Get 10% Off During September!

Through the remainder of September 2022 you can get 10% off ALL lesson types and the lesson 6-packs! These deals expire October 1st so get ‘em while you can.

Use the code “FALLSINGER” at checkout to get 10% off all private lessons. Online and in-person options available.

This code applies to 30/45/60 minute lessons. You can schedule as far out as November so don’t hesitate to get signed up! Sign up for private lessons here: PRIVATE LESSONS

Get an EXTRA 10% off all lesson 6-packs using the code “AUTUMNLEAVES”.

The lesson 6-packs are already 10% off the regular price. This code gives you 20% off lessons! Buy the 6-pack now and schedule whenever you want! The 6-pack never expires and you can schedule the lessons one at a time if you like. Lesson 6-packs also include a cancelation privilege - all cancelations apply your credit back onto your 6-pack. Buy your 6-pack here! LESSON 6-PACK

This Summer is Full of WORKSHOPS!

I am SO excited to try something new this summer. I brainstormed all the workshops I have ever wanted to teach and, well, there were too many to squeeze in just two months. So, I carefully whittled it down and came up with a stellar calendar of fun offerings to keep you motivated and singing while the days are long and hot. Recreation is calling and I’ve got an answer!

Register here!

The workshops are offered in three different formats: In Person [IP], Online [OL], and Hybrid [HY]. Hybrid classes give the student flexibility to choose either online or in-person for attendance. In person classes will happen at my home located in Littleton, CO. Online classes are open to everybody, regardless of location, but be aware that times listed here are Mountain.

Want alt text for class details like title, date, time and format? Go here: https://mollyzackaryvoicestudio.as.me/SummerWorkshops

Curious about which class is a good fit for you? Send me a message.

All classes are open to all students. I work hard to build curriculum that invites the beginner to start their journey yet gives experienced musicians new strategies for their tool kit. I’ve been teaching singing and music for 12 years. I’m passionate about helping folks on their creative journey. I am confident that these workshops will be fun and rewarding for you!

Register here!

Looking for alt text for the descriptions of the workshops? Go here: https://mollyzackaryvoicestudio.as.me/SummerWorkshops

I believe that education should be accessible to all. That’s why all of the Summer Workshops are “Pay What You Want”. It’s easy to fill in the amount that fits your budget and complete registration.

After selecting the workshop you’d like to take, you will fill out your contact information and see this option:

Three buttons appear as shown on the registration screen, in this order: redeem coupon, add a pay what you want amount, and complete appointment

Click on the button that says, “Add a Pay What You Want amount.” You will then be directed to the next screen which looks like this:

the screen that appears at the completion of the payment page is shown.  at the top it says, "you will be billed for ear training and aural skills 7/27 @ 6pm MT [OL] suggested $35." underneath that is a section that says, "pay what you want additiona

In the workshop description a suggested tuition is provided. Below is the area in which you enter the amount that works for you. All students are welcome, regardless of tuition rate, and will be given the same quality of instruction.

Are you ready to sign up? I would love to see you this summer! Sign up below:

Discord Office Hours Nov. 11th: warm ups on Spotify

 
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[11:03 AM] Let's get started

[11:04 AM] Today I definitely need a good vocal work out!

[11:04 AM] I pretty much always start with lip trill sirens for a few minutes

[11:05 AM] It's nice because I can do it anywhere really. I'm doing it while typing right now! I lip trill on any comfortable pitches while getting my space set up - maybe while making a cup of tea, or clearing my piano of clutter.

/@J/ I've gotten a lot better at trilling since I started lessons.

[11:09 AM] It is hands down my favorite exercise!

[11:09 AM] I found some new exercises on Spotify!

[11:09 AM] I'll put a link in the chat

[11:11 AM] I'm going to do a few exercises from this album: https://open.spotify.com/album/5GorfkQpmey0rPzYIcVx1u?si=uCFeRz4fRk2z10zqEP_kNQ

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[11:11 AM] Jeannie Deva is a well known voice teacher who has published many books so I expect the exercises to be good.

[11:12 AM]I'm starting with track 4

/@J/ Great! I just tried waving my arms and shaking my hands when I was thrilling and it was a lot of fun.

