Much of my work of the past 2 decades has been devoted to helping performers prevent or recover from vocal injury. I frequently work with medical professionals in the re-training of compromised singing and speaking voices, drawing on many years of specialized training along with decades of both teaching and high-level performing careers. This experience informs my work with all clients and is an integral part of what I do.  

After ruling out medical issues, we’ll create a regimen that works best for your lifestyle. You’ll have the tools to rise to the occasion when the audition, callback, or job comes along, and you’ll have your voice for a long time after this job is over.  If there are medical conditions or pathologies  requiring attention and treatment, we’ll work alongside your doctor and/or voice therapist in developing strategies best suited to your needs. You’ll have established a sustainable practice for a rigorous touring or rehearsal schedule so that

You can focus on your performance – not on your voice.

You can focus on your performance –
not on your voice.

A recurring theme I’ve seen over decades of teaching is the presumption by many singers - even natural belters - that they should be able to belt above C5*naturally and with ease (*octave above middle C).  Many are self-taught and can’t figure out why belting above C/D5 is not consistent for auditions or for all songs, why it’s tight or strained, etc.

Belters who have voices that last have developed techniques for mixing that sound like belting; they have learned to pick and choose when to ‘belt’.

In the early days of belting to C5 and the occasional D5, one could get away with minimal belt training and maintain 8 shows a week. Musical theatre today demands that we sing with everything from deliberate rasp and breathiness for style purposes to also singing with thrilling, open, powerful and sustained sounds past the upper break (E5). While nature intended those high ‘shouty’ sounds as cries for help while being pursued by lions, tigers and bears, musical theatre now requires that particular laryngeal function be made to sound thrilling and oh – for 8 shows a week (often after six 7-hour rehearsal days for several weeks) for months or even years at a time, during the run of a show.

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High Belting is a skill that requires technique and training.
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This is not to say that you won’t sound good or couldn’t get away with minimal high-belt technique for an audition or job. But if consistent, reliable singing and maintaining longevity are a priority for you, consider learning a great mix. In my experience as both teacher and high belter,  all healthy singing employs some form of mix to allow for variety and ease of register transitions and, most importantly, for long term vocal health.
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Take a listen.

At the time of recording, each of the singers above had been studying technique exclusively with Lisa for at least 2 years.