$125for 8-week class (includes rattle, jingle, rhythm sticks, Parent Guide, and recordings for singing, rocking, bouncing, and dancing with baby!)
To register (or for more information), just ask Lindsay: westrasoprano@gmail.com
Making music together is one of the best ways to bond with your baby.Some of us have more time at home this year; some of us don’t. But we all want to spend these precious months giving focused attention to our little ones. Babies are naturally musical and LOVE musical play. Meet with other parents by Zoom every Saturday morning to practice singing and dancing with your baby. And if you miss a class, there’s always a replay.
Do you want to introduce your child to the joy of music?
Come to Lindsay’s Musikgarten!
Join us each Saturday
Pre-schoolers and Kindergartners (3 – 5 years) at 3:00 – 3:45 P.M.
June 8 – July 6, 2024 for $139
For more information, email Lindsay: westrasoprano@gmail.com
In this class, “Sun Catchers: Cycle of Seasons,” your child will be singing and dancing for joy! Help us celebrate the season of summer with music and movement. This 45-min class is playful and fun, and provides a great foundation for private music lessons later on.
We use instruments such as rhythm sticks, jingles, rattles, drums, and resonator bars. Every child must bring a grown-up to class to join in the fun!
All class materials are included in the price. You’ll receive a playlist of Musikgarten MP3s as well as a parent book to use at home.
If you have TWO or more children who would like to participate, please note that younger siblings get 50% off! So you can get a whole session with two kids for just $210. (Siblings younger than 3 can tag along for free.)
To learn more about the award-winning Musikgarten curriculum, click here
Classes will take place at my home in Artesia, California (near the interchange of the 91 and the 605).
For more information, email Lindsay: westrasoprano@gmail.com
Hello! My name is Lindsay Feldmeth Westra. I am an opera singer and a voice teacher, and singing is my passion.
This is my teaching page. If you would like to access my performance page, please click HERE.
Welcome to my Voice Gym!
Singing is a sport. To achieve the best results, singers need to train like athletes. They need to train their bodies, stretch their minds, and exercise their imaginations.
I hope my “vocal gym” helps you STRETCH in every way… vocally, technically, musically, and artistically.
Do you want to take your singing to the next level?
This voice class is for kids who want to work on performing solos (choose your own folk songs, hymns, spirituals, Disney songs, or musical theater selections.) In this 75 minute class, we will work on vocal technique as a group and then practice performing for each other in a supportive environment. Email Lindsay at westrasoprano@gmail.com
Saturdays, June 8-July 6, 2024 4:00 – 5:15 PM for $175
Let your high notes soar by eliminating unnecessary tension
Use the “hidden microphones” in your own body to project your sound into big spaces.
Sing long passages effortlessly by managing your breath energy
Free up the unique sound of your own voice and sing from the heart!
Price includes book fee. If you have two kids who would like to participate, the younger child is 50% off, so you enroll two students for $260. (If you have a child between 3-5, ask about Family Music for Pre-Schoolers)
Email me at westrasoprano@gmail.com to set up a consultation lesson.
How would you like to get a personal trainer… for your voice? Sometimes, to really jumpstart your progress, you need to set some SMART goals with deadlines.
With the PERSONAL TRAINER package, you get SIX voice lessons. This will be one-on-one instruction at my studio in Artesia. We will target your personal musical goals and you can work at your own pace. Each lesson will be tailored to meet your specific needs. Whether you are a beginner or a professional, you can take your singing to the next level.
This is a summer sale. Email me by July 1: westrasoprano@gmail.com to get your PERSONAL TRAINER package. Let’s get started!
The Voice Gym is offering group online voice lessons this summer. Anyone with a computer and a webcam can join the class.
(click on the image to enlarge it)
AUDITION PREP: Do you want to rock your next audition? Get encouragement from a team of singers who are working towards the same goal. This 6-week intensive will change the way you sing! Using Fuze Meeting technology, we’ll have video conferencing with fun powerpoints and videos about vocal technique, style, diction, and stage skills. You will also get two private Skype lessons with Lindsay, as well as personal feedback on your recordings as you make progress!
