HELLO SINGERS,
A singer, voice teacher, vocal producer and enthusiastic guide dedicated to helping you become the singer you most want to be.
The best sound is also the one that feels good physically and emotionally.
I have always understood this on some level and it is why I do what I do. When I was 5yrs old my kindergarten teacher said to my mom “Arden is a very good student, but she has a tendency to hum in class which disturbs her fellow students”. When I think about this now it makes me chuckle because even at such a young age, I knew that singing felt good to me (much to the annoyance of my classmates).
Most of us who have the desire to pursue singing probably have a similar story. The simple truth is that for us, on some deep energetic level, vibrating just feels good, whether we’re conscious of it or not.
It is the reason I work with singers the way that I do and the core belief behind my method. Vocal technique is not optimized in a vacuum. It’s not just about resonance and breath support. Those things are extremely important, and I work my singers hard in those areas, but there is also a mind-body connection that for so many singers, goes ignored and uncultivated. When the mind-body connection is successfully tapped into, it means the difference between good singing and great singing. And I want you to be great!
Singers are just like any other high performance athlete. Our body cannot do what our brain is sabotaging.
Olympic and major league coaches have known this for a long time which is why an elite athlete’s mental game is just as important in their training as their physical game. I work with singers in much the same way. How and what you think about your sound has a direct effect on what your body does to produce that sound. By guiding you through blocks and into awareness, I help you change the way you think about your sound. When you do that, your sound improves. The technique I’m teaching you will hook in more effortlessly and you will reach that beautiful intersection where your singing sounds good and feels good.
CHANGING YOUR THINKING
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CHANGING YOUR SINGING
I remember being a much younger singer when singing felt good, and I remember how over time it became about something else entirely.
I understand what it feels like to be frustrated with your singing.
As I grew up, my passion for singing led me on a path which may sound familiar to many of you. . . . school choirs, school musicals, music camps and private voice lessons. I could not imagine a future that didn’t involve singing, so I earned a Bachelors degree in vocal performance from a serious classical conservatory (Oberlin Conservatory) and then went on to get a Masters degree in voice from an even-more-serious classical music conservatory (Manhattan School Of Music). It was all very serious, and I was very serious about it all because I was going to do what it took to make it. I entered the professional music world taking all this with me and I started to have some success.
Yet somewhere along the road, little by little, without even realizing it, singing slowly stopped feeling good.
Technique had become something to be conquered, my voice had become something to be mastered and controlled, and my sound became something to bend to my will. I couldn’t just sing anymore, there was too much at stake. The further I got into this mindset, the harder it was for my technique to work for me. I’d hit a wall. I felt like this was as good as I was ever going to sound which terrified me because I knew there was another level of singing out there that I just wasn’t able to do on a consistent basis. I knew I had talent, but I was completely stuck. The one thing in this world that gave me the most joy was now the one thing that was causing me the most frustration.
It was during my decade long detour into the pop music world when the light-bulb went off. I didn’t feel stuck singing pop music because my thinking around it was totally different then classical music. I was much more free. It was when I learned how to bring that mindset to singing more technically challenging music that the shift really began to happen.
I realized my technique actually worked better for me the more my thinking shifted. It was around that time that I began what has also been a decade-plus journey of self-actualization work, spiritual learning and meditation practice. Bringing the tools of this work to my singing really changed everything and gave me the courage to let go.
When I no longer felt the need to grip the wheel so tightly to control my voice, I could just sing and my technique was there for me in a deeper more consistent way.
I could finally sing all the repertoire that I couldn’t have touched with a ten foot pole prior and with so much more ease. But it was a lot of trial and error to get to that place. I was alone in making the connections between changing my thinking, learning to trust my body and the technical aspects of singing.
But you are not alone!
Working with me connects the tools of mindful awareness with high level technical training to guide you to experience your own vocal breakthroughs.
You don’t have to be frustrated anymore.
Private Voice Lessons
Gain more understanding of
your singing technique and
uncover your true sound.
The 2 Month Intensive Program
Break through to the next level of singing
in this program of high level technical training
merged with proven mindful practice.
Vocal Producing
Go beyond your limitations
when recording to your most
inspired vocal performance.
My commitment is to bring you the very best of what I’ve learned
. . . and be a gentle, enthusiastic and honest guide to help you reach your own singing goals. You can expect out-of-the box ideas, timeless wisdom, some goofy antics and an unwavering devotion to help you become the singer you want to be.
If you’ve read this far, thank you. I hope this is just the beginning of our journey together. And, I’d love to learn more about you.
The best way to share that and stay connected is to make sure you become a member of my free Virtual Voice Studio.
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PLUS. . . . .
When you join my Virtual Voice Studio you get a fantastic (and free) video training called Be A More Consistent Singer: The ONLY Tool You Really Need as soon as you subscribe.
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Studio Members get motivational emails every once in a while, first dibs on scholarship seats to singing workshops and master-classes and other studio member-only resources I don’t offer anywhere else.
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit.
I’m thrilled you found me and I’m excited for the journey ahead.
Lots of love,
