Student Spotlight: Lawrence P

We are lucky to have so many wonderful and amazing students at The Voice Lab. Each and every one brings their own personality and special spice of life to the studio, and Lawrence Peters is no exception. Keep reading to learn more about Lawrence and his vocal journey. You can also pop over to his website to hear some of his music.

Q: Who is your voice teacher and how long have you been taking lessons?

Lawrence: I’ve been taking lessons at The Voice Lab since June of 2018, and I currently study with Margaret. 

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Q: Why did you decide to take voice lessons?

Lawrence: I consider myself to be a baritone/bass, but I’ve had years of singing all out, and as high in my range as possible, in an effort to hear myself over some previous bands that were too loud. That’s gotten me stuck in some vocal bad habits. I came in hoping to strengthen my upper range, but also to get reacquainted with my lower range. 
I’ve been getting more high-profile gigs in the last couple of years, and some nice acknowledgment, and it seemed like a good time to strengthen the stuff that was working, and hopefully find out I was really capable of. 

Q: Did you have any goals in mind when you started taking lessons?

Lawrence: I’ve been working on a new album—my second as a band leader. I wrote all of the songs, most of them upbeat honky tonkers, but a couple of them are pretty tender, and I wanted to honor them all with my best voice. 

Q: Has your voice life taken you toward those goals? Have any new ones popped up along the way?

Lawrence: Definitely. I’m feeling more connected when I sing, and less tight and tense. The higher range is getting easier and clearer, and I’ve gained a few notes at the top of my voice. I was also excited to learn that I have an unusually low range.
As for the new goals, the big one is getting out of the way of my breathing. It’s taking some work, and part of that is making peace with having a big gut that I’ve spent years holding in.

Q: What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in a lesson, what was the goal of doing that weird thing, and did it work?

Lawrence: Ha! Lots of weird stuff in our lessons, and lots of time out of my comfort zone. Singing a song on a raspberry sound is probably the weirdest, and it is really making a difference. 

Q: What are you looking forward to in the coming season or year with your music life?

Lawrence: I’ve got some real cool gigs coming up, but what I’m looking most forward to is having a new album in the world. Some live recordings were made for a compilation, from a recent show my band and I played, and my voice sounded like I remember it when it was at its best.

Q: What would you tell someone who is considering taking voice lessons? 

Lawrence: Do it!