Ashley C  
Instruments: Voice
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Folk, Country, R&B, Gospel, Musical Theater, Opera, Hip Hop, Showtunes

From the young age of five years old, I begin training in opera. I never understood why my teacher was so passionate about teaching me operatic techniques, but now as an adult, I can appreciate the versatility that learning opera gave me. I went on to be a part of the Rhode Island Children's Chorus, learning from Dr. Christine Noel. Eventually, in my high school years, I became an apprentice with the chorus and began teaching. I have worked with so many professionals in the field and traveled all over the country both learning and teaching voice.

Boiling down one specific method to generalize my technique of teaching is difficult. Each student is so unique and requires different types of teaching and technique to reach their goals. I have some students who are very visual and we use a lot of hand movements to place where their voice needs to be, and I have others who are very technical. Overall, I focus mainly on getting the sound out without strain on the vocal cords and on breathing correctly. If you asked my students, the two words I use the most are "breath" and "mouth shape." I like my students to choose their own music to start with, and then I will slowly start adding repertoire that I believe will help elevate your voice to the next level.