“Anything that keeps you from singing is foolishness, unless it’s laughter.” —L. Frank Baum

Why I teach singing

You weren’t put here on Earth simply to “work a job.” Your life gives you an opportunity to make real connections with your fellow humans. Connections make the world a better place, and nothing binds you to another person more quickly than singing. Your heart literally synchronizes with others when you sing in a group!

I have heard too many of my fellow humans say, “I can’t sing.” Is that you? Maybe someone told you you’re “just not a singer” because you’re a little out of tune.

So, you go to the internet. If you Google "how to sing in tune," you'll get half a million results. Half a million. If you're a beginner singer, that's like being in the middle of a jungle without a map.

But maybe you try some YouTube videos, and sometimes they work a little, but usually you wind up feeling more confused. Maybe you’re like so many people—you’re trying to learn to sing on your own, but you're getting nowhere. You don’t have to do it alone! In fact, singing with people is more fun!

In a world where viral video talent seems to spring from nothing, there is a huge need for a place where beginners can come together and feel welcome and safe and not judged.

Oliver Henderson Voice Studio is dedicated to the beginner, because we recognize that singing is a universal human ability. When you join OHVS, we will work together toward your long-term goals in singing. And, yes, my friend, it will involve singing in front of others! 

Whether you want to impress your current friends at the next karaoke night or find new friends by joining a choir, Oliver Henderson Voice Studio can be the place for these dreams to come true. At OHVS, we hold as our central mantra:

Anyone can sing.

A place to conquer your fears

It’s totally normal to be afraid! Even someone like Barbra Streisand decided to stop public performing after forgetting words to a song.

Nearly everyone experiences performance anxiety. In OHVS, you’ll get teaching that recognizes you as a whole person, not just an “instrument,” because, when you sing, you ARE your instrument. I will be your staunchest ally in your path toward conquering your fears, and you’ll be among people just like you who are taking their first steps towards a life of singing.

The thing is, all humans are musical, but somewhere along the way, you might have begun to believe that you’re tone deaf, or that you can’t sing. Maybe you were joining your first choir when you were 12, and the director told you to “just mouth the words…you’re not a singer.” The adult spoke, so you believed them! The truth is that everyone develops at their own pace, and maybe you just weren’t there yet.

If you’re someone who says, “I can’t sing,” as if it’s a foregone conclusion, I want to prove you wrong! You are welcome in this studio! In OHVS, I will meet you where you are rather than where you ought to be.  

My journey

When I was 13, I told my mom that choir was my favorite thing at school. No matter how bad a day I was having, singing always put me in a good mood. 

Years later, I was in the middle of a summer season at the Ohio Light Opera when my undergraduate singing teacher called me up and offered me a job to teach at the college. 

"You should take this job,” he told me. “It'll be good experience, and I'll be right down the hall if you need help.”

So, I began teaching my first students, but, in reality, those students taught me. I felt a new duty, passed on to me by all my teachers, to help others find joy and growth in singing. Since that year, 2004, I have never stopped teaching singing. 

I love singing so much that I studied it at three different universities. I hold an undergraduate degree in music from Middle Tennessee State University, a master's degree from the Eastman School of Music, and a doctorate in music from Indiana University. Yes, you can actually get a doctorate in singing.  

I live in New York with my wife and son, where I teach in-person and online singing lessons. I'm also the editor and founder of Uncaged Bird, a website providing evidence-based information to beginning singers.

My CV is here.

What I do

As your singing teacher, I will:

• Create a respectful, receptive space in which you will feel safe enough to be vulnerable, to meet your growing edge, to fall down and get up again.

• Meet you where you are, as the unique individual you are.

• Remember that what works for one student may not work for you.

• Give you the benefit of the doubt, assuming that if you could sing exactly the way you want to, or do exactly what I'm asking you to do, you would.

• Know the limits of my capabilities and refer to you another expert if that is what is best for you.

  • These promises are adapted from some I learned from Andrea Wolper, an excellent singing teacher.

I have trained with Jeannette LoVetri in Somatic Voicework™. The key tenets to this approach are:

1. Vocal freedom

2. Vocal health

3. Doing no harm

Somatic Voicework™ seeks to have two or more octaves, evenly produced, with undistorted vowels, without direct manipulation of any structures in the throat, with a range of volume from quiet to loud on most pitches. The low voice should respond with a solid chest register, the middle with mix, and the high with head or falsetto. This should be easy, freely done and moderately loud.

If you're interested in having an introductory singing lesson with me, just send me an email at oliver@oliverhenderson.info or call or text me at (929) 264-7464, and we’ll schedule a time for an initial phone conversation. This is absolutely free.