[11:14 AM] I appreciate that she spends time to demonstrate do's and don'ts and explaining the sensations the singers should be looking for

[11:15 AM] I agree with everything she just said for track 4.

/@J/ Very similar to your exercises.

[11:19 AM] Yes! I know where she's coming from and what she's wanting to accomplish from singers. It's all same musculature that hasn't changed for millenia, ha ha!

[11:20 AM] I really enjoy hearing other voice teachers teach because they'll explain the same concept in their own way and I learn from that too. Hopefully my students enjoy hearing different perspectives that have the same end goal.

[11:20 AM] That's why I would probably recommend this album to my students. But, I want to hear more from Deva......

[11:21 AM] I'm letting the album play on. I'm on track 7 now.

/@J/ on Spotify I just went to a really great jazzy track from Ken Burton's vocal exercises. I'll go back to track 7 now, but this Ken Burton thing is awesome.

/11:25 AM/ Oh! please link the Ken Burton if you can! I want to try that album!

/@J/ https://open.spotify.com/album/4IHHdTA3IbCkAyczlBc4q2?si=3yrp8vbfQbGnFg9Na-Qcjw

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[11:26 AM] I'm on Deva's track 10 now. This is the last one I'm going to do from her album.

[11:28 AM] I'm stretching when she's talking. Feels good to get some blood flowing in between the singing parts.

[11:33 AM] That was an interesting last track. Practicing holding vowel shapes is good work for singers. I believe her goal in alternating an /ng/ sound is to help move the air and sound forward for each of the vowels.

[11:33 AM] Still, with the first half of the Deva album the range is pretty limited. I need some more exercising for my voice so I'm going to move onto the Ken Burton album @J recommended.

[11:34 AM] I feel like my breathing is ready to go so I'm starting with "Loose the Jaw"

[11:36 AM] Whew! That was FUN!

/@J/ Yeah!

[11:39 AM] Start a Sound exercise is about onset

[11:45 AM] Open Up the Voice is also FUN!!

[11:45 AM] challenging but it felt really good

[11:52 AM] The track Stretch the Range is fantastic and Classically focused.

/@J/ I loved that.

[11:54 AM] Arpeggiate is Classically focused and also great!

[11:55 AM] More about Ken Burton https://www.kenburton.com/about

[11:57 AM] Phew! That was just what I needed! I've got to wrap it up and head to a lesson, but I hope everybody had as good of a time as I did this morning.

/@J/ Yes!

[11:59 AM] Final note on the Ken Burton album - I really, really like the backing music. It made the whole thing just a blast to do. I kept thinking "Gee, this feels like I'm in an exercise class at the YMCA!" and then I looked at the album cover and he calls himself a "personal trainer." It's a perfect description. So glad we got to explore it together today!

[11:59 AM] Thanks for letting us know about it, @J!

Discord Office Hours Nov. 7: warm-up suggestions

[11:00 AM] Welcome, singers!

[11:02 AM] We'll jump into things and if a question arises type it out

[11:02 AM] Today I'm thinking about the roles that vocal exercises have in my life as a singer

[11:03 AM] Often we think of exercises as a means to an end and that end is usually some version of "making my voice stronger/louder/more something"

[11:04 AM] As though the exercises are only a thing that serves our dreams and desires for a future moment

[11:04 AM] And, don't get me wrong, they are that too.

[11:05 AM] But, given that this past week was, well, totally brain exploding and anxiety inducing, I found that my vocal exercises were grounding and ritualistic

[11:06 AM] I was better, overall, about doing vocal exercises than I have been in a month and I think it made the week much easier to manage.

[11:06 AM] So, today, let's do some singing without any expectations or agendas attached. Let's see what happens when we sing along just to be in the present moment of doing it.

I'm going to do some tracks from my website:

Exercises — Molly Zackary Music

[11:07 AM] We'll work with the "Basic Warm-Ups" folder. "Bari-tenor" refers to low voices, or all the baritones and tenors, while "Sopr-alto" refers to all the sopranos and altos of the world.

[11:08 AM] Let's start with track #2. I'm going to start out with a lip trill and alternate with an /ooooo/ vowel. Have fun!

[@J] I'm grateful that you told me how to breathe slowly through the nose to fill up my lungs in between.

