Volume 1, Issue 2 |
Great vocal coaches are difficult to find these days. With all the people in the music business claiming to have
the key to successful vocal performances, it’s hard to know who truly knows the secrets and who’s just trying to
take your money.
Well, meet Heidi Higgins! Having worked alongside Jan Smith, who is one of the most influential vocal coaches
in the music business, Heidi is worth every penny her students pay her. After sitting in on a few vocal sessions
and watching Heidi at work, I Am Entertainment Magazine can confirm that she truly does understand what it
takes to bring out the best in a singer.
IAE: At what age did you get bit by the music bug, and who helped you develop that talent?
HEIDI: I was probably about 5 years old, I used to sing all the time and my sister told me I was terrible (laughs).
It made me mad, so I just sang even more (laughs). I started instruction when I was 9. My mother really helped
further my desire to sing.
IAE: What training have you had, vocally?
HEIDI: I started classical vocal instruction when I was nine years old and continued to study it while at the
University of Georgia. I never wanted to be an opera singer, but that was the only training that was available.
When I was 20, I found Jan Smith in Atlanta, and she began training me. Jan taught me the techniques to be
able to sing the way I always wanted to sing, with feeling using the chest voice as well as falsetto.
(Jan Smith has coached some of the music industry’s most successful artists, such as Usher, Rob Thomas of
Matchbox 20, and Ciara. The Jan Smith Vocal Studio has the largest roster of charting artists in the United
States)
IAE: How did you get your start in the music business?
HEIDI: Good question. As an artist, I started going to different open mics and looking for every opportunity to
sing. I worked for the George Carere Orchestra in Atlanta and various bands, while also doing some singer-
songwriter nights. However, one night, in 1993, my husband and I went up to Nashville to see Jan sing at The
Bluebird Café. Afterward, we went to a pool hall to hang out. Basically someone let me get up and sing some of
my own songs and there was a publisher from Polygram in the audience who liked what he heard. The next
week I was in his office and they offered me an artist development deal in Nashville. It was one of those
unplanned, God opening doors kind of moments. I worked as staff writer for Polygram from 1994-2000. With
vocal coaching, I really wanted to share with other people what Jan had taught me. So, I trained under Jan, and
then in 1989 I started teaching alongside her.
IAE: What does a vocal coach actually do?
HEIDI: A vocal coach takes the natural voice you’ve been given and develops it into the best of what you can
do. As a vocal coach, the goal is also to give each student his/her own vocal thumbprint.
IAE: Typically, how long does each vocal session last and how many hours a day do you spend
training people?
HEIDI: We run half-hour vocal sessions per student, and my hours vary, depending on the day. Jan Smith
Studios is open Monday –Thursday.
IAE: Although everyone’s voice is different, what is the one problem every student tends to have
when they come to you?
HEIDI: Breath control is the most consistent problem. Air is what fuels the voice, so I teach every student how to
control that air, and in doing so they can control their voice.
IAE: For someone looking to get into vocal training as a profession, what would you recommend
before they get started?
HEIDI: Understand as much as you can about the voice, as well as the music business. Get trained. Get
educated.
IAE: What have been the most challenging, as well as the most rewarding, parts of your job as a
vocal coach?
HEIDI: I love my job and my students! When they succeed, are sounding better, and are fearlessly expressing
themselves vocally, it’s great! The most challenging part was probably when I used to commute from Nashville
(TN) to Atlanta to do my job (laughs).
IAE: What would you change about the music business and why?
HEIDI: The music business can be pretty harsh to people and I wish it were kinder. But it is a business and I
think a lot of people don’t realize that. How you go about changing that? I don’t know. The best thing I can do is
to make my students aware that it is a business. Treat it like a business, learn as much as you can about it, and
work hard. At the end of the day, you have to able to separate who you are as a person from who the industry
wants you to be.
the key to successful vocal performances, it’s hard to know who truly knows the secrets and who’s just trying to
take your money.
Well, meet Heidi Higgins! Having worked alongside Jan Smith, who is one of the most influential vocal coaches
in the music business, Heidi is worth every penny her students pay her. After sitting in on a few vocal sessions
and watching Heidi at work, I Am Entertainment Magazine can confirm that she truly does understand what it
takes to bring out the best in a singer.
IAE: At what age did you get bit by the music bug, and who helped you develop that talent?
HEIDI: I was probably about 5 years old, I used to sing all the time and my sister told me I was terrible (laughs).
It made me mad, so I just sang even more (laughs). I started instruction when I was 9. My mother really helped
further my desire to sing.
IAE: What training have you had, vocally?
HEIDI: I started classical vocal instruction when I was nine years old and continued to study it while at the
University of Georgia. I never wanted to be an opera singer, but that was the only training that was available.
When I was 20, I found Jan Smith in Atlanta, and she began training me. Jan taught me the techniques to be
able to sing the way I always wanted to sing, with feeling using the chest voice as well as falsetto.
(Jan Smith has coached some of the music industry’s most successful artists, such as Usher, Rob Thomas of
Matchbox 20, and Ciara. The Jan Smith Vocal Studio has the largest roster of charting artists in the United
States)
IAE: How did you get your start in the music business?
HEIDI: Good question. As an artist, I started going to different open mics and looking for every opportunity to
sing. I worked for the George Carere Orchestra in Atlanta and various bands, while also doing some singer-
songwriter nights. However, one night, in 1993, my husband and I went up to Nashville to see Jan sing at The
Bluebird Café. Afterward, we went to a pool hall to hang out. Basically someone let me get up and sing some of
my own songs and there was a publisher from Polygram in the audience who liked what he heard. The next
week I was in his office and they offered me an artist development deal in Nashville. It was one of those
unplanned, God opening doors kind of moments. I worked as staff writer for Polygram from 1994-2000. With
vocal coaching, I really wanted to share with other people what Jan had taught me. So, I trained under Jan, and
then in 1989 I started teaching alongside her.
IAE: What does a vocal coach actually do?
HEIDI: A vocal coach takes the natural voice you’ve been given and develops it into the best of what you can
do. As a vocal coach, the goal is also to give each student his/her own vocal thumbprint.
IAE: Typically, how long does each vocal session last and how many hours a day do you spend
training people?
HEIDI: We run half-hour vocal sessions per student, and my hours vary, depending on the day. Jan Smith
Studios is open Monday –Thursday.
IAE: Although everyone’s voice is different, what is the one problem every student tends to have
when they come to you?
HEIDI: Breath control is the most consistent problem. Air is what fuels the voice, so I teach every student how to
control that air, and in doing so they can control their voice.
IAE: For someone looking to get into vocal training as a profession, what would you recommend
before they get started?
HEIDI: Understand as much as you can about the voice, as well as the music business. Get trained. Get
educated.
IAE: What have been the most challenging, as well as the most rewarding, parts of your job as a
vocal coach?
HEIDI: I love my job and my students! When they succeed, are sounding better, and are fearlessly expressing
themselves vocally, it’s great! The most challenging part was probably when I used to commute from Nashville
(TN) to Atlanta to do my job (laughs).
IAE: What would you change about the music business and why?
HEIDI: The music business can be pretty harsh to people and I wish it were kinder. But it is a business and I
think a lot of people don’t realize that. How you go about changing that? I don’t know. The best thing I can do is
to make my students aware that it is a business. Treat it like a business, learn as much as you can about it, and
work hard. At the end of the day, you have to able to separate who you are as a person from who the industry
wants you to be.
| Heidi Higgins - Vocal Coach |
Learn To Sing Without Hurting Your Voice
| Heidi Higgins |
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