Introduction: Welcome to JM Voice Studio.
Julian Morris, a NYC-based professional singer and teacher, offers lessons for students ages 12 and up both in-person in New York City, and online to students around the world. Lessons are designed to help singers discover their individual sound, and sing with confidence. Students learn in a supportive, safe environment, and receive guidance on selecting repertoire, developing musicianship skills, and adopting effective practice habits. All musical styles are welcome!
As Your Singing Teacher, I Provide:
-Resources to help you develop healthy vocal technique. I work with my students to build their vocal technique from day one. We are the stewards of our voices, and I believe we should all aim to use them as well as we can.
-A supportive, welcoming learning environment. Singing can be vulnerable, and starting voice lessons can be intimidating! I always make sure my students feel comfortable, seen, and heard. I want this to be a collaborative effort, always.
-Engaging, enjoyable repertoire. Regardless of their goals or skill level, I want voice study to be an enjoyable process for all my students. I work with my students to make sure we can find music that they enjoy working on, that will also help them make true progress towards their goals.
What Happens When We Start Working Together?
-Assess current level and skills. I want to meet every student where they are, whether they are already a working professional singer, or just starting to sing for the first time.
-Determine short-term and long-term goals. There are no right or wrong answers here. Singers take voice lessons for all sorts of different reasons! For some, it is for pure enjoyment, and for others, it is in pursuit of a career in singing or music education.
-Practice vocal exercises to help develop healthy technique. In every lesson, we dedicate time to vocal exercises (or vocalises).
-Select repertoire based on goals. I work with my singers to make sure they are singing repertoire that they enjoy, and that will also be helpful and vocally appropriate for them.
-Seek out appropriate audition and performance opportunities. For some students, this may mean joining a local choir. For others, it may mean auditioning for university music programs or professional performance opportunities. And, for some, seeking out auditions or performance opportunities outside of your voice lessons might not be what you want, and that's okay, too!
Singing Lessons For Adults, Teens, and All Genres
My students range from working professional singers, to teenagers preparing for college auditions, to adult hobbyists, and beyond. Whatever your goals or musical background, voice lessons are a wonderful opportunity to discover your voice, and gain confidence and experience, and of course, improve your singing.
Do You Offer Singing Lessons For Kids?
I work with singers age twelve and up (with an occasional exception). While I absolutely advocate getting your young child involved in music early on, I believe voice lessons are most effective and useful around the age of puberty and beyond. Unlike other instruments, the voice is a part of our body. It needs time to mature before pursuing formal training.
What Styles of Music Do You Teach?
I teach all styles of music. I believe there are more similarities in the way we use our voices across different genres than there are differences. Does that mean a country singer can turn around and learn to sing Opera overnight? No. But, when we have a technical baseline in place and a framework for how to use our voice, then we have choices. And that's a beautiful thing.
What Kinds of Vocal Technique Do You Teach?
Most of my ideas about singing flow from the Bel Canto school, which developed in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. That doesn't mean I want everyone to sing classical music all the time, though! I believe the concepts found in the Bel Canto technique can mostly apply to any style of singing. I sum Bel Canto technique up in three simple words: speech level singing. We should aim to sing much in the same way we speak.
What I offer my students:
-60-minute lessons either weekly or twice monthly, including approximately 30 minutes dedicated to exercises tailored to help develop vocal technique, and 30 minutes dedicated to working on repertoire/songs
-Repertoire selected to help you progress toward your goals
-Access to me outside of lesson time, to ask questions, share progress, and request feedback
Lessons are $120/hr for both in-person lessons and online lessons (via Skype). I request payment at the beginning of the month, and accept payments via zelle, cash, or check.
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I'm Julian, a singer and voice teacher in NYC.
I have been singing in some way or another for most of my life. I joined choir in grade school, and performed in musicals and plays. I excelled as a singer, and eventually started taking voice lessons in high school. It was my voice teacher who encouraged me to pursue singing professionally.
I earned a scholarship to the renowned Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where I gained experience performing a broad range of repertoire as a soloist and ensemble member, and performed principal roles in numerous stage productions. In addition to singing, I also studied music theory, music history, conducting, foreign languages, and music education.
I stayed at Indiana for graduate school, and it was during my time as a graduate student that I started teaching voice as an associate instructor, aiming to share with my students the many valuable lessons I had learned about singing and performing. I have prepared students to successfully audition for university conservatories, stage productions, and choral ensembles. I am a member of the New York Singing Teachers Association and the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
Today, in addition to teaching singing lessons in NYC, I sing professionally at venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Los Angeles Opera, Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, The Barbican in London, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, with many of the country’s most renowned ensembles, including The Clarion Society, The English Concert, Ember Choral Arts, and The Cecilia Chorus, as well as the choirs of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, and First Presbyterian Church in New York City.
