LESSONS & CONSULTATIONS

 

Darlene Koldenhoven will be happy to assist you with these Educational Services listed below. Darlene has taught thousands of voices from the pitch challenged to major stars and everyone in between. Accelerated learning techniques are used and taught throughout the study. Students may experience positive changes and developments from the very first lesson. You may choose to learn any or all of these areas listed below which may be blended into each lesson as the situation or need arises. Darlene offers Consultation Services and her Private or Group Lessons with a flexible schedule to meet your needs. Ms. Koldenhoven also lectures and conducts master classes, workshops & concerts nationwide.


Location: All private lessons, group classes, and consultations are held in her beautiful guest house/recording studio in Studio City, CA

Private Lessons: Fees are on an hourly or half-hourly basis, twice a month on alternating Wednesdays, day or evening hours. Darlene will also accomodate her schedule if you wish to study weekly or several times per week. First lesson is a one hour lesson as there a lot to cover. After that, you may decide on continuing the hourly or go to half hour or forty-five minute lessons.

Group Classes: Meet weekly on Tuesday evenings, are one hour for $29 purchased as a non-refundable semester package. Kids age 7-11; Teens age 12-18, Adults age 19+. If you have never been a part of Darlene's group classes or private lessons before, a one hour private lesson is required for beginners prior to starting the classes.


Consultations: Half Hour and Hourly sessions by phone or Skype.

Children's Instruction and Services:

  • Singing techniques, solo and group singing, music brain builders and much more . . .
  • The Young Vocal Artists of Los Angeles, a semi-professional children’s choir conducted by Darlene Koldenhoven. Meets once a week for an hour and covers vocal technique, sight-singing and ear-training. This groups works in the recording studios.
  • Music Readiness for infants and toddlers

Policies and Procedures: A credit card to reserve your lesson time will be required over the phone. You may pay with cash, check or credit card at the time of the lesson. In case you need to cancel a lesson, you must do so 48 hours in advance or we will send you an email that we have charged your card for the missed lesson. If you have to change your time on the day of your lesson, you may come at another time if there is an opening.

Vocal Studio Pictures

MORE PRIVATE LESSON INFORMATION

First Lesson Basics: Ms. Koldenhoven will evaluate your talent and skills and help you determine what it will take to achieve your goals. Then a regimine of vocal exercises to help you meet your goals will be experienced.

Lesson Description: During the first lesson, Darlene would like to hear you sing something, casually, just to see how you move your voice around. Then she will show you how to get the most out of your voice with the least amount of effort, using a variety of personally designed exercises. One of the many things she will cover are how to easily blend the registers of the voice, balance resonance, and increase range and power by using simple changes in the way you use your breath. These exercises are designed to keep you from harming the delicate laryngeal function or heal previously damaged vocalis musculature. Songs are then introduced to show you how to apply the various techniques.


Recording Your Lesson: For the student's benefit, practice, and review, recording your lesson is highly encouraged. You may bring your smart phone with voice memo, iPhone, iPad, iPod, or iPod Nano or other recording device. For the older versions of the iPod and Nano, Darlene have a recording adapter.

Vocal Technique

  • Shared coordination vocal technique (building singing muscles) Breath management Learning to listen to not only your accompanyment but how you are making the sound with your mouth, pharynx, and soft palette and laryngeal positions. Care and maintenence of your vocal instrument-voice, body, mind, agility, flexibility, versatility Increased range, stamina, power, control
  • Techniques are a combination of Speech Level Singing, Bel Canto, and Darlene's personal proven techniques.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTION AVAILABLE

  • Basic & Advanced Ear-Training or Pitch Training (see also Tune Your Voice)
  • Melody Rhythm Harmony in accompaniment
  • Harmonizing with others
  • Vocal Styles Phrasing
  • Finding the center of the pitch
  • Finding your note and when to come in
  • Rote singing
  • Sight singing & Reading music
  • Structure or arrangement of the music
  • Intervals & Chords
  • Group vs Solo singing
  • Basic Piano for singers
  • Mic techniques
  • Mental preparation
  • Career development
  • And much more . . .

Performance

  • Preparing for the audition or performance
  • Choosing repertoire for auditions, competitions, demo tapes, concerts, shows
  • Learning, stylizing, and polishing a song
  • Writing your own charts
  • Songwriting and arranging
  • Conducting and leading a group
  • Emoting a song
  • Improvising Scat-singing & Other "Licks"
  • Making the music come alive & captivating your audience
  • Preparing you and your songs for studio recording
  • Techniques to:

        -boost confidence levels
        -memorize easier
        -mentally and physically prepare for the event
        -read and sight-sing faster
        -expand your listening awareness further with ease
        -get over fears and stage frights
        -motivation


Marketing yourself as a singer

  • Image Preparing for the stage, road tour, audition Staging and Movement Preparing for studio recording Strategies for finding work Preparing your career Goal setting Building rapport Preparing the vocal demo for record companies, studio work, stage work Targeting your audience About Unions
  • Research
  • Darlene will produce your vocal demo. Based on your completed vocal or videodemo, she will assist you in finding more choices and strategies for you to market your talent.