Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
There are so many brilliant teachers across the world doing amazing work, in very many different ways. Which is great, because there really is no one-size-fits-all in singing. A lot of it is down to trust, and chemistry - it can be quite vulnerable having singing lessons so you really need to like the person you’re working with a feel good spending time with them!
It really helps to know a bit about how a teacher works before you choose one. Here's a honest look at how I work what I believe, what I do, and why, so you can see if you think I might be a good fit for you.
What is my approach to teaching singing?
My philosophy of teaching voice is held together by three threads: awareness, practice and play - and built on a foundation of feeling safe in your own voice. Underneath that sits detailed, ever-evolving and evidence-based voice pedagogy.
But fundamentally my job isn't to tell you the "right" way to sound. You'll show me, and tell me, what your right way is. My job is to help you find it, and to give you the tools to get there.
What are the three threads?
They run through everything I teach. Without all three, progress is slower and harder. With them, it can be surprisingly fast, and far more enjoyable.
1. Awareness
You can only change what you notice. I often describe attention as a torch in a dark room: wherever you point it is the only part you can really see, and the only part you can work on.
So a lot of our work is about noticing: how your voice sounds, and just as importantly, how it feels from the inside. Where is there effort you don't need? What changes when you shift the vowel, or the breath, or the intention behind a phrase? The more precisely you can notice, the more precisely you can choose.
Awareness also means noticing kindly. We observe your voice the way you'd listen to a good friend, with curiosity rather than criticism. My singing lessons are a judgement-free zone.
2. Practice
Your voice is a physical instrument, and like any physical skill, it changes through repetition. Every habit you have is a bit like a road in your brain: the more you use it, the smoother it gets. Building a new habit means choosing a new road, again and again, until it becomes the easy one.
That's why practice, both on your own and out in the real world, is non-negotiable. I'll give you specific, manageable things to practise, and help you find ways to fit them into your life. But I can only guide. The changes happen on your side of the lesson, and between lessons.
3. Play
This is the thread I’m most passionate about. Play isn't a detour from the serious work - it is the work!
Think of a baby learning to talk: babbling with total abandon and no concern at all for what anyone thinks of the noise. That curious, joyful, unselfconscious energy is exactly what helps adults learn too. When you play, you stop needing to get it right, so you start finding out what your voice can actually do.
In my studio that might mean getting comfortable making noises you might not have made since being in the playground at school. Really!
How do the three threads fit together?
Over the years I've noticed that singers tend to move through a cycle that looks something like this:
Safety: letting go of some fear, shame and judgement, and adopting a more playful, exploratory attitude.
Control: learning the exercises that give you choices over resonance, volume, pitch, registers, tone and vocal health.
Connection: using that control to express what a song means and reach the people listening. ("Sing it like you mean it!" is something my students hear from me a lot.)
Practice: applying it all in real life, gradually and repeatedly.
Confidence: a growing trust in your voice, which feeds straight back into feeling safe.
Awareness, practice and play sit at the centre of that cycle, and you can step into it wherever suits you. Some singers come to me wanting technical control. Others want to feel less nervous, or to finally try ad libbing. Wherever you start, the rest of the cycle follows.
What does "judgement-free" actually mean in a singing lesson?
Here's what it means in my teaching:
All voices are worthy. There's no single correct sound, genre, voice type, tone or accent. My aim isn't to turn you into a particular type of singer, but to help you sound like the best version of you, the way you want to sound.
Mistakes are data. A crack, a wobble or a note that isn’t the intented pitch is information, not a verdict. We get curious about it and try again.
Silly is welcome. You'll be asked to make some not-run-of-the-mill noises, and I will do them alongside you if you need me to. Nobody is being judged on them! But they can really help your singing…
You choose. Take what helps and leave what doesn't. It's your voice, and your decisions about how you want to use it.
Your inner critic gets a name. I call our inner critics our little parrots, because they can only repeat what it has heard. We learn to notice it, we name it (the sillier the better), thank it for its efforts to get involved and keep us safe from embarrassing ourself (heaven forbid!) and then tell it to pipe down and stop it running the show.
This isn't just about being nice. When we feel under threat, including the social threat of being judged, the body's protective reflexes kick in, and the voice is affected. Feeling safe isn't a luxury in voice work. It's part of what allows the voice to work freely.
Where do Estill, neuroscience and motor learning fit in?
Play and kindness sit on top of the knowledge that lets me explain not just what to do, but why it works.
Estill Voice Training. As an Estill Master Trainer, for singers that like to learn this way, I use Estill's model to break the voice down into individual structures you can learn to control one at a time. It's a practical way to build real vocal freedom and choice, in any style, and it works brilliantly for many singers.
Neuroscience. My training in applied neuroscience and voice shapes how I teach: why play speeds up learning, why body state matters, how our brains actually send signals to our voice and how we can help that process work as smoothly as we can.
Motor learning. Research on how we learn physical skills informs how we practise: focused attention, accurate repetition, variety, feedback at the most helpful time, and rest so new skills can settle.
Voice pedagogy and acoustics. My PG Cert in Voice Pedagogy, ongoing training in areas like breathing and acoustics, and my Vocal Health First Aid training all feed into how I teach, and how I keep your voice healthy along the way.
Real-world experience. More than 20 years singing professionally on stage and in the studio, and over a decade of teaching, means I've tried all of this in my own voice first - and my students have taught me more than anyone!
What does this approach ask of you as a student?
I can boil it down to three main things:
Attention: being present and curious while you practise.
Practice: regularly, on your own, and out in the real world.
Playfulness: a willingness to explore, get things "wrong", and let go of judgement.
It also takes a bit of bravery. This work can feel challenging, and progress is usually built from tiny, repeatable adjustments rather than one big breakthrough so that takes patience. There's no fixed timeline, because every voice is different. But with attention, practice and play, vocal skills do improve, and vocal confidence does grow.
How can I experience this approach?
1:1 lessons: tailored entirely to you and your goals. I currently have limited spaces, but you're welcome to get in touch to let me know what you’re hoping to work on.
The Control Room: my weekly technique club. One exercise each week, explored in depth: what it is, why it works, how to practise it, and how to take it into your singing. Awareness, practice and play in action, once a week.
And if you'd like to know more about me and my own singing journey, you'll find it on my About page.
Happy singing!
Laura x
