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THE MYOFUNCTIONAL SINGER
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"THIS COURSE IS ONE OF THE BEST INVESTMENTS I HAVE MADE!"
- Jill Enders, soprano
BE THE SINGER YOU'RE MEANT TO BE
Does it ever seem like no matter how much progress you make vocally, nothing ever feels easy?
Do you feel like you've been studying FOR YEARS and still feel like you're not where you should be technically?
Do you feel like you sing well, but you have to be SO CAREFUL and LINED UP perfectly for things to go well?
Are things working well enough vocally, but you just *know* you are capable of more?
LOOK AT THE LIST BELOW AND SEE HOW MANY OF THESE THINGS SOUND LIKE YOU....
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Trouble with high notes
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Feelings of constant constriction
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Difficulty with consonants and diction
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Vocal inconsistency
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Constant Vocal Fatigue
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Jaw tension
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Tongue tension
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Passaggio issues
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Neck tension
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Inability to control dynamics
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Compromising between Color OR Function
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Battles with acid reflux & allergies that affect your singing
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Difficulty accessing your lighter mechanism
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Increasing vocal difficulty with age
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Sleep Apnea/Snoring
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Unresolved body tension
If you answered YES to a lot of these, I can pretty much tell you without knowing you, that you have some muscular weakness and/or immobility in your tongue, lips, and/or facial muscles.
(And it is super important to investigate if you have a hidden tongue-tie or lip-tie)
WHY DO I KNOW THIS?
Because I have experienced this journey myself and have overseen dozens of clients with these exact same symptoms (as have Leah, Jessica and Bryce in our Program Staff), ... AND, more importantly, we have seen them build the necessary strength, tools, and function in their tongue and oro-facial muscles that completely changed their singing!
Don't tell yourself B.S. like “I have vocal limits”, "I just don't have a pianissimo high Bflat", “I have a heavier instrument, so my voice is just harder to manage”, “I have never been good at coloratura”, “My high notes just aren't easy” "My best singing is behind me."
INSTEAD, ASK YOURSELF:
What if more was possible?
What if there were actual physical restrictions in my tongue and lips that have gone undetected for years?
What if there were years of chronic misuse and gradual atrophy of important tongue and face musculature that have affected my singing?
JULIA'S TONGUE-TIE RELEASE VLOG
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"But I don't have a tongue-tie! I'm just having technical issues!"While that *may* be true, experience and percentages tells me there is a high probability of an undetected restriction (approx. 70% of people have an undiagnosed restriction). Posterior tongue-tie is an extremely new diagnosis, and is just gaining ground in the medical community at large. The singing world is still far behind, and it is my desire to bring this knowledge AND solutions to singers.
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"But I don't want surgery!"If this is you, I completely understand: it is scary venturing into the unknown. With a lot of clients, I see dramatic vocal results through tongue and facial work alone. Through this course, you will absolutely up-level your singing, and then you can decide more fully if a procedure might be right for you!
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"If I get the surgery, isn't that all I need?"While I highly advocate releasing tongue and lip restrictions through surgery, it will absolutely not magically solve your singing issues. Years of compensatory musculature have been built up. This needs to be deconstructed and redirected through the guidance of sensitive ears and understanding of the unique struggles of those with restrictions. NOW is the time to take ownership of your TECHNIQUE and refine the TOOLS to achieve your vocal goals beyond the voice studio-- creating exhilarating performances, acing auditions, feeling ease and confidence in your instrument at all times. My wish for you is that you can stand facing yourself in the mirror and know that you are not playing small, playing to your limitations, but you are looking for solutions and challenging yourself everyday to become better. I invite you to book a call with me today and discover how we might work together to attain greater EASE, FREEDOM, and MASTERY in your Singing through Myo-Functional Awareness, Mobility, Strength, and Technical Integration in a SAFE, SUPPORTIVE, HIGHLY-INDIVIDUALIZED Group Environment.
