Voice Lessons in Anaheim, CA

Instruments: Voice

What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
Probably the 1st song on my website "Sophisticated Lady" by Duke Ellington, sung at the large theatre of Berklee would be one. Having written 3 books on singing and having them published by Mel Bay, Inc. would be another. Doing solos with the Boston Symphony and recording with them as well as singing solos at Carnegie Hall and Columbia University in New York City would be others. Probably my biggest accomplishment would be teaching Voice at Berklee College of Music, where I learned more than at any previous school!

Have any of your students won awards or been selected for special honors? How have they succeeded?
Yup, several of my students have gone on to become Voice Professors themselves. (I believe they are listed on my website) Charlie Sorrento became a full Professor at Berklee College Marlon Saunders has recorded several albums and appeared as well as sang on a Disney film. One student whom I taught had a huge rock hit with the band Till Tuesday: "Voices Carry." Others have gone on to successful careers in Christian music, both performance, song writing and arranging. Hopefully there are others about whom I don't even know!

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
I'd say the most difficult thing to master would be allotting time to vocalize daily, yet do the reading, physical training and other disciplines that contribute to the totality of an excellent singer. It's the reading and thinking that are the real crux here. Once your thinking is right, the rest just seems to fall in place. So I guess I'd say that maintaining a life balance that is healthy, positive and forward thinking are the answer to the "hardest thing" question. Joyce Lucia, Professor of Voice

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
I begin by some physical activity; perhaps a few abdominal crunches on a Stability Ball and/or cardio. Next, I hum, then sing on a single vowel to attain the focus and range I want. Singing songs on a vowel comes next. I consider all the aforementioned things as warmup (maybe 10 minutes.) I spend the rest of the lesson working on my solos for that week, preparing sheet music; listening to versions of the song I like best, then lastly singing with a background track. Much of the final singing is done through a microphone on the P.A. I keep in my music room. Some times I actually record the singing so I may send copies of songs to various folks.

Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
Yes, I use the ones I wrote while teaching at Berklee. Basically, the books follow the beliefs I have about learning to sing. There are sections on range, vowels and consonants, what to practice, how to document it. There's even a section on diaphragmatic breathing, which, although needn't be known, being able to do it will differentiate your singing from that of someone who DOESN'T know how to do it. I try to use contemporary comparisons, rather than look back to the way folks sang in the 1600's. Makes sense, no?

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