Voice + Songwriting Lessons

The place for singers + songwriters in Kalamazoo!

Formally known as “Tiny Voice Box,” the voice studio at Kalamazoo Music School is a nurturing environment with lots of opportunity for students ages 9 and up, beginners through advanced, with interests all across the board!

Why take voice lessons?

Be your absolute best. You'll never know how good you could sound unless you train with a great teacher. Voice lessons teach you to sing properly and help you to consistently sound great. Even professional singers continue to train with voice teachers.

Avoid fatigue, strain, and injury. Learning proper technique for a strong and healthy voice is the best way to prevent problems. Issues of tightness and diminished range are common with untrained singers. If left uncorrected, singers can damage their voices and develop more serious conditions, such as vocal nodules.

Build your confidence. As you train your voice, it will begin to come under your command. You will start to know what it can do and do those things consistently - whether that's reaching certain notes or having a particular sound come out. The nervousness you may feel singing around others will fade as you gain skills.

Get results faster. Taking voice lessons will create quick improvement with dedicated practice compared to learning to sing on your own. No matter what journey you're taking, you'll always get their sooner with someone who knows the way.

Invest in yourself. Lessons are an investment in the whole package of who you are and their value extends beyond vocal skills into the realm of your relationship with your self. Whether you have big, professional career goals or you simply want to sound better singing in the car - your voice is worth developing and protecting with healthy, strong technique.

So, you want to sing? Come sing with us!

WE FOCUS ON SINGERS…

Singers are a unique bunch! We are proud to focus on the art of singing and performing. From special events catering to singers, or making sure our students know about local auditions for musicals, or networking with our professional colleagues to help you achieve your goals, to finding opportunities for our vocalists to perform in public, we are always helping our students with their next step. Private voice lessons, performance opportunities, audition preparation, coaching, songwriting, and working weekly with bands and/or accompanists are some of the things we offer.

WE’VE GOT A LARGE, VERSATILE TEACHING FACULTY.

With 6 voice teachers on faculty, all with university training and/or professional performance experience, we are confident that we have the right teacher to meet your music lesson needs. Our teachers are dedicated to learning about your personal musical goals and helping you to achieve them. In addition to their teaching credentials, our teachers are warm, are extremely friendly and dedicated to teaching you the style of music that you want to learn in your music lesson. They understand the complexity and nuance of what it means to be a singer - both technically and psychologically.

OUR LESSONS COVER MANY GENRES AND ARE FRESH AND ENGAGING.

So much of vocal technique is steeped in a rich history of classical music and opera and that's all very wonderful and important! But, you don't HAVE to sing classical music or be boxed in to a regimented path at Kalamazoo Music School. Whether you want to study classically or work on more modern techniques and repertoire, we approach each lesson from what you actually want to sing. We offer Classical/Opera, Musical Theatre, Jazz/Blues, Pop/Folk/Singer-Songwriter, Gospel/R&B, and more.

LEARNING PIANO, GUITAR, or ukulele ALONGSIDE VOICE IS SIMPLE TO SET UP

Singers who play an instrument are just that much better at singing! We offer combination lessons where you can learn the basics of piano and/or guitar with your voice teacher, or if you prefer, you can take a separate lesson with a guitar or piano instructor at our location.

Private Voice Lessons

in-person or online/virtual

• take 39 weekly private lessons (in 30, 45, or 60 min sessions) in our September to June School-Year Session; plus an optional 8 week Summer Session (you can also enroll mid-year)

• perform in 3 stage concerts (w/ professionally recorded video) in December, March, and June

• stay focused + track progress in your dedicated practice binder

• access rewards, prizes + encouragement all year long through our KMS Practice Challenge

• get your professional photo taken at our annual photo shoot in April

A typical lesson begins with stretching/alignment and vocal warmups followed by vocal exercises selected specifically to train and balance your voice. We will generally apply the technique training portion to repertoire which is selected together. Aspects of theory and musicianship are covered throughout.

what about younger singers

Some times your six, seven, or eight year old is a singer! They know it. You know it. It’s never too early to learn basic, healthy singing technique, so we will take younger singers on a case-by-case basis. We test them for readiness and these lessons focus on the basics of singing (versus in-depth techniques), lots of songs/repertoire, musicianship skills and performing. Starting them early is a wonderful way to protect them from learning incorrectly on their own - which happens a lot from children mimicking pop singers on the radio - and then they can transition to in-depth skills later on in their development.

