Voice Lessons

In person lessons are taught at
Lisa's Upper West Side Studio
near 1,2,3 and B,C subway & M7, M104, M72 bus

Where

170 West 74th St., SE corner Amsterdam; See map.
Details will be sent in FIRST LESSON document upon scheduling your lesson.

When

Monday-Thursday 11:30-6:00, Friday 11:30-5:30
‍Lessons are 45 or 60 minutes.
As the schedule varies, please contact Lisa regarding your specific scheduling needs.

$120.00 - 1 Hour Lesson
$110.00 - 45 Minute(Or Discounted*) Lesson
$500.00 - 5 Lesson Series

First Lessons must be paid via PayPal through website 24 hours in advance of the scheduled time to hold the lesson. Checks/Cash are accepted after the first lesson; No Venmo at this time.

Payment is expected at the time of your lesson, with the exception of advance payment for all first lessons and series lessons.

Prepaid series of lessons must be used within 8 weeks of the first lesson. Arrangements can be made if travel out of town is required due to work.

*Discounts for AEA, SAG/AFTRA, AGMA, AGVA members, LaGuardia High School Students, NTI Alum, Marymount Manhattan College Alum, LoVetri SVW referrals and clients referred by Voice Therapists and MD's

Cancellation Policy

Your private lesson time has been reserved exclusively for you. If you need to cancel, a minimum of 24 hours notice by phone and email is required, or you will be responsible to pay for the missed lesson. If cancelling or running late, please note that the studio phone (212-724-3470) does not receive texts, so please leave a voice mail.

Not Sure Whether to Cancel?

If it is close to 24 hours before your lesson and you think you may be getting sick or anticipated a possible conflict, but don't want to cancel yet, call the studio phone to cover yourself, and we will go from there. That gives an opportunity to get someone "in the wings" and you're off the hook.

Running Late?

The studio phone does not accept texts. Please email and leave a message at 212-724-3470. Both will be checked on a break or if you are not on time.

For those travelling outside Manhattan, I strongly recommend using mass transportation in order to avoid traffic delays. I cannot extend the reserved lesson time or make-up lessons missed due to unreliable traffic conditions.

Location
The studio is located on the Upper West Side.

2 short blocks 1,2,3 train (W 72 St)

2 long blocks B, C train

Rates and Payment

Initial lessons are 1 hour and payable through Paypal. ZELLE info provided at your lesson.

Single lesson, 1 hr.

$150 Zelle

$155 Paypal

Pay with Paypal

Single lesson, 1 hr., discount & union**

Single lesson, 1 hr., union**

$140 Zelle

$145 Paypal

Pay with Paypal

Single lesson, 45 minutes

$130 Zelle

$135 Paypal

Pay with Paypal

5-lesson series, 1 hr.

$650 ($130/lesson) Zelle

$665 ($130/lesson) PayPal

Pay with Paypal

5-lesson series, 45 minutes

$600 ($120/lesson) Zelle

$615 ($120/lesson) PayPal

Pay with Paypal

After scheduling your first lesson directly with Lisa, 24 hr. advance online payment is required for the first lesson. Going forward, payment is due at the time of your lesson via Paypal or Zelle; Zelle info provided by Lisa at your lesson. **Discount for AEA, SAG/AFTRA, AGMA, AGVA, LaGuardia HS, NTI & MMC Alum, Voice Therapy and MD referrals, LoVetri SVW referrals. Prepaid series must be used within 10 weeks of the first lesson, however arrangements can be made if travel out of town is required due to work.

Please pay for lessons after scheduling your lesson directly with Lisa first. Thank you!

First Lesson

First lessons must be paid via Paypal through the website 24 hrs. in advance of the scheduled time, in order to hold the lesson. After scheduling your first lesson, please be on the lookout for an e-mail with FIRST LESSON INFO, and read at least a few days before your lesson to ensure smooth sailing when you arrive.

What to Wear, What to Bring

Wear loose fitting clothing that allows you to breathe and move freely, possibly on the floor.
Please bring sheet music in a binder. *For specific audition, please e-mail a day in advance.
Water
Recording device of choice

Cancellations/Lateness

Your private lesson time has been reserved exclusively for you. If you need to cancel, there is a minimum of 24 hours notice required or you’ll be responsible for the full lesson fee.

Not Sure Whether to Cancel?

If it’s close to 24 hrs. before your lesson & you think you may be getting sick or anticipate a possible conflict but don’t want to cancel yet, please send an e-mail to Lisa at lisa@lisarochelle.com as a ‘head’s up’ to COVER YOURSELF. That gives Lisa an opportunity to get someone on deck, and you’re off the hook. ☺

Running Late?

Please notify Lisa by email. If you’re traveling from outside Manhattan, it's advisable to use mass transportation in order to avoid traffic delays. Lisa is unable to extend the reserved lesson time or make-up lessons missed due to unreliable traffic conditions.

Studio Policies and Protocol

After you schedule your first lesson with Lisa via e-mail or phone, you’ll receive an e-mail with details regarding studio policies and protocol, including important details pertinent to your first lesson. Please be on the lookout for e-mail with FIRST LESSON INFO, and read at least a few days before your lesson to ensure smooth sailing when you arrive.

