Hello from new student

tinaoh1114

Hi everyone.  My name is Tina and I just purchased the gold bundle a couple days ago.  I started practicing volume 1 last night and getting ready for another round this evening. I wanted the gold package to also have the private lessons with Ken.

A little about me. I have been singing all my life with my parents taking me on weekends to perform with bands beginning at the age of 5.  My dad had been a musician as well.  I went to college for vocal performance and trained classically. I ended up working in fields outside of music and ended up taking a break from singing for about 10 years. I have been singing with bands again for the last five and am currently the lead singer of a local cover band in Cleveland, Ohio.

I had been wanting to take some coaching sessions for awhile as I personally noticed some laziness in my technique.  I had not been able to find someone at a level locally with whom to work.  Then, I stumbled across some videos from Ken.  Watching through his trainings on YouTube made me recognize so many fundamental techniques that I had been putting into practice. Just from those videos, I was able to make some corrections on my own that have made a big difference at my gigs. I can only imagine what progress I will be able to make with the at-home course along with lessons with Ken. I already know that 3 Skype lessons will not be enough.

A question that I have is what timeframe is suggested between starting the program and scheduling my first lesson. Looking forward to getting to know all of you and am happy to be part of the KTVA family.   

highmtn

Hi, @tinaoh1114, and welcome to the forums and KTVA.

You are going to really like the way your voice is going to grow and blossom in the weeks, months, and years to come.  

As far as time frames go, usually you should not expect to spend any less than about six weeks on each volume of the KTVA program.  Most students spend considerably longer on each level.  There is a lot of practicing to do and needs to be time for the voice to grow and develop at each stage. 

You might want to schedule your first lesson about when you are feeling like you want to move on from Volume One to Volume Two.  You already have a lot of experience, so you may get there faster than many students.  Just don't rush to get anywhere, and make sure you get as much from each part of the program that you can.  Try to consider yourself to be a blank slate, as far as vocal technique goes. That's hard after a lifetime of doing it other ways, but beneficial to leave behind methods that may not be so good for your voice. 

 

You can put up demos here and we can give you checkups on the basic exercises to make sure you're doing them right.  We prefer exercises to songs, as we want to be able to isolate the basic building blocks to be forming correctly, before all of the notes and vowels and consonants start coming in rapid-fire form.  We can help you get you ready for Ken.

Get your basics done in the way Ken explains them in the course.  He'll be checking you for all of that in the first lesson.  

I'm glad you found Ken's program.  It will work wonders on your voice and help you to learn to use your voice in ways you have never done before.  Dig in and enjoy.

Nice to meet you.

Bob

tinaoh1114

@highmtn Thank you for a nice welcome. I definitely came into the program eyes and ears wide open with no opinions.  I am also not set in my ways and am definitely coachable. Yes, it is hard to set aside some things I have been doing other ways.

It is interesting going through videos and exercises in volume 1.  His breathing techniques are definitely the same as I have always been taught. Even when I am not singing I am conscious of how I breathe.  I can also recognize what it probably a minor (although important) adjustment in opening my throat has done just in a few practices. In fact, I am amazed at how high of notes I am reaching. The biggest transition is becoming aware of not transitioning into my head voice too soon on the exercises. If I am not completely aware,  I immediate go into opera mode and naturally switch into my head voice then I slap myself and get back on track..lol. 

I will need to figure out how to record my exercises since I don't have any home equipment. And, I am my own worst critic and want things perfect before I show them to anyone. My band hates me for that because I never let them post anything that I haven't approved.

I am anxious to have a lesson but I also know the importance of being properly prepared. And, I want to make the most of my time. But, I absolutely lack patience!

Best, Tina