Joyful voice lessons
Northwest Missouri
The more we explore the possibilities of our voice, the more options we have to play with for the “final product.”
How many shades and variations of sound can we integrate into our vocal approach?
Are you willing to be willing to explore?
That’s all it takes—a desire to find new/varied ways to connect your vocal sound to your abundant soul.
The act of exploration, within the context of a voice “lesson,” is vulnerable. I am here to provide a safe space for curiosity, self-compassion, joyous empowerment, and anything else that comes along on the journey. I become a co-learner with you, the curious singer—learning about you, how best to support you, how to be your guide through the journey of discovery. While I have profound access to tools and experience, they are always in service to you, the singing explorer.
Daylight Voice Studio invites you to step into your luminous singing self.
Through the lens of singing voice lessons, together we will take a journey of human discovery.
Singing, in so many ways, is a mirror of life. When we trust ourselves, believe in our voice, explore our body-mind connection, we come to a wholeness of being that is illuminated in joyful song.
We become sound.
We embody music.
We are wholly human in communication.
With Dr. Rachel, you have a partner and guide, someone who wholeheartedly encourages and supports you on your journey of curiosity about yourself, your voice, and your humanity.
Are you willing to explore your singing potential?
There is no right/wrong, good/bad, ugly/beautiful. There is only exploration of vocal sound in service of authentic communication. The desire to communicate is human—when we sing, we add specific vibration and timing that enables our soul to inhabit our communication on a transcendent level. We become more fully human and authentic to our internal self.
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"I have never had a more joyful time singing and furthering my voice.
Dr. Rachel’s studio is a phenomenal place to discover myself and my voice! Dr. Rachel’s studio is a wonderful experience of art and culture, and I couldn’t think of a better place to be!”
~ Mason W.
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"With Rachel by my side, I found the courage to defy expectations and reach for the stars.
She pushed me to strive for more than I was ever told I was capable of, challenging me to break through the barriers that held me back. She believed in me when no one else did, igniting a fire within me to prove myself and show the world what I was truly capable of.
Through her unwavering support and encouragement, Rachel broke down walls and shattered restraints, allowing me to flourish as a singer and as a person. She saw the raw talent and passion within me and nurtured it with care and dedication, guiding me along a path I never thought possible.
~ Anna M
At Daylight Voice Studio, your soul is cared for as a unique and amazing part of the universe. Where you are, right now, is exactly as you were created to be. You are celebrated in every aspect of your being. We emphasize fun, play, the use of the imagination, and accepting and enjoying our own unique and individual sounds.
I encourage singers to explore sounds, genres, styles, texts, topics, and composers outside of their comfort zone.
At Daylight Voice Studio, we embrace the messy, the loud, the uncomfortable, and the occasional frustration that comes with learning a physical skill of coordination, a skill which lives inside our bodies and is fueled by our passion, joys, fears, magic, and delightful chaos.
While the journey of self-compassion and self-discovery never ends, at the end of your lesson package, you will find a desire to continue exploring the possibilities of your vocal sound.
At Daylight Voice Studio, you will not find teaching videos. I have no systematic method by which we explore learning how to sing, although in lessons, we often explore from a somatic voice perspective. Through Feldenkrais®-inspired movement practices, I guide you to find ways that your body moves and new ways that feel safe and easy. A common request is, “How can you ‘effort’ less?”
*Soma: the body as perceived from within
I view students as individuals who bring their whole life experience into the studio each day. I open myself to *your* individual journey at each encounter. I embrace you by differentiating my teaching style for the human with me in the room.
I promise to:
View singers as whole and emotional individuals.
Treat everyone with care and respect while presenting challenges for individual growth.
Create an environment where risk-taking is admired.
Value emotional and mental health as much as vocal health.
Explore singing as a fun and intrinsically human act.
Be open and honest, environment of joy and curiosity.
I will hold space for you as you learn there is no “wrong” way to sing.
I will hold space for you as you try out your wings and explore the luminous possibilities that come when you sing with joy.
I will hold space for you as you speak to yourself from a place of self-compassion, singing from a lighter place of joy, celebrating humanity in all its messiness.
Singers agree to:
Honor your luminous self as you interact with other humans with respect and kindness.
Prioritize your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Your singing “instrument” is your entire self .
Participate in your own vocal development, with autonomy and self-agency.
Celebrate the sometimes-bumpy process of creativity and learning.
Suspend judgment of yourself—evaluate your sound as an artist-creator.
Respect Daylight Voice Studio as a business, with practices and processes in place to function as seamlessly as possible, so that we can spend our time and attention on the joy of singing!
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"I have never worked closely with a voice teacher who made me feel as safe (both emotionally and physically) as I do in my lessons with Dr. Rachel.
Dr. Rachel, affectionately known as Dr. Slay, has cultivated a community of respect, kindness, and exploration within her studio. I’ve gotten to explore literature and resources that I never knew existed and consequently grown both as a vocalist and a person.”
~ Mary R.
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"Dr. Rachel has made a lifelong impact on my musicianship for the better.
Dr. Rachel offers insight, guidance, and compassion that can be rare to find in vocal pedagogy. Her numerous qualifications and experiences are only part of why she excels as a vocal teacher; she is also progressive in recognizing the needs of her students. She is uniquely knowledgeable in somatic practices, she has a plethora of academic resources at hand, and she is incredibly empathetic to her students emotional needs. I cannot recommend her enough if you are looking for a cutting edge mind to help guide your vocal development.
~ Aubrey P.
How voice lessons work
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Initial Session
For more information about lessons and to see if we are a good fit for each other, we first meet for a no obligation “Initial Fit” session of 30-minutes ($47).
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Join the Studio
Students then sign up for a 90-day subscription period with either a consistent monthly charge or a one-time discounted payment.
Details
Standard per subscription rates:
Three payments of $279 per month ($837 total)
One-time payment of $797 ($40 discount)
Within 90 days of the initial payment, students receive eight (8) lessons.
Scheduling occurs solely via the online scheduling system.
You may cancel and reschedule your lesson at any time prior to the start of your scheduled lesson, with no penalty.
All lessons must be scheduled within 90 days of the initial payment—no lessons “roll over” into the next subscription period.
Discounted subscriptions for students and signing up for subsequent subscriptions (“Loyalty Rate”) are offered. Speak to Rachel about this during your Initial Fit session.
School music teachers: I have a special subscription package for you. Speak to me about this during the Initial Fit session
Value
You are hiring me for my skills and knowledge, for my unique student-centered approach that has developed and modified over decades of teaching singers.
I consistently pay for new experiences in which I learn and expand my knowledge of teaching, at direct benefit to you.
Studio practices and policies allow us to focus on the joy of singing, rather than the business of running the studio.
You are hiring me for my heart and my brain—my degrees, experiences, and personal explorations that combine to make me the human who believes in you, trusts you, encourages you, treats you with respect and compassion, and believes that vocal lessons are life lessons.