Petersen Voice Studio

About

Facebook page for the Petersen Voice Studio in Watertown, MA, owned and operated by Justin Petersen.

Story

Every student that walks through the studio door is unique and at varying levels of vocal ability. Students will receive an approach to singing that is based on their current level of development.

My teaching philosophy is built on an intensive study of vocal pedagogy from the past 350 years married to the latest and most relevant scientific discoveries supporting these traditions. Historically speaking, the goal of the "Old Italian School" was to balance the registers of the voice. This pedagogical emphasis is found in the work and writings of Pierfrancesco Tosi, Giambattista Mancini, Manuel Garcia, Edgar Herbert-Caesari, Francesco Lamperti, Cornelius Reid, Seth Riggs, and Jeannette LoVetri.

The purpose of each lesson is to give a student control of their voices through INDIRECT as opposed to DIRECT means. Direct control of the voice (through manipulative breathing and resonance strategies) tends to entangle the voice with muscular tension, which only serves to shorten the range and lessen the natural beauty of each singer’s instrument. It can also cause tremendous psychological impact when the voice is entangled in such a manner as to prevent artistic expression.

Working on the voice in an indirect way we find a sound that is not manufactured and is free from the "overculture" of many classical techniques of singing. This should allow a singer to sing throughout the entire range of the voice with recognizable vowels in all parts of the range. It also fosters a more authentic approach to singing that communicates the musical experience honestly and truthfully. It is what W. Stephen Smith refers to as the "naked voice".

I do not teach an aesthetic or a sound that my ear “prefers”. My main concern is with the functional state of the voice before me. I train voices so that the singer may sing in any style or genre that they wish. Teaching an aesthetic-based approach forces the student into a predetermined mold and causes students to feel frustration when they are not able to meet the teacher’s “aesthetic”.


Justin Petersen
M.M. in Opera, The University of Kansas
B.M. in Vocal Music Performance, Simpson College

Institute for Vocal Advancement (IVA), Level 1 Certified Instructor,
IVA Elective Teacher instructor, "Historical Vocal Pedagogy"
Somatic Voicework™: The LoVetri Method, Level 1 Certified Teacher

Mission

"My aim as a teacher is to allow you to find the freest, healthiest, and most beautiful sound possible, with a vocal technique that will allow to sing in any style. By placing FUNCTION over STYLE, I allow you use your voice to sing the music that YOU love. I firmly believe that you should sing what YOU love in the healthiest way possible - whether that's pop, musical theater, jazz, gospel, or rhythm and blues!"