“Laura is a great inspiration. To her understanding singing is in connection to body and mind knowledge. She knows music as the vast universe it represents and she is inspired to transmit this knowledge to her students. Her teaching reaches beyond voice development. Working with Laura has helped me discover colours of my voice which were unknown before. I found Laura gentle and challenging at the same time and I am impressed by her dedication and support. Depending on the personal needs of her students, Laura approaches breathing tecniques, singing tecniques and moreover, she understands and practices the art of letting go. She is experienced and her teaching is personalised and organised. The love for her students simply expands her passion and success in teaching singing.”
Student´s feedback and comments
“Despues de toda una vida convencido de que no podia cantar, de que no tenia oido y era desafinado, empeze a tomar clases de canto con Laura.
De manera relajada y divertida, Laura me ayudo a descubrir mi voz, a perder el miedo y a tirar abajo las paredes del “No puedo”.
En los conciertos de estudiantes recibi el “bautismo de fuego” en el escenario y aprender a disfrutar de la adrenalina de cantar en publico, todo en un ambiente seguro, relajado y rodeado de buenas personas y amigos.” (A)
Student´s feedback and comments
“Con Laura aprendí que existen dos cosas fundamentales para cantar: respirar mejor y encontrar un lenguaje propio en la interpretación de una canción. La respiración es un aspecto que puede resultar muy técnico y hasta aburrido, como si fuera un ancla que no te permitiera volar…pero creo que Laura consigue con la diversidad de los ejercicios que plantea, con la ruptura de la costumbre en la propia respiración, que se descubra una capacidad insospechada en uno mismo para alcanzar tonos más altos (que uno no creía que podía alcanzar) o lograr prolongar en el tiempo un tono, una frase..o simplemente experimentar una “liberación” de la voz. Todo esto fue para mí muy gratificante; porque mi principal objetivo al tomar las clases era mejorar mi capacidad de respirar. El segundo aspecto es la interpretación, en la cual radica la posibilidad de apropiarse de una canción, de hacerla tuya. Laura pone también un especial énfasis en que uno encuentre nuevas formas de cantar una canción, para lo cual plantea siempre ejercicios innovadores e interesantes que conducen a pensar en lo que una canción particular nos dice, en por qué nos gusta, en por qué queremos cantarla. Para mí, que he trabajado con canciones folclóricas venezolanas, este trabajo ha significado una aproximación a mi pasado, a mi identidad y ha sido muy hermoso.” (B)
Student´s feedback and comments
“My lessons with Laura were both extremely helpful and a real joy for me. Without pressure I could explore my voice and gain confidence in using it with very gentle but effective exercises that included working with the body, using the imagination, finding new sounds and ways of improvising – never just reproducing but always finding an own way of expressing oneself. In that aspect I felt very free and guided at the same time. The unconventional ways of thinking about and approaching singing, sound, improvisation and music in general really opened doors for me! Talking about ways of singing, music, bands or life performance situations was very important for me to develop a taste, to find out more about myself as a singer and have trust therein. I always had the feeling that I could ask anything, make any mistake and be sure to be heard and get a real empathetic response to what I wanted to do or what problems I had. I sometimes wondered how it was possible for her to hear and understand so well which change was needed to sound better and sing with more ease and enjoyment. When I listened to the others of Laura´s students, I really loved that everyone had their own sound and style and was encouraged by Laura in that, rather than having to sound like someone else. Also the group lessons with other students were marvelous; from sound carpets, fantasy language and imitation to supporting a single singer with the other voices we really learned how to listen and how powerful and lovely it is to sing with others. Another great benefit for me was that Laura could help me to sing some beautiful Brazilian music, which she has also been singing and studying for many years.” (J)
Student´s feedback and comments
“One of the most important things I learnt in my singing classes with Laura is that singing doesn’t only have to to with the mouth – but with your whole body. I learnt that breathing, posture and your personal mood are all connected with your voice and how I can use this knowledge to improve my singing. Laura inspired me to expand not only my jazz repertoire but also to get to know Latin American music. Also, her workshops which she offers regularly were totally inspiring for me to learn more about rhythm, improvisation, singing in groups and find your own, real and unique style!” (L)
First blog post
In the coming months, I hope to start working on my next project: a book!
Some of my students decided to collaborate with this idea and I will post some of their comments and texts here.
