Frequently Asked Questions

Mrs. Owens is a calm, caring and supportive teacher whose main concern is helping you love your voice and all it can do. Additionally, you may want to choose a teacher who has been trained to work with the voice to avoid vocal injury and prolong your singing voice to a healthy, old age. Some college music majors (but not all) take a class called Vocal Pedagogy where they learn how to teach voice specifically and how to safely work with voices. Not only has Mrs. Owens had many years of these classes from undergrad through doctoral levels, but she has now taught vocal pedagogy classes for 15 years. In addition to this, her 23+ years of voice teaching experience has given her the ability to work with most every kind of vocal issue that may arise. Mrs. Owens is also continually adding new training and learning to help her stay current with the voice world and ensure that you are getting training based on current thought and understanding.

Local students (or out of state students who may be near while traveling) have the option to come once a month for an in-person lesson. This allows the best of both worlds - the convenience, ease and benefit of online along with the benefit of real life contact and also the experience of singing with a live accompaniment, which is the one thing that is not possible online. In-person is never required and is up to the student each time.

There is almost no difference between online and in-person lessons with Mrs. Owens, and there are many additional benefits for the students who take lessons online. Because constant piano accompaniment cannot be used as a crutch, students gain vocal independence, self-reliance and courage to sing on their own (though piano help can still be given when needed). Their intonation and aural skills often improve faster than in-person, and they tend to self-correct more often than in-person students. Travel time is completely eliminated, saving both time and gas and allowing a student to attend lessons while their parents are busy or at work, or allowing a lesson time to better fit into their tight schedule. Online lessons can be taken from anywhere - not just from home so if you are on vacation or at school between rehearsals or in study hall, as long as you have internet connectivity and a smart phone, tablet or computer, you can attend your lesson. Some students also feel more comfortable being in their own home which can help take some of the fear away from vocal lessons.

No! You can either take some individual lessons, or Mrs. Owens will set up a session for you with the correct pro-rated cost for the session. Go to the Student Questionairre to get started!

This will depend on your ultimate goals in singing, as well as your current abilities, musical background, self-initiative and practice habits. There is no set time that it can take to learn and improve, and singing can be a lifelong pursuit as long as you choose to improve. Most professional level singers have studied at least two years prior to college and then four years during college. Most continue studying with a teacher while performing regularly to keep up skills and keep from allowing bad habits to set in. Once you begin vocal study, it is recommended that you commit to at least 6 months of regular weekly lessons to experience notable vocal progress (though you will likely notice some sooner!), and this amount can vary if you have a changing voice or vocal issues.

Yes! Tiffany has worked with all levels and abilities. Each lesson is individualized and meets the student where they are, helping them to develop a strong foundation in functional singing and make improvements no matter when they begin.

Owens Vocal Studio currently accepts teens through adults. Tiffany has worked with students as young as 7 years old and up to 60+ years of age in the past.

Sessions are paid in full, in split (two) installments, or in monthly installments and are accepted by cash, check, Zelle (bank-to-bank app) or credit/debit card via Square. There are discounts for paying in full or in split installments.

At Owens Vocal Studio, tuition costs reflect your teacher’s 23+ years of teaching experience, high level of training and education, piano ability, and performance background. In addition to your dedicated time with Tiffany, your private lesson tuition also provides for lesson planning and preparation, song research, music selection and purchase, background track selection and purchase, support in between lessons on Seesaw, studio classes and performances when available, ability to reschedule and swap lessons, video lessons for last minute cancellations, member’s website access and materials, in addition to exclusively reserving your studio slot. Enrolled students may add extra individual lessons (for audition prep, competitions, etc.) at a reduced cost.

Individual lessons are available without session registration at a non-contracted rate as long as there is an opening in the schedule. These lessons will not receive a regular weekly timeslot.

Background tracks will be used for online lessons and will be provided for session students. For local students choosing the monthly in-person option, Tiffany is a skilled pianist so there is no need to pay for a lesson accompanist. (The exception being if you are preparing for an audition or competition and would like the help of working together with your accompanist.) If, however, you are interested in bringing an accompanist, just ask.

Help Tiffany get to know your musical background and your interests by filling out the Prospective Student Questionnaire. She will reply via email with a studio policy for you to review and a link to schedule your complimentary 20 minute Zoom call to get to know each other more and make sure you are a good fit for each other.

Tiffany will ask further questions to get to know more about your singing and your goals and expectation from lessons. It's a great time to get to know each other a bit, make sure we will work together well, plan for your goals and also for you to ask any questions. This helps us to be able to sing more at your first lesson and get to the fun stuff right away!

After our initial fit meeting, lessons can typically begin at the very next available time for your lesson slot if you wish and as long as Tiffany is able to find a time that works with your schedule. If it is between sessions, you will begin at the start of the next session

Many students choose a thirty minute lesson to fit their budget, and this length of time will typically allow for a full warm-up including techical work and concentrated work on one song per week. A forty-five minute lesson can allow time for two songs, and is also a good choice for those interested in adding piano study, sight reading or music reading skills to your voice lessons, or those who want to have more freedom to explore and discover their voice without feeling rushed. An hour lesson is recommended for more advanced students - those preparing for a college major in music or music theater, those serious students who want to have the time to fully explore multiple songs each week, or those students who again want more freedom to explore and discover without feeling rushed. An hour lesson can often be too intensive for beginning students or for younger students.

During the first lesson Mrs. Owens will conduct an evaluation of your current range and vocal technique through a series of vocal exercises and warmups. You will also be asked to sing a familiar song (your choice or something you know). Mrs. Owens will then suggest some exercises or techniques which will continue to be developed at subsequent lessons and you will discuss repertoire preferences together.

Scheduling in sessions does several things for you. It gives you stability in the schedule, it allows you to look ahead and reschedule or swap lessons when you know you will need to, and it allows you to focus on your music rather than keeping up with your lesson schedule. If you really don’t want to or can’t commit to a session, contact Mrs. Owens to talk about individual lessons.