[11:10 AM] I love how exercises give me an opportunity to pay attention to how my body is moving in that moment. I close my eyes and "watch" my breathing while thinking about the cycle of muscles releasing and then activating. It feels good to notice this about my own body.

[11:12 AM] Yeah - paying attention to the pacing is also part of the grounding practice @J

[11:13 AM] Let's look at track #4 together. It's the major triad. Try some different vowels. Think about how your tongue and jaw are moving in coordination and serving you through a wide range of motions.

[11:17 AM] Let's try some intention setting through vocal exercises. Cuz, why not?

[11:17 AM] Track #4 has 5 different pitches so it works really well with any phrase that has 5 syllables. I thought of "I have happy feet".

[11:18 AM] If you think of any intention setting phrases that have 5 syllables drop them into the conversation

[11:18 AM] Because sopr-alto voices need to do some serious vowel modification as we go higher I'm only going to sing the words about halfway through the track. I'll stop at about 1 minute.

[@J] I like peach ice cream

[11:18 AM] Lol, I love that @jeanette! b/c who doesn't love all things peach - especially CO peaches!

[@A] I'm not even going to tell you what my five syllables are.

[11:21 AM] lol! you may fill in your intentions as you desire @Audrey :)

[11:21 AM] I started singing "I am full of love."

[11:22 AM] In the vast majority of my singing education vocal exercises have been benign and somewhat removed. For example, in k-12 choir the exercises are something to get over and done with so you can move onto the more important work.

[11:23 AM] But singing is the most personal of all instruments. Our voice is a deep reflection of ourselves and when we sing we are exposing our most intimate selves with the world. It is vulnerable and critical to the human experience.

[11:24 AM] So, when we merge our exercising with our intentions of both sharing our human-ness with the world and also with who we see ourselves, the exercising itself becomes the important work.

[11:24 AM] anyways, i think I'll have my students sing "I am full of love" all next week

[11:25 AM] Let's try track 8 - the 5 note walk down. This track starts high and descends as the track progresses. Start with any mouth position that triggers a release muscularly

[11:26 AM] This could be a lip trill, an /ah/ or even a /ya/ as though you are about to yawn.

[@J] I just remembered that I should sing the exercises softly.

[11:27 AM] @J - did I tell you to do that? I don't remember, lol

[@J] I recall you saying that during the Swallow Hill workshop on voice maintenance.

[11:27 AM] @J Generally I like to use the word "gently" to coach singers for certain exercises or specific functions. Gently can result in softness or quietness, and sometimes not so much.

[@J] Ah, that was it.

[11:29 AM] For example, I'm a pretty loud singer regardless so if I artificially try to make my voice quiet during an exercise I can actually make more problems for myself. But, thinking about approaching and exercise like track #8 gently I'm thinking more intentionally about not having tension.

[11:30 AM] I'm going to do track #9 next. Usually I like to do this one on an /ah/ but you do you.

[11:34 AM] Sometimes with singing adjectives can make a big difference. It can go back to our theme du jour - that of setting intentionality, being present in the moment, and allowing our bodies to merge with our instruments in a grounding practice.

[11:35 AM] I hadn't thought of it this way until just now but perhaps the act of being intentional is what is most effective in eliminating tension.

[11:35 AM] And tension is the worst thing we can bring to singing.

[11:35 AM] I'm going to share a new link to some exercises. [EDITED: I’ve removed the link for this blog post b/c I recommend you buy the book!]

[11:36 AM]They're from a book by Judy Niemack that's for jazz singers, but seriously, these vocal exercises are my FAVES! I still do them frequently, even after 7 years since I purchased the book. {EDITED: Here’s the link to the book: https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Blues-Judy-Niemack-Hear/dp/1458412032/ref=asc_df_1458412032/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312057344057&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17469369624315232206&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028749&hvtargid=pla-459929905621&psc=1]

[@J} I like these! Very jazzy.

[11:39 AM] I like track #2. It's sort of like track #8 on my website but with a little jazzy swing.

[11:39 AM] These exercises invite swaying, tapping, snapping, and any other organic movement your body wants to incorporate.

[11:39 AM] track #6 is really hard but super fun!

[@J] Love it!

[11:40 AM] it doesn't matttter if you fuck it up. go with the flow!

