the first national tour, playing such theaters as San Francisco's ACT and the Ahmanson in LA. She has performed in multiple First National Tours and was a guest soloist with many Symphony Orchestras Nationally and abroad.

As a voice teacher, she is a firm believer in good technique, emphasizing soprano head voice and chest/belt.  She focuses on breathing, resonance, tension, and placement. She covers diverse, professional development topics such as auditioning practices, song choice, building your “book,” acting through song, and transferring studio technique to stage performance. She believes singing is a truly personal experience rather than an exact science.  It is technique, combined with musicianship, phrasing, honesty, and personality that makes a successful singer.  Some of those qualities can be taught; others must be instilled.  Her goal is to try to improve upon what each student brings into the room. She has worked closely with celebrated talents, composers, conductors and directors on the Great White Way . These professional opportunities have not only afforded her an artistic sense that she cherishes, but has also deepened her knowledge of the industry and business savvy.

DEBORAH HEAGEN

Vocal Technique & Performance

Deborah Heagen is a experienced teacher of over 10 years. She received her BFA in Theater with a concentration in acting from Five Towns College before working regionally, Off-Off Broadway, and in NYC cabarets. Her film credits include an after school special for Turkish Television called The Wishing Tree and a voice over for the SAT prep game The Verbal Edge. Deb earned her Masters Degree from Drexel University in Music Therapy and Counseling. 

Voice (technique and repertoire building)- Individual voice lessons are taught with an emphasis and focus on technique. In addition, students are encouraged to expand their repertoire to best suit their needs for long and short term goals. College audition prep is also available.

Vocal Technique

I help singers gain a fuller understanding of how their vocal mechanism works, so that they achieve a healthy, efficient and true expression of their voice. I tailor-design exercises for each student to address specific problem areas in the voice/technique, to build a resilient instrument that can in turn handle any stylistic choices the performer wishes to make. We then look at how these issues arise in the repertoire, and effective ways to overcome challenges in songs.

Vocal Performance

We look at how text and music interact, and work towards a performance that is engaging, believable and authentic. This may result in applying technical exercises which allow the singer to find a vocal color that underscores the dramatic meaning. We also address every other aspect that must be mastered in a successful performance, including but not limited to: phrasing (how does the vocal line sound like a heightened version of speech), articulation, intonation, how the piano/orchestra accompaniments relate to the vocal line, and how situation (character, mood, place) might affect performative decisions.