First time singers
For people who have only ever sung in the car or the shower. Pitch matching, low breathing and one easy song in the first month, with no performing unless you ask for it.
45 minute lessonfrom $58
Voice lessons that start with the breath and end with your song
Open Throat Voice Studio teaches beginners, choir singers and performers in a quiet room with an upright piano. Every lesson moves from breathing and warm ups through one piece of technique to a song you chose, and singers preparing for an exam or an audition get a plan that counts back from the date.
45 minutesthe usual lesson
First notes to auditionsone patient method
Thursday eveningsa pianist for exam work
What happens in 45 minutes
Each lesson follows the same shape, so even nervous beginners know what is coming next. The balance shifts with the singer: more breathing for a first timer, more repertoire for someone with an audition in a month.
| Minutes | What happens | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Settling in, posture and a few slow breaths | Tight shoulders and a pushed jaw squeeze the sound |
| 5 to 15 | Warm ups: lip trills, sirens and gentle scales | The voice wakes up gradually instead of all at once |
| 15 to 25 | One piece of technique, such as resonance or a smoother join between registers | A single idea per lesson is easier to keep |
| 25 to 40 | Your song, a section at a time, with the piano | Technique only counts when it survives a real song |
| 40 to 45 | Practice notes for the week | Ten focused minutes a day beat one long session |
Complete beginners spend longer on the first two rows. Nobody sings alone in front of anyone else until they want to.
Four kinds of singer, four starting points
The method stays the same and the goals change. Say which of these sounds most like you, and the first lesson starts there.
Choir singers
Learning your part faster, blending with the rest of the section and keeping the voice fresh through a long rehearsal or a concert in two halves.
Part learning, 60 minutesfrom $70
Performers and auditions
Stamina for long sets, songs that suit the voice you have now, and audition cuts of sixteen bars that show it at its best.
Block of 3 lessonsfrom $195
Graded singing exams
Set songs, sight singing, aural tests and the scales the syllabus asks for, with the pianist joining the final lessons. Exam boards and grades vary by country.
Term of 10 lessonsfrom $520
Breath and range, built slowly
Most new singers breathe high and fast, lifting the shoulders and running out of air before the phrase ends. Lessons begin with slow, low breaths that let the ribs widen, then turn them into the steady flow of air a long line needs.
Range grows gradually. Nadia notes where your voice sits comfortably on the first day, works on the joins between chest and head voice, and widens the edges a few notes at a time over months, never by pushing for a high note before the voice is ready.
- Your comfortable range written down at the first lesson
- Breathing exercises you can do sitting at a desk
- Songs moved into a key that suits you
- Recordings of your warm ups to practise with
Lesson fees and terms
Book one lesson at a time or a term of ten, paid at the start of the term. The trial fee comes off your first term if you carry on.
Trial lesson
30 minutes,$35
- Breathing and a few warm ups
- Your comfortable range noted
- A first song chosen together
Single lesson
each,$58
- Warm ups, technique and a song
- Practice notes afterwards
- Moved with 24 hours' notice
Term of ten
a term,$520
- Your weekly slot held for you
- One lesson can move per term
- Recordings of your warm ups
Exam or audition block
3 lessons,$195
- Pianist joins the last lesson
- Song cuts and running order
- A mock performance in the studio
Fees are paid directly to the studio. A lesson cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice is charged, unless you are unwell; singing through a heavy cold is never part of the plan.
Looking after the voice between lessons
The voice depends on two small folds of tissue that need water, sleep and rest more than clever tricks. Lessons cover gentle warm ups before singing, cool downs after a long rehearsal and how to notice tiredness before it becomes strain.
Nadia is a singing teacher, not a doctor or a speech therapist. Hoarseness that lasts more than a couple of weeks, pain when singing or a sudden change in the voice is a reason to see a doctor, who can refer you to a voice specialist. Sudden difficulty breathing is a matter for your local emergency number.
- Warm up and cool down routines of five minutes
- Speaking habits that tire singers out
- Lighter lessons in the week of a big concert
- No lesson ever pushes through pain
Songs singers bring through the door
Bring your own songs or work from the studio library. Keys are moved to suit your voice rather than the original recording.
- Musical theatre
- Jazz standards
- Pop ballads
- Soul and gospel
- Folk songs
- Classical art song
- Choir parts
- Hymns and carols
- Songs in Spanish
- Lullabies for new parents
Singers working towards a graded exam choose from the set lists their exam board publishes.
A room with a piano and a tall mirror
Lessons happen in one quiet room: the upright for everyday work, a small grand on Thursdays for exam and audition practice.
Heard after lessons (example reviews)
Came to lessons at fifty two, unable to hold a note without the radio on. A year later the community choir has a new alto who finds her harmony line without help.
The audition block was worth every minute: two songs cut to sixteen bars, a mock run in the studio and honest notes on which one suited the voice better.
Long gigs used to end with a scratchy throat. A cool down routine and less shouting over the band changed that, and the advice to see a doctor about one long hoarse spell was right too.
What new singers want to know
Can someone who feels tone deaf learn to sing?
Very few people truly cannot hear differences in pitch. Most who think they are tone deaf have simply never practised matching a note, and that is exactly where first lessons begin. If matching pitch stays very hard after several weeks, Nadia says so honestly.
Will lessons change the sound of a voice?
Lessons make your own voice steadier, easier and more reliable; they do not swap it for someone else's. Range and stamina usually grow with practice, though how much differs from singer to singer.
How much practice is expected between lessons?
Ten to twenty minutes on most days works better than one long session a week. The practice notes after each lesson list the warm ups and the bars of the song to work on.
What if a cold arrives the day before a lesson?
Send a message and the lesson moves at no charge. If the voice is only a little tired, a quiet lesson on breathing, listening and the words of the song can replace singing out.
Can a choir director book a session for one section?
Yes. Sectionals for up to eight singers run in the studio or at your rehearsal space, priced by the hour. Send the date, the piece and the number of voices.
Which graded exams does the studio prepare for?
The singing exams offered where you live. Exam boards, grades and syllabuses differ by country, so Nadia works from the syllabus you will sit and books the pianist for your final lessons.
Request a trial lesson or a term place
Tell Nadia what you would like to sing, what you are working towards and a day that suits. A reply follows within two days with a confirmed time or the nearest open slot, and lesson fees are paid directly to the studio.
- Trial lessons on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings
- Choir sectionals need two weeks' notice
- No singing alone in front of others until you are ready
Visiting the studio
Lessons take place one floor up, over a picture framer's workshop close to the market square. Ring the buzzer at the side door and come straight up.
Contact Open Throat
First floor studio over a picture framer's workshop, close to the market square
Lesson hours
| Monday to Thursday | 15:00 to 21:00 |
| Thursday pianist | 17:00 to 21:00 |
| Friday | No lessons |
| Saturday | 09:00 to 13:00 |
Running a choir?
Sectionals, warm up sessions before concerts and a talk on caring for voices through a busy season can be booked for choirs and community groups.
Ask about choir sessions