Tips & Useful Info

Student Resources

Lesson Tips

Wear loose fitting clothing that allows you to breathe and move freely, possibly on the floor.
Try to avoid eating heavily and/or eating mucus-forming foods within 1-2 hours of your lesson.
When prepping for a specific audition, please send sides a day before your lessons to optimize lesson time.
Prep your music (in a binder, please) to optimize lesson time. Hard copy is preferable to tablet, at lessons
Please let me know early in the lesson re: needing to address time sensitive material
Remember to record lessons in ‘airplane’ or ‘do not disturb’ modes to avoid losing lesson recordings!
Treat your lesson as any other professional appointment; try to get a decent night’s sleep, leave sufficient travel time and try to plan your meals and ‘rushing around’ activities accordingly. The main point here -take control of what you can. There are always curveballs and unforeseen stressors; avoiding preventable stress can help you get the most of your valuable lesson time

Practice Tips

TIPS FOR PRODUCTIVE PRACTICE a/k/a HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR LESSONS ☺
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According to all experts on the subject of success as well as scientific research on the learning process, it takes 10,000 thousand practice hours to master a skill. Elite athletes, musicians and performers all understand that talent and beginner’s luck only go so far – they know from their experience that persistence and hard work are the keys to maintaining a consistently high level of performance that will last over time.

Use your recorded lesson at least 4-5 times between lessons. Each time you work with the recording, you are having another lesson - for the price of one! You will be programming your muscle memory as well as receiving the benefits of the exercises. You want to program the desired muscle behaviors with enough repetition that your brain can transfer the work to your autonomous nervous system…so that it becomes ‘automatic’. Just as important, you will be internalizing the corrections and will begin to recognize issues on your own and then start to self-correct. The stop-and-go of the lesson is an opportunity for you to learn to assess and then reassess what is working. This is a great way to empower yourself and begin to ‘own’ your technique.
Create a dedicated practice space for your work. Even if you share a room, arrange private work time/space. While it’s not always possible to practice at home, honor your process by giving it a dedicated space.
Practicing consecutive days (vs. alternating days) can be most effective in programming your muscle memory. Elite athletes, musicians, dancer, yogis practice very precise sets of exercises daily. Take a day off after several consecutive practice days and play/experiment with exercises. Establish a routine and then vary/play with it.
Practice with your recording using external speakers or through computer speakers vs. using the speakers on your recording device, ear buds or a headset. It’s important that you practice listening and sensing your sound “out in the room”. We do not get realistic representation of our sound from inside our head or in headphones.
**For quick progress – the most resisted, yet most effective practice tool… audio & video record your practice sessions. What some may consider an agonizing process of watching oneself can often be the quickest fix and wake-up call of all. ☺

Rates & Info

Lisa’s teaching draws from three decades of pedagogical and performing experience, vocology/rehabilitation training, extensive Alexander Technique, Lessac Voicework and ongoing work with leading NY voice specialists.
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We’ll discuss your goals, vocal history and any pertinent physical limitations. We’ll jump in with rep if you’re warm, or vocalize if you’re not. We’ll directly address the mechanics of singing; I’ll explain what I hear/see from a functional point of view and why we’re doing what we’re doing. We’ll integrate the technical exercises into phrases and/or full songs as part of establishing a strategy for your home practice. My goal is not only to provide the ‘how’ of getting you to the next place, but also to empower you; I’ll provide the tools for your gaining the physical control and coordination needed to get yourself there on your own.
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Female Belting

Most musical theatre females obsess about belting.

I find this to be the case with singers who haven’t been trained adequately in belting. Yes – trained. Many imagine they should be able to belt high and are mostly self-taught; it should be ‘natural’, and they can’t figure out why belt above C/D is not consistent for auditions or for all songs, why it’s tight or strained, etc.

Belters who have careers lasting more than 5 minutes are doing lots of
mixing that sounds like belting, and they have learned to pick and choose when to ‘belt’.

In the days of belting to C5 or D5, one could get away with minimal belt training and maintain 8 shows/ week. Musical theatre today demands that we sing with everything from deliberate rasp and breathiness for style to also singing with thrilling, open powerful sounds past the upper break . Nature intended our high ‘shouty’ sounds as cries for help while being pursued by lions, tigers and bears. Musical theatre now requires that particular laryngeal ’shouty’ function be made to sound thrilling and oh – for 8 shows a week, after six 7-hour rehearsal days for several weeks or months and while remaining vocally healthy during the run of a show.

This is a skill that requires technique and training.

Not to say that you won’t sound good or couldn’t get away with minimal high-belt technique for a job. But if consistent, reliable singing and maintaining longevity is a priority for you, consider learning a fabulous mix. In my experience as teacher and belter, all good singing employs some form of mix.

"I can say without any hint of exaggeration that Lisa Rochelle is a miraculous voice teacher. Having gone to a prestigious and competitive music conservatory years ago, I considered myself to have had solid technique before studying with Lisa. I had no idea of the potential for growth my instrument had or the unlocking that was possible through studying with her. Her knowledge of the vocal mechanism is limitless, and her kind but pragmatic demeanor makes her a powerful mentor; you can count on having a meaningful and dynamic lesson each and every time. I wouldn’t trust my voice with anyone else."

Jenna Dellacco - AEA Actor, Singer, Voice Teacher

"I have had numerous vocal technicians and coaches through the years. No one comes close to the expertise and talent of Lisa Rochelle; she is the most knowledgeable voice specialist I have ever encountered. As a Cantor and singer with a 20-year career, I sing for my living and I need to be in top vocal shape all the time. Lisa is freeing my voice and giving me the tools I need right now, as well as for my longevity as a singer. She is a consummate professional and a warm, kind, encouraging and loving soul; I trust her with my voice and my spirit and feel blessed to be studying regularly with her. , Lisa offers invaluable performance guidance when I have a specific song to work on for a concert. I am so grateful to Lisa Rochelle, and you will be too."

Deborah Jacobson - Cantor and Singer