[11:42 AM] My absolute fave is track #7. Give it a try and keep your body moving freely while you do it. Find a rhythm in your limbs. Swing, sway and pulse.

[@J] So pretty!

[11:44 AM] this exercise works well with the lip trill too

[11:46 AM] Going back to memories I have of standard vocal education - I remember that in choir experiences, even those from when I was an adult, the expectation was to stand and deliver, so to speak.

[11:48 AM] Good posture sometimes resulted in a rigid frame. And my attempts to avoid locking my knees sometimes caused me stress and anxiety. I would start thinking "Am I doing this right?" while also trying not to draw attention to myself while in the large ensemble.

[11:48 AM] Oftentimes at home I like to put on vocal tracks and sit on my zafu cushion. Here is an example of one: https://www.yogadirect.com/Round-Cotton-Zafu-Meditation-Cushion_p_1120.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAqJn9BRB0EiwAJ1SztT9pUe6o5iu4jg2g0mGAxU1aUT8o_svtUQStPwDA2P8N9IXQ94dB4hoC_vwQAvD_BwE#

[11:49 AM] These pillows open up your hips and provide firm support. That way I can sit and still have an open frame that is conducive to healthy, free singing.

[11:49 AM] They work well on the ground and in a chair.

[11:52 AM] Let's do a couple more exercises. I'm going to go back to the exercises on my website and do track #11 - the sliding perfect 5th. Do a lip trill, sing through a straw or stick to a vowel. While we do this one let's stretch.

[11:52 AM] Any stretch at all! Arms, calves, back, hang upside down, try it all!

[11:54 AM] Again, we are filled with images of vocal exercises being done in rigid positions but that doesn't need to be true in all circumstances. Incorporating movement into our exercises can help free our body and ready it for the day's activities - both singing related and non-singing related.

[11:57 AM] Our goal today is to let go of expectations for the warm-ups. So, when we stretch while singing our sound changes and may or may not be "pretty". But, our goal isn't to achieve aesthetic standards of beauty today. Our goal is to be open, free and in the moment with our voice.

[11:58 AM] So, for the last exercise I'm going to return to track #4 on my website. This time I'll sing "I am alive here."

[11:58 AM] This is to affirm myself and the work I've done today

[12:00 PM] I hope you feel affirmed, encouraged, grounded and ready to move through the rest of your day. Feel free to revisit any of these tactics/strategies in your future warm-up sessions!

[12:00 PM] with love, cheers!

Statement on Black Lives Matter and Ensuring Safe Spaces in My Teaching Studio

Dearest Singers,

We have entered a stage of great and audible grief as a society.  This grief is old and storied.  Now, we as a world are standing up and speaking out against racism.  

As an independent voice teacher I believe it is important for me to ensure that my teaching space is safe for singers to enter.  I work hard to make sure that students feel supported and encouraged in their musical journeys and that is not separate from my work to become an anti-racist.  I want to make it clear that students from diverse backgrounds are safe in my teaching studio.

Black Lives Matter.  In our work together we are often singing/playing music that comes from the African diaspora. (Check out this podcast as one resource for this.) Black Music Matters. I commit to honoring the stories and legacies bound in these songs and the struggle for freedom.  To my BIPoC students, I see you and I am holding space for you to be safe.

Happy Pride Month!  In my studio gender is fluid.  I commit to respecting and honoring the stories and legacies of the LGBT struggle for freedom. The LGBT liberation movement in the US was begun by black, trans women like Marsha P. Johnson. (Read more here.)  To my LGBT students, I see you and I am holding space for you to be safe.

Bigotry, racism and discrimination will never have a place in my studio.  

There are many forms of oppression at play in our society.  In this moment we have been granted a gift.  We have an opportunity to recognize these structures and expose them.  I believe that each one of us is given a voice to use.  My role is to help you maintain a healthy voice so that it doesn’t break when you need it most.  My job is to aid you in finding the strongest, most confident application of your voice in the way you feel called to use it.

Grief is a powerful force and not one to eschew.  Rather, in this time I hope that music can provide solace.  I am here to be of service to you in however you connect with using your beautiful, rightful voice.  Let’s sing and breathe deeply together.

In love and solidarity,

Molly