Teacher

When I was 13, I told my mom that choir was my favorite thing at school. No matter how bad a day I was having, singing always put me in a good mood.

Years later, I was in the middle of a summer season at the Ohio Light Opera when my undergraduate singing teacher called me up and offered me a job to teach at the college.

"You should take this job,” he replied. “It'll be good experience, and I'll be right down the hall if you need help.”

So, I began teaching my first students, but, in reality, those students taught me. I felt a new duty, passed on to me by all my teachers, to help others find joy and growth in singing. Since that year, 2004, I have never stopped teaching singing.

I love singing so much that I studied it at three different universities. I hold an undergraduate degree in music from Middle Tennessee State University, a master's degree from the Eastman School of Music, and a doctorate in music from Indiana University. Yes, you can actually get a doctorate in singing.

I live in New York with my wife and son, where I teach in-person and online singing lessons. I'm also the editor and founder of Uncaged Bird, a website providing evidence-based information to beginning singers.

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As your singing teacher, I will:

• Create a respectful, receptive space in which you will feel safe enough to be vulnerable, to meet your growing edge, to fall down and get up again.

• Meet you where you are, as the unique individual you are.

• Remember that what works for one student may not work for you.

• Give you the benefit of the doubt, assuming that if you could sing exactly the way you want to, or do exactly what I'm asking you to do, you would.

• Know the limits of my capabilities and refer to you another expert if that is what is best for you.

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I have trained with Jeannette LoVetri in Somatic Voicework™. The key tenets to this approach are:

• Vocal freedom

• Vocal health

• Doing no harm

Somatic Voicework™ seeks to have two or more octaves, evenly produced, with undistorted vowels, without direct manipulation of any structures in the throat, with a range of volume from quiet to loud on most pitches. The low voice should respond with a solid chest register, the middle with mix, and the high with head or falsetto. This should be easy, freely done and moderately loud.

If you're interested in having an introductory singing lesson with me, just send me an email at oliver@oliverhenderson.info or call or text me at (929) 264-7464, and we’ll schedule a time for an initial phone conversation. This is absolutely free.