Jeannie Gagné is Associate Professor of Voice at Berklee College of Music, Boston, where she has been teaching for a dozen years. She continues to teach in her private studio in the Boston area. Jeannie travels around the country as  a visiting artist and clinician, giving weekend workshops and concerts.

With over twenty years experience teaching voice, and with a graduate degree in vocal performance, anatomy and health (M.A. Lesley University), Jeannie Gagné has developed into a rare, highly skilled teacher who can help singers at all levels bring out the best in their own unique voices. "My goal as a teacher is simple: To help each person who wishes to sing be the very best they can be, in whatever style of music is calling them. I want to help make each person's unique qualities really shine."

Click here to sign up for voice lessons with Jeannie Gagné, either in the Boston area or via PayPal for Skype.

Jeannie Gagné has no fixed formula for this work. Her method is to listen, to observe, and to nurture. Every person is complex, and brings a complex mix of physical attributes, passion for singing, and even fear and tension, into the voice studio.

**NEW! "YOUR SINGING VOICE,"Jeannie Gagné's new comprehensive book on contemporary vocal technique.

"The voice comprises the most complicated muscle group in the entire body, using more of the cerebral cortex than any other part of the body. Because it's so complex, in a lesson you can't just say, 'change this, change that.' What I do suggest is that in order to get the result you want—and we talk about what that might be—students should try different approaches with my guidance. I'll say, 'This way might be more effective,' rather than, 'What you're doing is wrong.' I believe that if you simply tell someone that what they're doing is wrong, it makes the body tense. A tense body has a harder time singing, and that's counterproductive.

"Singing is about 80 percent mental. You can't see the voice, and the muscles are involuntary. You have to use your imagination. You can consciously change your hand position on a guitar, but you can't just change your breathing. You can't feel it happening. Much of learning voice technique is by trial and error until the body gains new muscle memory that gets the desired result. I will also work with students on what's going on in their minds; it can become a very personal process. Understanding your breathing is key, and so is learning to become very athletic about singing, very aerobic. Good voice technique combines an understanding of what's going on in your body and also being really aware of your mental process.

"I'm fortunate that my own voice is extremely versatile and flexible, so I can help students with many different styles. For instance, I get students who've had classical technique but who really don't want to sing classical music. So they come in trying to sing a Bonnie Raitt tune when they were trained on arias. These styles are apples and oranges, though the body is of course the same. Since I can do both, I can help the student bridge the gap, so they can sing all styles in a healthy way.

"My hope is that the students will open their vistas to new music and sounds, because the learning process never ends. What we're doing here is getting people started and encouraging them to realize we're constantly developing."

Choral: Jeannie Gagné's expertise is teaching choirs (and choir directors) to work authentically in contemporary styles. her strong classical training helps her forge a bridge between traditional choral approaches, and healthy contemporary singing that sounds great, too. Formerly the Music Director, First Unitarian Universalist Society, Middleboro MA, Director, Music for Worship at General Assembly 2005, with Pres. William Sinkford; Co-Director, GA Choir with Jason Shelton, 2005; workshop leader nationally, eg 2/2007 "Contemporary Music for Worship," San Diego hosted by UUA. She has directed, written for, and sung in choirs since 1978.

â–ºPast Tips of the Day

Don't forget to warm up your voice! Start out easy. Even doing so for just 15 minutes before you sing a song, makes a difference in your vocal health. It's all tiny muscles in there! [February 2012]

It's cold outside! [January 2012]
Be sure to keep your neck covered when you go outside in cold weather.
You need to keep your voice flexible, and like any muscle, that means keeping it warm. If you exercise outside, be careful of taking in very cold breaths of air without a scarf or similar.

As recent #musician injuries & deaths would proclaim...take good care of yourselves! Stop sometimes, try quiet, _breathe_. You know the rest. Just say "yes." [January 2012]