Emily Romney Vocal Instruction : Home Page

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Profession headshot of Emily Romney Emily Romney is a professional singer with over thirty years successful experience as a studio voice teacher of professional and amateur adult singers. Ms. Romney has a background in choral conducting and choral singing, and extensive professional experience as a soloist and vocal chamber music performer. While on the faculty of the Longy School of Music of Bard College, she taught studio voice and developed an undergraduate and master’s degree curriculum for conservatory students, put together a music program for high school singers, initiated and created the conservatory level vocal pedagogy course "The Living Instrument and How It Works", and coordinated a vocal chamber music program.

She currently maintains a private voice studio in Cambridge, MA. and is on the faculty of the Powers Music School in Belmont, MA.

“The voice studio should be a comfortable place where enthusiasm and ongoing good work can mix with risk-taking, humor, and musical exploration. I encourage my students to develop a musical life beyond the studio and to pursue performance opportunities.”

Coaching for Choirs

To Choral Directors

Singers with a basic understanding of body alignment and a healthy approach to breathing, resonance, and diction are stronger singers and contribute more positively to the overall sound and performance of their singing groups. Yet the demands of learning music and preparing for performance deadlines often leave far too little time in chorus and choir rehearsals for the basics of good vocal production.

The more freely and efficiently your individual singers sing, the more beautiful and expressive your chorus will sound. Yet singers in many choruses differ widely in their basic understanding of the voice and their approach to using their voice as an instrument. Some sing freely. Others sing despite their tense, inefficient, and effortful vocal production.

How Coaching for Choirs Works

Your chorus or choir is unique in its configuration, its size, and its musical aspirations. You as the musical director know best what aspects of singing need strengthening: e.g., a basic knowledge of the voice, or balance issues, diction in a particular piece of repertoire, etc.

We work together to identify your particular objectives for Coaching for Choirs sessions, and develop a format for coaching sessions based on your goals and the configuration of your singing organization: group size and voicing, and the general profile of group members: age range & musical background: numbers taking voice lessons, etc.

Possible Formats:

A session or series of sessions before your regular rehearsal combining basic/relevant information about how the voice works as an instrument ,combined with singing activities (vocalizing and warm ups) and a question/answer period;
A similar session or sessions at a separate time from your regular rehearsal;
A series of workshops throughout the season.

*While it is possible to arrange for a single session, at least one additional follow up session is strongly recommended to review and reinforce the information and vocal experience.

“Emily Romney's vocal coaching of Cantilena was extremely helpful.
Her manner was precise and focused, yet relaxing, allowing the chorus to open up and experiment vocally in a non-stressful environment.
“Many chorus members mentioned how helpful she was with numerous topics ranging from posture to tongue position to jaw tension , , , .a lot of enthusiastic feedback from the chorus about how she helped improve their technique.
“As a conductor, I was particularly happy that our diction was much cleaner in our difficult spring concert than it might otherwise have been."
Allegra Martin, Music Director, Cantilena

Contact me to learn how Coaching for Choirs might benefit your singers, and for scheduling information.