How to Find the Right Voice Teacher in NYC
Choosing a voice teacher is about finding the person who understands your instrument.
Actor and career coach Spencer Glass shares his advice for finding the right voice teacher for your individual instrument, goals, and career. Check back monthly for more actor wisdom from Spencer.
New York City has no shortage of extraordinary voice teachers, which somehow makes finding one even harder. I, myself, have taken SO many impressive voice lessons. The following article has nothing to do with me claiming I know everything about voice and pedagogy. Leave that to the experts. It's simply to help you make decisions around finding the right person for YOU.
Actors hear names in holding rooms, get recommendations from friends, see teachers tagged on Instagram and inevitably start wondering, “am I supposed to be studying with that person too?” Finding a voice teacher shouldn’t be about getting onto the roster of whoever feels hottest at the moment. It should be about finding the person who understands your instrument, your goals and the kind of actor you’re trying to become.
Let's break this down and have a little chat...
WHAT DO YOU NEED RIGHT NOW?
Ask yourself this question: "What does my voice need right now?" Maybe you’re rebuilding after time away, strengthening your mix, preparing for auditions, working through tension, or trying to feel more confident with pop/rock material.
Teachers like Jon Price, Liam Forde, Alexa Green, Jenna Pastuszek, Emily Kristen Morris, Andrew Byrne, Megan McDevitt, and Samantha Joy Pearlman (learn more about all below) are all names worth researching, but different teachers have different strengths and approaches. The goal isn’t to find just any teacher, it’s to find the teacher whose expertise blends with what you currently need.
I'm a coach and own a company where I work with artists, and it would be crazy of me to expect every person who comes to me to feel like I'm the right person for them. Your needs matter, and you deserve to find someone who immediately gets you, or you feel like is willing to figure it out with you.
PAY ATTENTION TO HOW YOU LEARN
Communication matters with a voice teacher. A brilliant teacher can give you brilliant information, but if their language doesn’t translate inside your body, it may not be the right match. I have struggled with this, and it was no one's fault. I just needed to find somebody who understood my brain. Notice whether you leave a lesson understanding what changed, and more importantly, whether you have tools you can do by yourself without the teacher standing beside you (BIG one).
You also shouldn’t feel like every lesson is an audition for your own voice teacher. The room should challenge you, absolutely, but it should also give you enough safety and curiosity to experiment, fail, make strange sounds and actually learn.
LET YOURSELF DATE AROUND
Finding a voice teacher should feel like dating. You want to find that "click". You can become strangely committed to making the first teacher they try “work, and you don’t have to. Ask friends whose voices you admire who they study with, research teachers online, listen to how they talk about technique and take a few intro lessons. You’re not just looking for someone who understands singing. Ideally, you’re finding someone who understands what it means to be an actor who sings professionally.
Recommended New York City Voice Teachers:
Liam Forde Studio: LEARN MORE
Alexa Green Voice: LEARN MORE
Innovative Voice Studio (Jenna Pastuszek): LEARN MORE
Emily Kristen Morris Vocal Studio: LEARN MORE
Meg's Voice Studio: LEARN MORE
Samantha Joy Pearlman Voice Studio: LEARN MORE
Spencer Glass is a career coach for actors, and an actor himself, who has been seen off broadway at New York City Center, across the US on Broadway National Tours, and regionally at theatres around the country. You can book a career session with Spencer at www.Spencerglass.com, and follow for free tips and advice on his TikTok page, @Spencer.Glass, as well as his instagram, @Hispencerglass. His business, Spencer Glass Coaching, has clients working on broadway, national tours, tv & film etc. He has reached artists globally, and when he isn’t on stage/set, he’s guiding others and helping to create sharp and specified roadmaps for his clients’ career. Spencer is a multi-hyphenate who had two shows with BroadwayWorld (It’s The Day Of The Show Y’all & Ten Minute Tidbits), and has interviewed and performed with actors like Sheryl Lee Ralph, Eva Noblezada, Derek Klena, Laura Bell Bundy, Grey Henson, among others.
