What is your greatest passion or joy as a singer, voice teacher, or vocal professional?
My greatest joy as a voice teacher is always that moment when a student surprises themself by doing something they didn’t know they were capable of and it being easy! That smile or giggle that results brings my heart such joy. Lately, I’ve become especially passionate about teaching singing to dancers using familiar dance vocabulary and technique to help them find their voices and boost their confidence when singing. Singing and dancing pedagogy is always taught separately and usually with very conflicting pedagogies, so I’m working to change that with VocalMotion - training that gives performers the tools to find synergy between their singing and dancing techniques so they can more healthily and efficiently execute challenging song and dance routines.
What excites me as a performer is my ability to elevate text through song in such a way that the listener is moved emotionally. And “moved emotionally” doesn’t mean I just want to make people cry - it can also mean helping people experience feelings of great joy!
Tell us the latest news about you, your studio, and your work!
This passion for moving others through song is part of the reason I renamed and rebranded my teaching studio to Moving Vocals Performance Studio. The “moving” is three-fold referring to 1) moving people emotionally, 2) the ability to move/dance while singing, and 3) moving my students toward their goals whether personal or professional.
What is an interesting or funny fact about you?
Every September I participate in the Great Cycle Challenge which raises money for research that helps fight cancer in children, and to turn the fundraising into FUNdraising, I sing while I bike around NYC. My bigger donors even get to make song requests which results in me singing a wide range of genres! It’s silly fun for a good cause that also keeps my body and my voice in shape! You can check out the videos on my fundraising Instagram page @singingcyclistnyc!
What led you to the NYVC Voice Teacher Training & Certification Program?
After a number of years performing professionally, I knew I wanted to try teaching but never had the time. Then the pandemic happened and I suddenly had what I now lovingly refer to as “the gift of time.” I knew that “just because you can do doesn’t mean you can teach” and I think that is absolutely true, so I wanted to make sure I did some proper training as a teacher.
What was your experience in the NYVC Voice Teacher Training & Certification Program?
When performing opportunities came to a screeching halt, the Teacher Training program gave me purpose and structure to my days. But more than that, it opened my eyes to the world of teaching, and unleashed my passion for sharing the joy of singing with others in a new way which I’ve been enjoying immensely for the past 3 and a half years.
What advice would you give to future participants of the Program?
The listening homework is so important! Don’t skip it! I learned to listen to singers in a whole new way and how to thoroughly process, understand, and describe the sounds I hear - a must when communicating the ins-and-outs of singing to my students!
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an artist, teacher, or vocal professional?
I think one of the biggest challenges for myself and artists in general is constantly facing the unknown. Gig life is hard. You can be on top of the world one day and feel like you’re back at square one the next. Resilience is a quality I think both performers and teachers need. As a performer, you’re constantly seeking out the next gig. As a teacher, especially when first starting out, you’re seeking out new clients to build your studio. Self-promotion is hard and so is imposter syndrome, but I think the resilience and go-getter mentality that has served me as a performer has also served me in building my performance studio.
What was your greatest victory ever as an artist, teacher, or vocal professional?
When asked about my greatest victory ever, the easy answer is to say booking Broadway since I just made my Broadway debut. However, while that was incredibly exciting to achieve after working professionally for ten years, I don’t think that’s really my greatest victory. After all, booking a job is so out of our control. I did work very hard and I know I deserved that opportunity, but I also know a lot of other incredibly talented, hard-working, deserving performers who haven’t gotten that call yet. I believe my greatest victory is that I persevered through 10 years of pavement-pounding NYC audition life and many, many no’s for every yes to get to Broadway. And that I’m still going.
What is one piece of advice that you would love all singers to know?
In the words of Sierra Boggess who I just had the privilege of understudying, “You are Enough.” Trying to be someone else or “what they’re looking for” will never present the most truthful, authentic, believable YOU. Learn who you are outside of your singing voice or performance career if you sing professionally because, not only will you be a more full and happy human, but it is that knowledge that will inform what and how and where and when you want to sing and what stories you will most enjoy sharing with others.
What is something you've learned on your journey that you would love other vocal professionals to know?
Don’t skip your vocal warm-up! Even when what you’re singing or working on isn’t super challenging, you should always do your vocal warm-up. Not only is it good for your vocal health, but it will also keep you in shape for when that opportunity to do more challenging pieces arises.
How can we find out more about you and your work?
Teaching Website: http://MovingVocals.com
Performance Website: http://KayleenSeidl.com
Instagram: @movingvocals @kayleenseidl @singingcyclistnyc
