“Music reaches people in a way that nothing else can. Life would be bleak without it. I think singing is one of the purest forms of expression since we are born with the ability.”

Voice teacher and vocal coach, Ruby Stillions, is helping singers find and develop their voice. With her Master of Music degree from the Townsend School of Music and Bachelors of Music from the University of West Florida, she is equipped with the knowledge and ability to bring her students up to new levels in their vocal abilities.

“Unlike a flute or violin our voices are a part of our bodies. Effectively, our entire body is our instrument. This means things like colds or aches and pains could possibly have a greater impact on our instrument. I will say one of the best advantages is not having to carry anything around.”

During the first voice lesson, Ruby will ask you a few questions to get to know you better before you dive into singing:

• What made you interested in taking voice lessons?
• Have you taken voice lessons before?
• What genres of music are you interested in singing?
• Are you willing to branch out and try different styles of music?

“What I love most about teaching is that music means something different to everyone and getting to see all of those perspectives is great.”

Using your passion and desire to sing as a compass, Ruby will guide you through all kinds of songs. The music you learn could range from popular tunes of today, Broadway hits, rock classics, and jazz tunes to the classical stylings of Mozart and German Lieder by Schubert and Schumann.

“It is important for a student to learn vocal exercises. Even without specific songs to sing or a deadline for memorizing a piece of music, the vocal exercises will help warm up and keep one’s voice in shape even when they don’t have performances.”

The typical voice lesson starts with posture and breathing exercises. Without proper posture and breath support, you will discover that it is incredibly difficult to sing. Vocal warm-ups, such as buzzing your lips on pitch and five note scales, will follow. These warm-ups will help extend your range, improve both your breath support and confidence in your voice, and are quite fun! Also, ear training is very important and useful to improve your listening skills. Once your warm-ups are complete, it’s time to work on your repertoire.

Ruby seeks a repertoire that will help a student to grow the most. Students will learn the correct vocal style for songs and look into the character of each piece. After some time of personal practice at home, they may be ready to share their songs with family, friends, and other music lovers.

“What I like most about performing is that I get to tell a story through song and touch the hearts of the audience.”

Come to Studio 237 and let Ruby Stillions help you express your voice through music lessons. Studio 237 is located at 237 Dawson Road, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. For more information or to start lessons call (850) 231-3199.  www.Studio237Music.com

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