Julia Faulkner
Voice Studio

About my teaching

I have had several wonderful teachers in my life, and have distilled the best of what they had to offer in my own teaching. In particular, my long association with the legendary Margaret Harshaw was formative.  After an international singing career and over 25 years of teaching, I have amassed a substantial amount of valuable information for singers.

First and foremost I understand the responsibility entrusted to me by each artist walking into my studio. In the first few lessons I learn as much as I can about the singer and begin  to understand their learning style, particular needs,  and the vocabulary of singing that they use.  I try to adapt my language and style to each individual singer’s needs and operate intuitively to guide them on their artistic journey.

I have worked with all voice types and all age levels from 14 to 70 years old. This has given me a lot of great experience in choosing repertoire, developing a voice from the ground up, and dealing with specific vocal issues.  I have helped more than a few singers after vocal surgery, assisting them, in conjunction with prescribed therapies, in correcting technical issues that were impeding their ability to sing. 

There are two aspects of singing on which I particularly concentrate. One is the source of the voice itself, the breath.  Breath management is the single most important aspect of singing, in my opinion, and one that is particularly vulnerable to misinterpretation. I generally find that most people over-support, emphasizing pressure and muscle rather than understanding the way air is used in the voice. To facilitate this understanding, I often use the model of extended speech.  For the most part, most of us phonate all day long using perfectly balanced air, creating a consistent sound with great variation in color and tone and completely under our control.  When we breathe to speak, we use a subtle, internal and buoyant connection to our breath. While singing is of course different from speech in its volume, range and duration, it is still relatable to speech in terms of breath use.  The second aspect of singing that I emphasize is a defining of location and sensation for the core of the sound itself.    I think spatially in the way I conceive of and describe singing. I find that  identifying and refining a concept of the sensation and relative location of the sound is helpful.  I help the singer develop this description based on the singer’s own conceptual style and vocabulary.  In addition to these technical aspects of the act of singing, I emphasize the art of using the voice in service to the character and story being told.  Above all, I emphasize balance in all aspects of singing, not only in the instrument that creates it, but in the life that supports that instrument.