Interested in AUDITION PREP? Email lindsayfeldmeth@gmail.com
Opera singers don’t always look like swimsuit models, but they are actually cardio champions.
According to the American Journal of Nursing, opera singers have stronger chest-wall muscles, greater lung capacity, and more efficient hearts than their non-singing friends.
But, if classical singing requires the muscle coordination of a professional athlete, why are singers so… plump? Not all opera singers are heavy, but many cantanti struggle with their weight. Does it have to do with body type? Metabolism? Lifestyle? No one knows for sure. A New York Times article cited a study suggesting that singers produce too much leptin. We do know that the sound of a human voice is influenced by the size and shape of the body. Some people believe that fat actually produces a more resonant sound! Whatever the reason, the extra curves get noticed. There is increasing pressure on opera singers to lose weight.
That’s why so many 21st century singers are signing up for total body fitness programs! Personally, I prefer a combination of yoga, Irish dancing, and cycling by the beach. (I also list “singing Wagner” as one of my endurance sports.)
I enjoy some fitness video games: Wii Fit Plus for strength and posture, and ABBA You Can Dance for those rare moments when I’ve had enough opera and I’m craving happy ’70s music.
But how on earth do you maintain a program of cardio, strength, and flexibility training when you’re on the road? For people who travel, exercise is a special challenge. It requires a lot of planning! I like to collect tips from this cool blog: My Travel Fitness
In 2010, I traveled to Spain for an opera contest while I was training for my first triathlon. Before I even got on the plane, I wrote down the directions from my Spanish hotel to the nearest public swimming pool. I also found the nearest bike rental shop. When I got there, I went hiking as often as possible. For me, singing always comes first, but I managed to maintain a (slightly less rigorous) triathlon training schedule. I may not have a castle in Spain… but I’ve jogged around one.
Of course, no workout routine is complete without a good soundtrack. I recommend a high impact operatic playlist with a lot of trumpets and percussion!!!
Most singers find that they can improve their energy and vocal stamina by spending more time at the gym. They are more comfortable with dancing, and swordplay, and leaping around onstage if they have taken martial arts classes, or dance aerobics, or gyrotonics. Exercise also helps melt away the stress of a major career. Cindy Sadler has blogged about her success with cycling. Renée Fleming does Pilates.
And if you’re not a singer, but you’re looking for a fun new cardio activity, try voice lessons! Singers learn advanced breathing techniques by training the muscles of the thorax and the abdominal wall. An opera colleague of mine surprised her doctor by demonstrating that she could hold a normal conversation while jogging on the treadmill. “Sustaining breath control over an elevated pulse?” she scoffed. “Yeah, that’s kinda what I do.” Singing is fun and it’s good for your heart, too!
Finally, I’d like to share an opera video has been circulating on Facebook this week. It demonstrates the advantages of being in shape (check out what happens at 0:50):
Opera is medicinal, and not just because there are sometimes “doctors” onstage! In this image, Dr. Dulcamara dispenses potions to Nemorino (Robert McPherson) in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore. But there is serious evidence that music plays an important role in physical and mental health.
Music therapy has produced some exciting results. The Los Angeles Times recently reported that music therapy can reverse the symptoms of a wide variety of disorders, from dyslexia to Parkinson’s. It even improves the outcomes of patients with brain trauma!
In the ancient world, no one questioned the link between music and medicine. The ancient Greeks treated patients with melodies, and they considered Apollo the god of both healing and music. Traditional Chinese medicine used particular pitches to heal diseases; in fact, the Chinese word for medicine comes from the…
In this class, “Sun Catchers: Cycle of Seasons,” your child will be singing and dancing for joy! Help us celebrate the season of summer with music and movement. This 45-min class is playful and fun, and provides a great foundation for private music lessons later on.
How would you like to get a personal trainer… for your voice? Sometimes, to really jumpstart your progress, you need to set some SMART goals with deadlines.
the Voice Gym 