This business address is private; the map is showing an approximate location.
- Customer travels
Barbara Ryan
- Fairfax Station, VA 22039 (map)
- (703) 426-1450
Credentials (view details)
- DOJ Smart Search verified
- Address verified
- Email verified
- Thumbtack reviewed
- Facebook verified
- Website verified
- Thumbtack Elite member
- Gold member
Singing Lessons
Request a quote
Barbara Ryan • Fairfax Station, VA • $55-58 per hour
- You'll be asked a few quick questions that will help describe your needs.
- You'll be asked to provide your contact information so that Barbara Ryan will be able to get in touch with you.
- You'll have the option to get competing quotes from other qualified service professionals, saving you time and money.
Learn breathing and acoustic placement techniques to preserve and improve your voice for life from a professional singer who has taught for 25 years and performed for 28.
Credits include:
* Vocal Coach for the Maryland Renaissance Festival
* Leader of workshops offered through the Virginia Commission for the Arts Touring Program since 1996
* Broadcast on Voice of America
* Recorded for National Geographic Explorer Special
* Recorded for National Institute of Standards and Technology special
* Lead singer of internationally-touring band, IONA
Reviews
-
October 25, 2011
Barbara has in the space of a few months improved my breath control and expanded my total range. Her relaxed style of teaching coupled with her vast experience and range of teaching techniques as well as her ability to bring you along at your own pace make her an excellent teacher well suited to the professional or amateur.
– Peter
-
October 24, 2011
I am a parent of a one of Barbara's teen students and was always very pleased with the training she gave my daughter and her personal warmth and charm. When my daughter went on to a new teacher to become more performace oriented in her genre one of the first things we were told was that my daughter had clearly had excellent vocal training. If you want a teacher who teaches you how to make the most of your vocal instrument Barbara will not disappoint.
– Barbara
-
October 24, 2011
I studied with Barbara for over a year and she was an amazing teacher. I learned invaluable techniques and tools from her which I will continue to use for as long as I continue singing. The atmosphere of the lessons with her is fun and relaxed, yet at the same time you learn a lot. Compared to all the other voice teachers I've had over the years, she taught me the most and was the greatest help in developing my voice. Other vocal coaches, especially when studying opera, seem to have a tendency to push the voice to a point which can be harmful - Barbara would never do any such thing. I highly recommend her.
– Isabella
-
August 31, 2010
I have been taking voice lessons from Barbara for over a year now. She has helped me improve my control, help my transition points and taught me how to sing at almost any volume level without pain and in several different styles. While I am not a professional singer, I think she can help almost anyone improve the quality of their voice for long term use.
The lessons are also thoroughly enjoyable and I plan on continuing my music education with Bodhran lessons. I highly recommend Barbara as a teacher!– Janine
-
August 30, 2010
When I projected into the future, I decided it would be to my benefit to try to strengthen my voice. Since Barbara is an accomplished singer and a long-time friend, she was my choice. And I chose well. I have learned a great deal from her (as her slightly deranged dog rests at our feet) and her outsized personality insures that the lessons are pure pleasure.
– Patricia
Question and answer
Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.
A. Remedial teaching for those who've misused their instrument, or have never learned how to use it in the first place.
Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A. If you want to understand healthy singing, I'm your woman. I don't teach repertoire and I'm not here just for fun. I don't offer services for young children: the study of singing healthily requires a level of communication and vocal maturity that materializes in the mid-teens.
Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?
A. How do you do what you do? Answer: hard work and loving it.
Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?
A. You need to be serious about singing, have goals that you want to meet.
Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?
A. I trained classically for 10 years with high powered teachers that included Metropolitan Opera singers and students of the late, great Todd Duncan. None of them prepared me for singing day after day, week after week in difficult acoustic environments, and I strained my voice, necessitating a long, silent recovery time. Once I started recording, I learned a great deal about what goes on in the vocal instrument and sat down to completely restructure my approach to singing. The result is my teaching method: an ergonomic understanding of the instrument, with an emphasis on using the body's natural acoustics in conjunction with breathing techniques, relaxation and overall fitness. I'm also a mother and grandmother and have learned how best to draw out my students' strengths and interests.
Q. What do you like most about your job?
A. My students!!! We always become friends because a successful teacher takes the time to learn so much about every one.
Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A. Why do I need training? I don't want to sound like an opera singer.
You need training to sing healthily and as long as you live: as those who follow a healthy regimen live longer, so will you sing longer.
Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?
A. Every student I teach has eureka moments! Each one is different, each one is inspiring: learning how to find the head acoustic is the most exciting! I wish I had a video of every student's face during those epiphanies!
Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?
A. It's hard, physical work that requires physical fitness and stamina.
Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?
A. Singing chose me and I had to go along for the ride.
Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?
A. If you sing professionally, you must either train or be trained. My own singing career and students keep me at my teaching peak.
Q. What are the latest developments in your field? Are there any exciting things coming in the next few years or decade that will change your line of business?
A. Anyone considering a career of performing, from being a singer to a mime, will have to take the influence of technology into consideration. Learn to go with the flow and consider many avenues of education: business skills, marketing, using the mic/sound support available... No matter what, however, taking care of yourself, your instrument, must top your list of priorities.
Q. Describe your most recent project, what it involved, how much it cost, and how long it took.
A. IONA is in the process of recording its 25th anniversary CD. It will take 6 - 8 months and cost around $15,000.
Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?
A. Sing professionally for several years before you teach.