Songwriting Lessons

We LOVE songwriters at KMS and want to nurture as many as possible! We offer songwriting/arranging sessions to songwriters who need to learn basic composition and/or who want to flesh out their ideas as well as lessons in voice and guitar, voice and ukulele, or voice and piano so all areas of development can be addressed. Please note: lessons that cover both need to be 45 minutes at minimum.

What do you learn in voice lessons?

The answer is that it depends on the student. Our teachers make it a priority to get to know you on a personal level and to become familiar with your personal musical needs and goals. We do NOT treat every student the same in terms of what and how we teach. A ten-year-old having their first voice lesson will have very different needs than a sixty-year-old taking up voice for the second time after having sung in their younger days. The main reason to choose Kalamazoo Music School as your voice studio is that we are sensitive to the fact that every student is an individual. If you enroll here for lessons, we will work with you to make a plan that will fit your needs and musical preferences. At the first lesson, your teacher will ask you about your favorite type of music and set goals to help accomplish whatever musical aspirations you have for yourself or your child.

How qualified are your voice teachers?

Our teachers have received their education from prestigious institutions such as Manhattan School of Music, Eastern Michigan University, and of course Western Michigan University. Many of our vocal instructors have performed as soloists or as part of elite ensembles like WMU's Gold Company and have over 25 years of professional performance and teaching experience combined. In addition to their teaching credentials, our teachers have warm personalities, are extremely friendly, and strive to get to know each student (and their parent, if younger) on a personal level.

Meet some of our voice students:

Reviews from our voice students:

“Our son showed interest in vocal lessons and we are SO glad we found Kalamazoo Music School!! The have helped him find “his voice” both literally and figuratively as a person, bringing confidence to his everyday life. He LOVES his lessons. We, as parents, love the level of professionalism combined with a family focused atmosphere. They excel at communication which is KEY to success in all relationships both business and personal. We have been so pleased that soon our son will transition his piano lessons to one of their staff as well. Five stars all around!!!” - Angela Van Poppel

“Kalamazoo Music School is absolutely the best!!! My daughter began voice lessons with Liz (who we love) and has made so much improvement! She loves the lessons and looks forward to her sessions every week, which is saying something! Benje and Ashley are wonderful and always on top of things, offering extra curricular activities and have handled Covid with understanding and grace. We couldn’t be more pleased with our experience and would recommend them for all of your musical interests. Keep up the good work KMS!!!” - Meredith Hutton

“My son has been taking voice lessons with Kalamazoo Music School for over a year now. We had to move to virtual lessons soon after he started due to Covid, but really appreciated the seamlessness of the lessons. He truly enjoys his lessons, and also enjoys connecting with his teacher about their other mutual interests. His singing ability had grown so much! We also love that they can fit us in whenever he has an important audition that requires singing. KMS blends professionalism with making you feel like family.” - Sarah Avink

“Our daughter has been studying voice and more recently, Piano, with Kalamazoo Music School for a few years now. We have always been impressed with the quality of the instructors and the fact that they always make us feel like we are part of the KMS Family. Benje & Ashley have always done everything possible to accommodate our needs, especially when the pandemic hit. They transitioned our kiddo flawlessly to virtual lessons. It has been a bright spot in our week during quarantine. We will spend many more years with them.” - Jessi Gates

“A place to be challenged, expand your abilities, and to push past your comfort zone to get to the next level!!” - Tami Santini

or…