who enter my studio at a highly advanced level of classical technique, every one of my students begins their training with several weeks of what I fondly call “Breath Bootcamp.” This can be a frustrating first step for many students - they are here to sing...so why aren’t they singing right away?! The answer is that there is little point in building a beautiful house on a shallow foundation. Breath is the foundation of all vocal training. One does not run until she has learned to walk; likewise, one does not sing until she has learned to breathe. In this stage we, together, will also develop a better understanding of where a student’s tension is held, helpful exercises tailored to each individual’s physiology to reduce said tension, as well as exercises drawn from the Linklater and Alexander Techniques.

From here the next steps are all dependant on what YOU would like to get out of your training! Are you a professional vocalist who would like to expand her vocal range and technique? Wonderful! Are you someone who has always loved to sing and would like to be able to confidently participate in a local karaoke or open mic night? Great! Are you looking for a teacher for your child and need a skilled and patient teacher who will take her age, personality, and unique gifts into account? How lovely!

During each student’s initial meeting & leson, we will talk about these goals and create a lesson plan together! I so look forward to getting to know you and guiding you on your musical journey!

The most wonderful part about teaching voice is showing students that the gifts they have within them can grow and become more wonderful than they could have imagined. The vocal instrument is different than others because it is literally YOU! So, many people are highly self-conscious about their singing voices. There are no instruments or blame if something goes wrong, so singing (especially in the beginning) can make one feel quite vulnerable.

It is my privilege to help students find their power and gifts within and bring them to the surface. Due to the very vulnerable nature of singing, when students progress, they are able to achieve such a wonderful level of self confidence. It makes me happy to facilitate that!

More specifically, one of my most enjoyed aspects of vocal training is teaching students that great power lays right in their own bodies through breath work. So many of us walk around each day assuming that we know how to breath - and for obvious reasons...we breathe every moment of every day! However, it is incredibly rewarding to see the looks on students’ faces when they are taught the full potential of their breathing technique and the power that it can supply for their voices; and for their overall bodies and health in general! As a teacher, I live for that “Aha!” moment.