WITH THIS PROGRAM, YOU WILL GAIN TOOLS FOR:
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Developing TONGUE STRENGTH & DEXTERITY
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Correct usage of Tongue, Lips, and Facial Muscles for Singing
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POSTURAL ALIGNMENT in support of correct Myo-Function
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EFFORTLESS & EXHILARATING HIGH notes
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Full DYNAMIC CONTROL over your entire range
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Greater EASE and STAMINA in your repertoire
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MAXIMUM RESONANCE & BEAUTY throughout your entire range
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Breathwork that SUSTAINS and ENHANCES the body, mind, and voice
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Addressing REGISTRATIONAL imbalances
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Eliminating excess TONGUE, JAW, and NECK tension
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Overcoming MINDSET blocks that sabotage Technical Mastery
HI, I'M JULIA...
I help singers break through vocal limitations to expand their vocal range, beauty & power. I help them gain autonomy over their vocal process and achieve results they never dreamed were possible through razor-sharp ears and practical vocal tools. I believe within each of us, there is a little voice that knows innately what we are capable of achieving. With this knowledge, it is then our mission to develop our full potential. Through my own personal journey in changing my tongue position, strengthening facial muscles, and gaining dexterity in my oro-facial region, I completely changed the ease and function of my singing. This is a main focus of my work with clients, and I have literally heard voices change before my ears through this work. My clients have performed with companies such as Houston Grand Opera, Salzburger Festspiele, Sarasota Opera, Deutsche Oper, and Chautauqua Opera. Additionally, they have been seen in National Tours of Musicals including Phantom of the Opera and Wicked. They have received many honors including advancements at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition, final selections for NBC's The Voice, Miss America pageants, Classical Singer competitions, and Vocal Scholarships for conservatories and universities. As an opera singer, I have performed with companies such as National Moravian-Silesian Theater, Opera Orlando, Opera Naples, Annapolis Opera, Wichita Grand Opera, Gulfshore Opera, and Tri-Cities Opera. Major roles include Marietta (Die tote Stadt), Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus), Donna Elvira/Anna (Don Giovanni), Violetta (La Traviata), Fiordiligi (Cosí fan tutte), Madama Butterfly, Susannah, and Suor Angelica. I have won a few competitions, including The Jenny Lind Competition, Connecticut Concert Opera Competition, The Marcella Kochanska Sembrich Competition, 2nd prize winner of the Kosciuszko Foundation Competition, 2nd prize winner of National Federation of Music Clubs Biennial Young Artist Awards, 3rd prize winner of the New Jersey State Opera Competition, as well as a grant recipient from CareerBridges Foundation. I currently live in Bratislava, Slovakia with my fiance who is a Slovak conductor, and I miss my dog, Fifi, who is keeping my Mom company in Florida.
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MEET THE TEAM
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Leah Stewart-Hill
VOCAL TECHNICIAN & SOPRANO
Leah has over nine years of experience teaching voice on the collegiate level and has served on the artistic staff of multiple summer music programs. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in Voice Performance from Pensacola Christian College and an M.M. in Voice Performance from James Madison University.
Leah is an active soprano, appearing regularly in both opera and music theater productions. Recent roles include Betsie in Stephen Burke’s The Hiding Place, Angelica in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Mimì in Puccini’s La bohème, Adina in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, Micaela in Bizet’s Carmen, Principal Female Soloist in Jeremy Beck’s Review, Contessa in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Erste Dame in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Young Psyche in Larry Taylor’s Eros and Psyche.
Bryce Lupoli
BREATHWORK FACILITATOR & TENOR
Bryce Lupoli is a tenor, Sheng Zhen Meditation teacher, and teacher of breathing. Bryce has trained under Master Buteyko Instructor Patrick McKeown, founder of the Oxygen Advantage. He has completed the Breatheology Fundamentals Course, created by world record freediver Stig Severinsen. He has completed the Breathwork Intensive Course, created by Our Breath Collective, and he is soon to receive a teacher certification through OBC.
