Jan Horvath Voice Studio

Introduction: I LOVE helping people find their authentic voice! I am a veteran of 5 Broadway shows including the original company of "The Phantom of the Opera" where I played both Christine and Carlotta. I have sung and teach ALL STYLES of music. I taught for 6 years at NYU Tisch and have had my own private vocal studio for 20+ years in NYC! I love teaching students of all ages and all levels of vocal experience. I am also a songwriter and have recorded albums of my original songs. I love passing on my knowledge to the next generation of artists! Here is my TEACHING PHILOSOPHY: I believe that if you are human, you can learn how to sing! In our daily lives we make all of the sounds that are necessary for singing. Once a student learns to how to elongate those familiar "communicative" sounds on the breath and in the pitch & rhythm patterns that their song requires, their singing voice becomes a rich and colorful extension of their own speaking voice. The sound is uniquely their own - not some imitative distortion. I believe that this authentic singing voice is what moves the audience and gives them goose bumps! Here is my strategy: I begin by first assessing each student's individual learning style (visual, aural, conceptual etc.) and then crafting a "game plan" to best suit their thinking patterns. My method is based on science, anatomy and classical vocal pedagogy, but often times it might feel more like an improv class! We take sounds from real life -Moaning,Whining, Shouting, Hooting, Flirting etc. - and then relate where those sounds naturally occur in the various registers of the singing voice. I encourage students to think of using different "sound recipes." By varying the ingredients of breath pressure, vocal chord "weight", inner space, front/back resonances, and physical engagement of the entire body, students learn to make a variety of stylistic sound qualities. They can adjust these sound recipes to suit each song style - country twang, pop mix, musical theater belt, operatic legit etc. I also help students learn how to articulate without gripping and to identify healthy vocal choices which will enable them to endure the rigors of a demanding performance schedule. I use recording equipment to help students hear how they sound "outside of their heads". Having good quality "on the spot playback" accelerates the learning process because students learn how to listen and correct themselves - much like how a dancer makes use of the mirror. And it's so much fun! Many students then enjoy making demo recordings of their new improved sound!