Katherine Werbiansky
Master of Music from Northwestern University
Senior Voice Instructor
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Katherine believes that singing is a beautiful marriage between physicality and the nature of human emotions, and her goal is to help singers equally explore both. Katherine teaches all genres and styles of music for all ages, helping singers develop healthy voice habits that are enhanced by creativity and emotion.
Why do you sing? I was an extremely shy child, but I knew had a voice inside of me screaming to be unleashed. Singing gave me a space to explore and express my feelings when I could not explain myself verbally. I still find that quality to be true as an adult. Why do you teach other people to sing? Singing is the murmuring of the soul. I feel that everyone should have the ability to have a cathartic experience through the power of song. I love guiding singers to discover the space where emotional freedom and technical expertise meet--that, to me, is where art is born. It's amazing to see my students truly create and play in that space and feel great about having found it. How do you describe your lessons? My lessons are all about experimentation, exploration, and playfulness. We will make some crazy sounds together, but I promise they all have a purpose! What is your favorite teaching tool? I love to work with straws and mirrors. Straws are a super easy way to get voices warmed up and aligned. It's a simple tool that students can use at home while doing other tasks. As for mirrors, sometimes singers don't realize what is physically holding them back ( ex. Tight mouth, poor posture, collapsed ribcage) until they sing in a mirror! |
What makes your teaching style unique?
The beautiful thing about singing is that no two voices are alike. My teaching style is all about getting students to find their most authentic sound. This means stripping away any affectations or preconceived notions of what a "good" voice should sound like, and truly embracing their completely unique and one-of-a-kind instrument. (Hence the crazy noises and exercises!) I try my best to meet my students in the space where they have found that balance between emotion and technique, and help them discover everything they can do in that space. What are your favorite teaching moments? When we've done all the technical work and lined up the instrument and then the sound that emerges is pure emotion, it's truly beautiful. The color of my student's voice reflects the color and mood of the music, and it happens naturally and spontaneously. Those moments are blissful for both me and my student. Can you talk about your work with transgender and nonbinary students? I've been working with trans and nonbinary students since 2016. My favorite thing about this work is to see people realize that they’ve built a vocal tool box and have so many choices for how they want to express themselves. I love seeing clients smash open the binary world they’ve been socialized in and choose which parts of vocal expression are important and affirming to them. I'm grateful for how much I’ve learned about the tapestry of my own sound in this work as well. I have access to much deeper, richer resonance it’s given me a whole new place to sing from. |
