1:1 Coaching Sessions
Unlearn the habits that keep you stuck & unleash the full potential of your singing voice through play based training
“…The voice is unique because it is an integral part of us - an instrument of our total being - and its improvement leads us to an expansion of personal qualities. The singing experience provides a richer and more sensitive feeling for life itself.”
- Roy A. Schuessler
What’s in a Lesson?
Depending on your personal aims, here are some of the topics that may be covered in a lesson:
Habits of Excellence (soothing the nervous system, mindfulness/training focus, constructive self-talk)
Vocal Health & Conditioning (taking care of your instrument, warming up/cooling down the voice, strengthening, agility)
Singing Foundations (body alignment, breathing for singing, primal sound making, tuning to the pitch)
Optimising Resonance (vowel modification, changing vocal timbre)
Registration (increasing range, blending registers or highlighting them for effect)
Phonation (onsets/offsets, changing vocal quality)
Articulation (efficient coordination of articulators for constriction release)
Dynamics & Musical Expression (changing vocal volume, legato, staccato, marcato, riffs & runs)
Basic Musicianship (scales, rhythm & phrasing)
Styling & Aesthetic (making vocal choices based on genre)
Authenticity (emotional connection to repertoire, finding your own interpretation)
Performance (microphone skills, stage presence and managing anxiety, building performable repertoire, addressing any inefficient vocal habits based on current repertoire & creating new sustainable habits)
Session Prices
$90
A 60 minute Session for those seeking a regular creative check-in, nervous system reset and vocal workout.
$170
A 2 hour Session for those who want to deep-dive into singing practice, creative play, songwriting and/or music theory.
For additional information about these sessions please fill out the form on the contact page of this website, or call Madison by clicking the link below.
What Informs my Method?
It’s my personal mission to see each one of my clients empowered into their own creative autonomy. I’m not interested in training you toward a certain aesthetic, I’m interested in developing your sound. I’m interested in coaching you through the habits that keep you stuck, following the threads of your interests and offering up strategies for integrating your artistic influences so that they can shine in your voice.
I achieve this by:
Sharing tools of self-observation, enquiry and reflection that I’ve learnt throughout my own singing journey;
Giving you space to play - play allows us to explore the subtleties of our instrument and brings the mind, body and voice into a more cohesive conversation.
Exposing you to new scales, songs or singing styles that challenge you to stretch a little further than you thought you could.
Empowering you with insight into how your instrument functions, as well as some practical applications of this knowledge, to enhance your body awareness and motor skills.
My methods are informed by two decades of practical experience and are influenced by my interests in various psycho-somatic practices which bridge the mind-body connection, such as Meditation, Yoga and Qigong. My ongoing study and application of voice technique in the studio draws largely upon the research and methods presented by Thurman & Welch (‘Body-Mind Voice’), Clifton Ware, Jeremy Fisher & Dr. Gillyanne Kayes.
Teaching Frameworks
The voice is not a linear instrument. Everything influences everything else, thus, we may work in certain realms of vocal technique and artistry, but always acknowledge the voice as a whole.
“Psychophysically, artful singing is the dynamic act of coordinating instantaneously the sensations of respiration (the will to breathe), phonation (the will to utter sound), resonation (the will to form a particular vowel position), and articulation (the will to communicate by forming both vowel and consonant) into a disciplined and expressive utterance.”
- Dr. D.R. Appelman
INTENTION
How do you intend to move your listener? What do you want the listener to feel or do in response to your performance?
INTERPRETATION
What is your personal interpretation of the lyric or theme presented in the song? How does it connect to your own story? Create meaning as a way of executing the song with conviction.
CONTEXT
Are you aware of/sensitive to the cultural and historical contexts that this piece of music is embedded within and/or derived from? What is informing your aesthetic choices?
IMPROVISATION
Can you respond appropriately to the musical context and/or your fellow musicians? What melodic, dynamic, tonal or rhythmic variations are available to you?
