Jeff Caldwell - New York

Jeff Caldwell was the go to Music Director here in Seattle....Until he abandoned us-- Oh - I mean made a career choice and moved to New York.

Seriously...He is amazing and Seattle misses him. For those of you thinking of going to New York or already there -Let's talk about Jeff.

Recording: Yes, he does encourage it - I don't know if you bring your own or if he provides a machine. I suspect you should bring a device.

Gender: Well he is a boy.

Piano Skills: He is amazing. Plays everything, knows everything, sight reads well. He is amazing! Truly and excellent pianist.

Style: Specializes in legit technique, crossover coaching, and actors who sing. Because he regularly plays Broadway auditions he has a great sense of what goes on in the audition room.

Reputation vs. Isolationist: In my eh hem..Youth..I had a hard time hearing my register in comparison to boy registers. Jeff encouraged me to seek out a female teacher. At the same time he also taught me how to listen to his register and figure out where mine was in relationship to his. I did both. Yeah - Jeff and I go WAY back! So, I believe in seeing both genders - but as I said before - personal choice!

Location: New York based. best way to reach him - email! tomjeff1115@hotmail.com

Prices: New York prices are much higher than ours. Jeff's are really reasonable for NYC. $80.00 plus room rental but - he does negotiate-sliding scale. Ask.

I love this man. I still use some of the imagery he taught me after 20 years. The oblong Christmas Tree Ornament is still a fave! If you are NY - look him up!

Ann Evans Zavada

There are a lot of teachers out there. I mentioned that I would be highlighting several over the next week. All of the voice teachers I will be talking about are ones I have worked with in some capacity. Either as a fellow teacher, fellow actor, or as a student. Often - all three!


Let us begin


Ann Evans Zavada

Ann has been my primary Musical Theatre, Belt technique teacher and Song Choice go to Gal (yeah - I made that title up) for 7 years. So I have a lot of personal experience as a student with Ann.

Ann is located in North Seattle. Her studio is an offshoot of her home. Spacious but not overly so, comfortable and beautiful.

Ann plays piano. Now, you'll have to ask her how proficient she thinks she is. I think she's pretty decent! Ann plays well enough to accompany me on audition pieces. She plays for lessons. Ann sometimes hires outside accompanist for special events.

Ann has a great little device that allows you to walk out with a CD of your lesson. Bring your own blank CD.

Ann holds cabaret's about once (sometimes twice) a year for her students to perform. A "showcase" of sorts. 


As I mentioned above Ann specializes in Musical Theatre and Belt Technique. Ann teaches you how to Belt safely and when not to belt.   I learned a lot from the way she teaches the Belt technique. I mix when I have the option but if I want to Belt safely I do so because of my work with Ann. She works every piece of music you are preparing to help you navigate those choices and execute them within the song.


Her library and musical knowledge of the cannon is extensive and impressive!


She's not a guru  (but has decent following!) Ann brings in guests on occasion. I have worked with Micheal Lavine and Terrance Mann out of her studio. They were incredible workshops. Check those guys out! Ann has a lot of students - Proffesionals and college bound.


You may contact an via email at annevansz@hotmail.com

What's New Wednesday! Shoshanna Bean

It's the Holidays! Solstice, Hanukka(Chanukah), Kwanzaa, Christmas! New Year around the corner. So there is a PLETHORA of holiday outings and events. What about those college students home for a visit wanting to keep their skills sharp, Professionals looking to keep their skills sharp or those who took vacation in hopes of finding non-traditional events.
Seattle has the answer! I want to highlight one event and pre-promote next week's event.

Shoshanna Bean is coming to Seattle!  (picture from Shoshanna's FB fan page photo credit Matthew Murphy)

She's doing a one day Master Class and Vocal Interpretation of Song . Although the performance slots are full, there are still observation slots available. Click on the Master Class link for more details!

For those of you who don't know - Shoshanna took over for Idina Menzel after she left Wicked and made a lasting mark on the Broadway community. She is originally from Olympia, Washington. A kicking voice and beautiful spirit, this class is going to be amazing! If you have a chance to go - do it! Check out her website- check out her voice - If you don't know who she is you are missing out!

New Voices 10 - The Best of New Voices - is next week's "What's New Wednesday" post - I mention it now because tickets fly!

Voice Teachers

So the next couple of days I will be focusing on Voice Teachers. There are voice teachers, there are audition coaches, there are voice teachers who also coach.
So - Why do you need one?

Did I mention technique? You need it. Period. Singing is a skill and an art. It's also a sport. Vocal calisthenics are part of my voice lessons. You need these amazing exercises that Voice Teachers... teach and guide you through in order to make singing a challenging song look and SOUND easy.

Say - A challenging song like "It's a Privilege to Pee" From Urinetown. It has the range of a goose. Low to very, very high. Maneuvering all that - singing high, low and through your Pissagio - Don't know what that means? A voice teacher does!

Choosing a voice teacher is incredibly personal but here are just a few things to consider.

Recording: Most voice teachers have some sort of recording device to record your lesson. This means you can use those wonderful exercises for years to come. It also means you can evaluate how you sound, how you thought you sounded etc. Most teachers WANT you to record. I believe it's an invaluable part of the process.

Gender: Some men only want to work with men, Women only want women or men only want women or... you get the idea. It's a personal choice.

Piano Skills: Some teachers play piano really well, others hire accompanists. Both are fine.

Style: Do they know the musical theatre cannon? If not that is ok - just know that you will need a coach when you prepare for auditions. Classicaly trained teachers have wonderful technique - but may not know how to teach a musical theatre sound. This is a different sound than classical. However, many of the techniques that keep your voice safe are the same. Some Teachers do both.
Belt  - Make sure the teacher is telling you how to keep your voice safe.
Mix - This is invaluable to get the psaggio. Also has a sound that is very similiar to belting.

Training: What is their background? Their training? Find out.

Reputation vs. Isolationist: Are they a guru? Do they think they are the only one that can help you? If so - Run. Do you know any of their students? What do they have to say about them? Look for that good Reputation.

Location: Close or 50 miles away. May or may not be important to you. Time is money and gas is expensive these days. But if they're worth it...

Prices: In Seattle anywhere from $50.00 - $65.00 is reasonable. If it is more than that -well one of two things. They are REALLY specialized in what they teach and in HIGH demand or they aren't on the up and up. Refer to Rep/Isolationist. Ask around. Check their rep.

"Chemistry...yeah Chemistry" - No matter how good they are - you need to have a click -Proffesional or Personal - hopefully both. BUT - don't go with someone who is not qualified just because you like them.

Throughout the week I will be posting local voice teachers and information about them and how to contact them.