Bryce’s professional work came about because for years he suffered with existential depression and debilitating auto-immune illness, which led him to explore various self-healing traditions. Today, he is very grateful to be healthy and to be teaching the practices that helped him regain a life of joy and vitality
Jessica Luffey
CERTIFIED SPECIALIST IN OROFACIAL MYOLOGY & SOPRANO
Jessica is a soprano who grew up immersed in the dental and medical fields. While pursuing a career as an opera singer, she became fascinated with the connection between a singer’s face-shape and its correlations to specific, predictable technique issues. She is now the only CSOM/Singer professional-combo in the world, and has since used her unique set of skills and insights to bridge new ideas between the art and science worlds.
Jessica holds a CSOM from the Graduate School of Breathing Sciences and a Master of Music from Georgia State University. She has been taught and trained by numerous top-experts in both the dental and body-integration fields across the country.
Chris Kelly
CERTIFIED STRENGTH & CONDITIONING SPECIALIST
Chris Kelly is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA and has completed all the education for systems such as Functional Range Conditioning, Postural Restoration Institute, Bill Hartman’s Intensive and Neurokinetic Therapy.
As the co-owner of the Musical Athlete, a physical preparation and performance company for vocalists, Chris uses biomechanical principles to help vocalists move, breath and perform better while gaining a new understanding of their body. He is passionate about helping singers support the vocal mechanism by training the body and the breathe holistically.
EFT COACH
Jenny is a certified Emotional Freedom Technique Practitioner (EFT or Tapping) for Musicians and Performers. She is also a professional violinist. She helps singers unlock energetic blocks in their mind and body to achieve peak performance both physically and mentally. She believes that to have an inescapable burning desire to succeed as a creative is proof enough that this is your road that must be travelled.
Jenny is also the author of The Music Inside. She is a graduate of Energy Psychology certification, with Dr. Dawson Church's EFT Universe, which deepened her knowledge of the techniques and possibilities of energy healing.
PROGRAM CONTENT
Over 9 hours of content
10 Technique Sessions plus Notes!
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Topics include: Undoing Compensations, Building Strength in Tongue & Lips, Face Posture in Singing, What the Light Mechanism Can Teach You, Reframing the Passaggio, Alignment for Optimal Resonance, and More!
Myo-Function for Singers Workshop
Postural & Alignment Workshop
Breathing Workshop
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Supporting a healthy Mind/Body
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Techniques for Correct Breathing
EFT Tapping Workshop
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Identifying unhelpful thought patterns
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Clearing energy blocks that can remain stuck in our throats and mouths.
WHO IS THIS PROGRAM FOR?
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Singers who have a tongue or lip restriction.
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Professional singers looking to explore new frontiers in their technique
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Advanced singers finding it hard to make that next leap vocally
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Singers who suspect they have a restriction, and want to learn ways to improve.
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Singers who are currently in the stage before/after a tongue/lip-tie release
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Teachers seeking to gain new skills and awareness for their students
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Growth-minded singers and teachers looking to maximize their technique
This program provides massive support for Myo-Functional Development in Singers. We welcome singers at all stages of development and voice classifications. We especially welcome those singers who may be either before/after a tongue/lip-tie release. If you are currently working with a Myo-Functional Therapist, this program will enhance the work you are already doing with them.
This program utilizes a unique Vocal Mentor philosophy in that no person can dictate your truth for you. Vocal discovery is the goal, and the ideas/techniques/tools can absolutely be worked on in the outside world with other teachers and coaches.
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
"I almost gave up trying to start a career as a singer, due to technical issues and the feeling I'm not good enough. I've now realized I'm still very much restricted in my tongue, which causes several technical challenges and that with the right teachers, who understand tongue ties (and had one themselves!) I can train in a way that specifically works for me. This means I've become motivated again to study and I'm much more hopeful a career in singing might be possible for me!"
- Maite De Wit, mezzo