REFLECTION
Is the way that you perceive your performance and what you believe about it conducive to your continued growth?
TRUST & SURRENDER
Are you available to the moment? Have you integrated these concepts enough to be able to trust your intuition and surrender your ego in service to the music and the listener?
Work by my Clients
FAQs
Who are these Sessions for?
My teaching focus aims to develop balance within the instrument, in other words: healthy-functioning and efficiently produced voices that are flexible across a variety of contemporary music styles, namely Pop, Folk, Soul, Blues, Jazz, Gospel and Country.
My clients generally have an interest in performance and songwriting, are working toward a performance or recording goal, or are simply dedicating themselves to a creative discipline as a way of moving through personal blocks and unlocking their personal potential.
I do not train students in Classical, Opera or Musical Theatre disciplines.
I do not prepare students for AMEB National Exams.
I work with anyone at a Beginner, Intermediate or Professional level. If you’re hungry to learn and dedicated to putting in the work, I’m here to help you take your voice to the next level.
I possess an active Working With Children Blue Card and am currently taking clients from the age of 12 and above.
How often should I have Lessons?
Lesson length and frequency are dependant on each individuals training needs, skill level and age.
We will discuss the length and frequency of your lesson in our initial consultation.
Where will my Lesson be held?
Lesson location will be discussed in your initial consultation.
Terms & Conditions
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Lesson Scheduling and Payment:
New or Casual Lessons
1. New or casual appointments must be paid for in advance of the scheduled lesson time. If you have enquired via email or phone, you will be invoiced upon the agreement of your lesson time. If your lesson is not paid 24hours prior to the scheduled booking time, the allocated lesson time will not be held for you.
Ongoing Lessons
2. All recurring weekly and fortnightly lessons will be billed in advance of the lesson bookings in 4 week billing cycles. You will have the option to pay this invoice via credit / debit card, bank transfer, or have the full amount of the invoice auto-debited from your account. No funds can be auto-debited unless your pre-authorisation approval is provided.
3. If you prefer to pay for your recurring lessons in instalments, you will be provided with the option to split your 4 week billing cycle invoice into a weekly or fortnightly payment plan which will be deducted via direct-debit. No funds can be auto-debited unless your pre-authorisation approval is provided.
Lesson Cancellations:
4. Please note that refunds can not be provided. If you are unable to make your appointment, 24hours written notice is required via email or text message. If 24 hours written notice is given, an alternative lesson time will be scheduled for you within 7 days of the original booking. If you are unable to make the new suggested lesson time, a make-up lesson credit will be allocated to you to be redeemed within 30 days of the original booking.
5. If no prior notice or less than 24 hours notice of absence is provided, you are still liable to pay the full amount for your scheduled lesson and no make-up lesson will be scheduled for you. Teacher discretion may be enacted in exceptional circumstances.
6. If the teacher needs to cancel a lesson, 24 hours written notice will be provided and an alternative lesson time scheduled for you within 7 days of the original booking. If you are unable to make the new suggested lesson time, a make-up lesson credit will be allocated to you to be redeemed within 30 days of the original booking.
7. If the teacher needs to cancel a lesson and less than 24 hours written notice is provided to you, you will be allocated 1 free make-up lesson in addition to the make-up lesson outlined in clause 6 of this agreement.
Tardiness:
8. If you are late to your scheduled lesson, your lesson will still finish at its designated end time and no make-up time will be allocated to you.
9. If the teacher is running late to your lesson, you will still be provided your full lesson time.
Planned Holidays:
10. As I cater to both adult and school aged clients, I do not operate to the QLD school term. If you are planning to take a break from lessons during the designated school holiday times sufficient written notice is required so that your 4 week billing cycle amount can be adjusted to reflect the time you will be away.
Terminations:
11. If you wish to discontinue your lessons entirely, you will be required to provide at least 7 days notice and complete any remaining scheduled lessons in the current billing period.