The Singer’s Guide

Host Tessa welcomes singing teacher and podcast host Alexa Terry to The Singer’s Guide and asks what she wishes singers knew.   Alexa says singers should trust the process and allow themselves to make questionable, unfinished, less satisfying sounds while developing technique, especially in musical theatre and contemporary styles where singers chase belt or mix.   She explains that exploring head voice and other component skills can support belt development, and that comparison to other singers can undermine progress; singers should trust themselves, their teacher, their physiology, and their own journey.   They discuss how past messages about being loud or nasal can create mental barriers, and how teachers can build trust through safety, rapport, sensation-based feedback, tension ratings, and reflection tools like a vocal gratitude diary.   Alexa shares where to find her online.   00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro   01:46 The Big Question   02:41 Trust the Process   03:16 Belt vs Head Voice   05:35 Trust and Comparison   08:18 Physiology Shapes Sound   09:49 Helping Singers Buy In   12:04 Gratitude and Progress Tracking   14:27 Celebrate Wins Not Perfection   17:41 Self Talk and Wrap Up   18:42 Where to Find Alexa   19:38 Final Thanks     FIND ALEXA:   Alexa Terry is Deputy Head of Singing at Italia Conti - one of the UK’s leading performing arts schools, alongside running a private singing tuition practice in the South of England. She is also the host of BAST Training’s Singing Teachers Talk podcast and works as a unit tutor and mentor on their Level 5 vocational singing teaching qualification, as well as mentoring teachers on the BAST Foundation Course. A graduate with a BA in Musical Theatre, Alexa began her professional performing career as a lead soloist aboard cruise ships, travelling the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Baltic seas. She later trod the boards in London’s West End as the protagonist in a new musical theatre project, before developing her work as a writer and creative. She studied as a librettist with Book, Music & Lyrics (BML) and has written for publications including BritishTheatre.com as a theatre reviewer. Alexa has delivered sessions for Vocology in Practice and The Sing Space on topics including musical theatre repertoire, authentic musical theatre performance and imposter syndrome. At the BAST Intensive Weekend in summer 2026, she presented sessions on diagnosing and assessing voices, as well as selecting repertoire to develop vocal technique.   Find Alexa on Instagram @alexaterryvocalcoaching   The Singer's Guide is hosted by Tessa Smith. www.tessasmith.com   ---- 🤫 THE QUIET PRACTICE TOOLKIT: 3 step-by-step exercises to improve your singing without making a sound https://subscribepage.io/quiet-practi...   ---- 🤩 Tap here to learn more about the Singer's Practice Hub: www.singerspracticehub.com 🥳 Tap here to work with Tessa: www.thesingersguide.com   🎵 Music by Tessa Smith 🎙 Hosted by Tessa Smith, creator of The Self-Validated Voice and The Singer's Practice Hub.

Host Tessa welcomes singing teacher John Henny (The Intelligent Vocalist podcast, voiceschool.com) to discuss what he wishes singers knew: the voice will change with age, so singers must prepare long-term.   John shares his experience in his late 50s developing a benign essential vocal tremor, leading him to therapy and research on how older voices need different approaches.   He explains that ageing can involve vocal fold muscle atrophy (especially the TA), reduced closure, weakening in vocal tract structures, and the need to train differently for efficiency and high notes.   They discuss micro-shifts, post-menopause changes, avoiding “chasing” a past voice, and adopting athlete-like habits, noting behaviours begin to matter around age 35.   00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro   01:54 The Big Question   02:38 John's Voice Wake Up Call   03:55 Training the Ageing Voice   04:56 Your Voice Snapshot   06:19 Exercises That Change   09:15 Micro Shifts and Menopause   11:12 Reframing Ageing Positively   12:02 Long Game After 35   13:58 Where to Find John   15:16 Closing Thanks   FIND JOHN:   John Henny is a leading vocal coach in the music industry, with over 25 years of experience, renowned for his teaching skills. His techniques are designed to maintain vocal health, improve overall sound quality, eliminate voice cracks, and extend the singer’s range, allowing them to express themselves without limitation.   In addition, John is an accomplished author, having written three Amazon bestsellers, and a popular podcast host of The Intelligent Vocalist, with over 500,000 downloads. He has also gained a significant following on YouTube, with 130,000 subscribers and 14 million views. As a seasoned online course creator, he offers an extensive library of training courses catering to singers, speakers, and voice teachers.   You can learn more about John at www.johnhenny.com Find John on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VoiceSchoolcom       The Singer's Guide is hosted by Tessa Smith. www.tessasmith.com   ---- 🤫 THE QUIET PRACTICE TOOLKIT: 3 step-by-step exercises to improve your singing without making a sound https://subscribepage.io/quiet-practi...   ---- 🤩 Tap here to learn more about the Singer's Practice Hub: www.singerspracticehub.com 🥳 Tap here to work with Tessa: www.thesingersguide.com   🎵 Music by Tessa Smith 🎙 Hosted by Tessa Smith, creator of The Self-Validated Voice and The Singer's Practice Hub.

