Logo for Dr. Shannon Coates with phrase "Voice & The Art of Teaching"
Logo for Dr. Shannon Coates with phrase "Voice & The Art of Teaching"
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Child Voice 101
& Adolescent Voice 101

Voice Ped for Real Life

The Vocal Instrument 101 LIVE creator, Dr. Shannon Coates, wearing teal-framed glasses, a grey shirt with wing arms, and black pants, strikes a jaunty pose with her arms crossed in front of her body. She smiles widely at the camera.

Child Voice 101 Class &  Adolescent Voice 101 Class

25th – 26th July

Classes Sold Out

Classes Sold Out - be the first to know when they’re back - join the #voicepedrev(olution) mailing list!

HERE’S THE THING:

You’re a voice teacher (or coach, or classroom educator, or choral director … GAH! You get the picture; you’re someone who works with young singers!) who finds themselves working with a population that no one ever prepared you to work with (And, quite frankly, a population that you may even have been told might be harmed by taking voice lessons.) And it’s been a HOT SECOND since you were the age of that population so it’s not like you remember what it feels like to learn to sing pre & during puberty and can just draw on your own personal experience to inform your teaching, right?

WHICH IS WHY I CAME UP WITH THE: Child Voice 101 & Adolescent Voice 101 Classes TWOFER:

  • one two-hour lecture about the anatomy & physiology of the child (age 5-9) voice, followed by a 30-minute Q&A
  • one two-hour lecture about the anatomy & physiology of the adolescent (age 10-adult) voice, followed by a 30-minute Q&A
  • delivered live over zoom
  • downloadable workbooks included
  • recordings available for 21 days
  • $250
Classes Sold Out - be the first to know when they’re back - join the #voicepedrev(olution) mailing list!

two, 2-hour classes addressing the concerns specific to training the child voice & adolescent voice … developed BY an Independent Voice Teacher FOR Independent Voice Teachers

Classes Sold Out - be the first to know when they’re back - join the #voicepedrev(olution) mailing list!
Image of a steampunk heart with gears inside. This icon is part of the Dr. Shannon Coates brand.

"Every single time I do a course with Shannon or learn anything from her, I love how I can immediately put to work what I have been taught. I quickly see exciting results in my growth as a teacher, and in the growth and capabilities of my singing students. You are missing out if you have not taken a course from her yet."

Rebecca Gulbranson, Voice Teacher

"Dr. Coates was such a dynamic presenter with lots of helpful information for our participants. It was especially interesting to me to discover what is reasonable to expect from young voices and why (from a physiological point of view) which will help me to select appropriate choral repertoire for my choristers."

Jennifer Tung, Conductor

"I just finished watching the Child's Voice Class. AMAZING. I love taking the opportunity to learn as an independent business owner, to continue to educate myself. I have a private studio in with mostly 8-25 year olds, from beginners to University level training. Understanding the why for the parameters of their instruments helps! "

Kimberley Markarian, Voice Teacher

Child Voice classes by Dr. Shannon Coates.

Tuesday, 25th July 12:00-2:30 et

(2-hour class + 30 min Q&A)

CHILD VOICE 101 CLASS

with SHANNON COATES

Ya’ know what?

Since the advent of Reality Talent TV Shows, independent teachers have seen younger and younger singers come through their studio. And the old myths around teaching children to sing are being busted one by one:

  • Children ‘hurt their voices’ if they start singing before puberty (ummm … tell that to every human being who -WAIT FOR IT- sings before puberty. because: have you NOT NOTICED that children sing ALL THE GOSH-DARNED TIME? And that maybe, JUST MAYBE, it might be a good thing for them to be guided along their singing journey by a PROFESSIONAL WHO CARES ABOUT THEM BEING ABLE TO SING FOR A LONG TIME?)
  • Children should have a grounding in piano and choir before taking voice lessons so that we’re not ‘wasting our time’ in the voice studio (ummm … DO YOU NOT THINK THAT A FABULOUS VOICE TEACHER WHO WORKS WITH CHILDREN CANNOT INCORPORATE MUSICIANSHIP INTO THEIR VOICE LESSONS?)

Hooo boy. I better stop it before this entire page devolves into me just yelling away into the void.

So. All THAT to say: now that we’re working with more and more younger and younger singers in the voice studio? Let’s be sure we understand the anatomy and physiology of the child voice so we can adjust our expectations around vocal growth accordingly AND let’s get even better about structuring voice lessons around child development so their learning is both deep AND fun.

Adolescent Voice 101 class introduction has Dr. Shannon Coates smiling.

Wednesday, 26th July 12:00-2:30 et

(2-hour class + 30 min Q&A)

ADOLESCENT VOICE 101 CLASS

with SHANNON COATES

Ya’ know what?

The prevailing -ahem- wisdom used to be that people should wait until after puberty to take voice lessons. And that, until puberty, they should take piano lessons and join a choir. And, that people might injure themselves if they DID take voice lessons before or during puberty.

In fact?

I’ve even read about voice teachers who said that people should wait until they were SIXTEEN YEARS OLD to take voice lessons.

Which: whaaaat? If we independent voice teachers only worked with people who were sixteen or older? Some of us would drop our studio population by 75%. #amiright?

So, if you’ve got a studio full of people who are under sixteen years old (or you wanna’ have one), this is a class where you can get the anatomy & physiology info you need to understand exactly what’s going on in those pubertal bodies so you can work with them even more efficiently than you already do. And with no fear of injury.

NOTE: this class will NOT help you to understand the adolescent mind. In no way can I help with that. In fact, if you figure that out? Maybe write a book about it or something. I would buy that book in a heartbeat. #justsayin

The Child Voice 101 & Adolescent Voice 101 Classes TWOFER is for you if:

  • you hold a western-classical degree (or two, or three) in voice or vocal performance
  • you enforce a strict “no belting before [insert age]” rule in your studio or classroom
  • you were prevented from taking voice lessons because you were too young
  • you were made to sing in choir and/or take piano lessons when all you wanted was to take singing lessons
  • you choose not to work with child singers because children can damage their voices if they take lessons too young
  • the estrogen-influenced pubertal change scares the heck outtaya
  • you choose not to work with changing voices because adolescents run the risk of damaging their voices if they sing through the onset of puberty
  • you took voice lessons at a young age but you weren’t allowed to sing the music that you wanted to sing
    you work with child and/or youth choirs
  • the testosterone-influenced pubertal change scares the heck outtaya
  • you are a primary or secondary school classroom music teacher
  • your work with child singers focusses more on developing musicianship skills than on developing singing coordination (and on SINGING)
  • you direct child and/or young singers in theatre classes, schools, camps, or companies
  • you teach children how to sing properly so they won’t damage their voice

The Child Voice 101 & Adolescent Voice 101 Classes TWOFER is NOT for you if:

  • you choose not to work with child singers because you just don’t wanna BUT you refer children to other great teachers who DO wanna, and/or
  • you choose not to work with adolescent singers because you just don’t wanna BUT you refer adolescents to other great teachers who DO wanna
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