In my experience as a teacher, pushing is rarely a problem of effort, but of coordination. When something in our body isn’t working efficiently, we compensate. Many times, that compensation means pushing. When a student says a note feels “stuck” or “pushed,” these are some of the things we look at together...

There’s a debate happening right now in the voice world. On one side, the traditional view: If you study classical technique, you can sing anything. On the other, a growing reaction: You don’t need classical training at all to sing contemporary styles. And if I’m honest… I don’t fully agree with either. I fall somewhere in between.

About once or twice a year, I find myself in a familiar place: doubting myself as an artist. I start to feel like I’m not good enough. Like I’ve been pretending. Almost every time, the trigger is the same. I’ve been looking too closely at other artists—artists who are doing something entirely different from me—and measuring myself against them anyway. Different styles. Different voice types. Different artistic aims. And in the comparison, I lose sight of who I actually am. What I forget,...