Life of a Student: Emily N
Singing trick #512: Pretend you’re a 500lb Tinkerbell!
–Liz Jackson Hearns
We adore our students and love to get to know them as singers and people who choose to make room for music in their lives. This interview is the first of a series where we will highlight a student and find out more about their experience at The Voice Lab and what they love about singing. We’re excited to tell you all about Emily Neumann this week, a talented singer whose interests are diverse and whose energy is infectious.
Emily is a student of Alexandra Plattos and has been with The Voice Lab for one year. Emily is also a life and business coach in the Chicago metro area and spends her time in singing lessons as a way to expand her vocal skills and have fun. She says she decided to take voice lessons because of her love of singing, and she “wanted to connect with other people who love music as much as I do.” Her voice goals include public performance, “being relaxed while I sing and not constantly judging myself, [and] to have fun singing solo and with other people.”
When asked what kinds of music she studies in her lessons with Alexandra and likes to sing, Emily says, “My lessons focus on opera, which I never thought I would study, but is actually amazing! I also love singing music theater, jazz, and blues.” She says her lessons are divided into warm-ups and each of the pieces in her repertoire, “so I can get comfortable with the notes and style little by little.” She describes her teacher, Alexandra, as “bright, patient, masterful, and kind. Alexandra is always positive when giving feedback and she guides me to create a more full sound that is well supported and comes out freely.”
Amid all the positivity and careful exploration of her music, Emily also enjoys some more creative methods. She says the craziest thing she’s done in a lesson is “pretending I’m a 600lb Tinkerbell singing on a Mountainside in the Swiss Alps.” When asked if this helped her achieve a more free and effortless sound, she says, “Heck ya. It was hilarious, but I think about it all the time now. It totally works.” She says this light-hearted approach is one of her favorite things about lessons. “We have so much fun!”
She shared a recent moment of personal accomplishment with us as well, “[The most exciting part of my lesson is] reaching notes or finally nailing a part of a song that I have been working on for months. This just happened a week or two ago. Alexandra and I both freaked out and had a huge celebration moment afterwards. It was so rewarding and it felt great to finally be able to sing the way I want to sing.”
When asked what advice she would give to those considering lessons, she says “Do it. Seriously. That’s it. If it’s in your heart, you have to let it out. Also, you will learn things about yourself that will help you in other parts of your life too! You’ll learn to be more patient and forgiving of yourself when you make mistakes. You’ll learn to keep going no matter how bad you are at first. You’ll learn how to take up space, have confidence and project your voice.”
We are so excited to watch you learn and grow, Emily, and can’t wait to see you make your operatic debut, whether that’s at a recital, open mic, or an opera house. Your willingness to try new things and perseverance while working toward your voice goals is inspiring and as fun for us as it is for you!
