Revels Adult Skills Series: Techniques for Vocal Singing
Revels Adult Skills Series

*Due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, this program is being postponed for a later date. Please check back soon for updates on rescheduling.*

Revels is continuing its Adult Education Skill Series with vocal techniques. Designed for beginning through intermediate singers or for those singers that need a refresher course, this four-week series will be presented in the style of “group voice lessons” led by local Persian-American Soprano, Vanessa Naghdi. Students can enroll in all four classes or enroll a la carte. This is the perfect opportunity to prepare for the upcoming season of the Revels Singers or any other upcoming vocal opportunities.

These 75-minute participatory presentations are held Thursday evenings, in-person at the Revels offices. Each of the four available presentations is $20 and can be purchased a la carte or in bulk for $70.

To register for all four presentations, please click the “Register for All Sessions” button. To register for classes individually, please click on the corresponding buttons below. Please note: if you are registering for 2-3 classes, you will have to register for each session individually. 

Dates TBD – More information coming soon!
Thursday Evenings from 7:30 – 8:45pm

AGES: 18+ / IN-PERSON Only*

$20 per class
$70 for all 4 classes

*In many ways, group voice lessons are only beneficial for the student if classes are held in person. Because of the ongoing challenges with COVID-19, each student enrolled must show proof of vaccination and agree to on-site testing. Classes will be performed in a room with an air purifying system along with social distancing measures. Voice lessons often require the teacher to observe students’ oropharynx, so for an optimum learning experience, masks are optional. Please be advised that the Board of Health has voted to rescind its Indoor Mask Mandate that was implemented on August 25, effective October 21, 2021. Watertown is now at moderate risk in Middlesex County. However, if positive cases begin to rise this will be reevaluated by the Watertown Board of Health.

Fundamentals of Breathing

Proper breathing is the first step to making the best vocal sound in solo or ensemble singing. This class will focus on breathing techniques, posture, and alignment in the body to help achieve the most natural sound from each singer.

Vocal Placement

Everyone’s voice is flexible enough to make all sorts of beautiful (and intentionally terrifying) sounds – that is largely due to vocal placement or where to focus the sound in the body. In this class, we will discuss and practice vocal placement – identifying three registers in which to sing:  mixed voice, chest, and head voices while also discovering the “mask.”

Unify Vowels

When singing in any language, singers will notice that emphasis is usually on vowels. For singers, vowels are the major vehicle to singing the intended pitches. The difference in sound between singing (or saying) “sum” and “sAHm” is noticeable when trying to pronounce the word some. In this class, we will work on vowel placement, matching our vowels, and guiding our vowels to the same space for unity of sound.

Musicality

There are many vocal techniques that a singer can do to create the nuances for a specific style of music – that includes language, diphthongs, etc. We will learn about bringing the music alive in this class, focusing on text, diction, musical notations, style, and singing different colors.

Teaching Artist
Vanessa Naghdi

Vocal Teacher

Learn More
Vanessa Naghdi

An active performer and voice teacher, Vanessa Naghdi teaches students based on her astute assessment of their vocal needs. Her vocal teaching technique starts with a strong foundation, focusing on breath, projection, pitch, musicality, and helping each student find their best vocal quality, all of which is then applied to singing any genre of their choosing. She uses this technique as a stable base for singing classical, musical theatre/Broadway, jazz/American standards, pop, rock, country, and any other kind of music. Ms. Naghdi holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University. She was recently an Artist in Residence with Opera Colorado. While in Denver, she reprised her role of Nannetta in Falstaff under the baton of Maestro Ari Pelto. She created the role of Mrs. Soep and covered Ina Soep in the world premiere of the opera Steal a Pencil for Me, with music by Gerald Cohen and libretto by Deborah Brevoort. Ms. Naghdi also performed the roles of Adina in The Elixir of Love and Clorinda in Cinderella (touring productions) and covered the role of Musetta in La bohème with the company. Listen and learn more about Vanessa Naghdi.

Rave Reviews

The lecturer was absolutely fantastic! He got people to talk, and the “class guide” packet he made for each class was amazing too, and an unexpected bonus!

It was a wildly fun experience!

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