Host Tessa welcomes vocal coach Lucinda Allen of Voice Unlocked and ICMP to discuss one thing she wishes singers knew: approach vocal challenges with detailed curiosity and careful listening, treating the voice as information rather than a problem to fix. Lucinda describes how singers often tie identity to vocal ability and self-gaslight by assuming issues are “all in my head,” and she advocates self-compassion, play, and removing moral judgment from technique. She explains that quick fixes may help in urgent situations but don’t build transferable skills, emphasising learning the “why” so singers can reproduce solutions independently. Lucinda highlights using multiple feedback modalities, including “listening with the hands” via MDH breathing coordination and educative touch, to form hypotheses and break unhelpful loops. She shares where to find her online and through ICMP. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:59 The Big Question  02:28 Curiosity Over Fixing 04:17 Identity and Confidence 06:10 Body Signals and Reframing 09:08 No Quick Fixes 12:17 Listening With Hands 15:17 Where to Find Lucinda 15:49 Final Thanks and Wrap Up   FIND LUCINDA: Bodywork, MDH Breathing Co-ordination, & Creativity are the pillars of Lucinda's practice in delivering a bespoke & holistic approach for each client. Lucinda is a strong believer that every person can have a free, dynamic voice, and has devoted her life to delivering practical techniques to support her clients. Find her at https://www.voiceunlocked.com/ and on Facebook (@voiceunlocked), Instagram (@voiceunlocked) and TikTok (@voiceunlockeduk)   The Singer's Guide is hosted by Tessa Smith. www.tessasmith.com   ---- 🤫 THE QUIET PRACTICE TOOLKIT: 3 step-by-step exercises to improve your singing without making a sound https://subscribepage.io/quiet-practice-toolkit   ---- 🤩 Tap here to learn more about the Singer's Practice Hub: www.singerspracticehub.com   🥳 Tap here to work with Tessa: www.thesingersguide.com   🎵 Music by Tessa Smith 🎙 Hosted by Tessa Smith, creator of The Self-Validated Voice and The Singer's Practice Hub.

 Host Tessa welcomes U.S. singing teacher and podcaster Chelsea Wilson (Broadway Vocal Coach), whom she met through the Institute for Vocal Advancement, to answer one question: what she wishes singers knew. Chelsea focuses her answer on women in their 30s–50s who have put singing or performing aside due to marriage, children, careers, or caretaking and now fear their voice has changed or it’s too late to return. She shares a story from an IVA conference group sing of “You Will Be Found” where a student was moved to tears while reconnecting with singing in community. Chelsea relates this to her own decade-long break from performing while coaching and raising two daughters, and describes returning to the stage in Raleigh, including Come From Away and a new musical workshop, emphasising that performing, teaching, and motherhood can coexist and that artistry can start with small, local opportunities. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:57 Meet Chelsea Wilson 02:21 The Big Question 03:11 It’s Never Too Late 04:04 IVACON Group Sing Story 05:50 Why Women Step Away 07:37 Chelsea Returns to Stage 11:37 All or Nothing Mindset 16:18 Find Community and Sing 19:29 Better With Age 21:29 Now Is the Perfect Time 21:51 Where to Find Chelsea 22:36 Final Thanks and Goodbye   FIND CHELSEA: Chelsea Wilson is a Broadway vocal coach and voice teacher known for helping singers — and the teachers who train them — build healthy, sustainable contemporary musical theatre voices. Since 2017, Chelsea has served on the music teams as the associate vocal coach for major productions including School of Rock (Broadway & National Tour), The Phantom of the Opera (Broadway and Int’l Tour), Jesus Christ Superstar (National Tour), and Rock of Ages (Off-Broadway). She is currently the associate vocal coach for Masquerade, the new immersive Phantom production Off-Broadway in New York City. A graduate of the University of Michigan Musical Theatre BFA program, Chelsea is also a certified instructor and teacher trainer with the Institute for Vocal Advancement, where she now mentors and trains other voice teachers around the world in contemporary vocal pedagogy. In 2021, she co-founded Broadway Vocal Coach, an online education platform and podcast serving professional and aspiring musical theatre performers worldwide. In 2026, Chelsea returned to performing in Theatre Raleigh’s production of Come From Away — a reminder that she still loves being onstage just as much as helping other performers thrive there. Chelsea now lives in Raleigh with her husband and two young daughters, where she balances coaching, performing, and family life — usually with a Diet Coke in hand and strict instructions from her kids “not to sing along!”    https://www.tiktok.com/@singwithchelsea https://www.instagram.com/chwils/ chelseawilsonvocalstudio.com   🎧 BVC Podcast   The Singer's Guide is hosted by Tessa Smith. www.tessasmith.com   ---- 🤫 THE QUIET PRACTICE TOOLKIT: 3 step-by-step exercises to improve your singing without making a sound https://subscribepage.io/quiet-practice-toolkit   ---- 🤩 Tap here to learn more about the Singer's Practice Hub: www.singerspracticehub.com   🥳 Tap here to work with Tessa: www.thesingersguide.com   🎵 Music by Tessa Smith 🎙 Hosted by Tessa Smith, creator of The Self-Validated Voice and The Singer's Practice Hub.

Host Tessa welcomes Jeremy Ryan Mossman to the Singer’s Guide podcast and asks what he wishes singers knew. Jeremy says singers can “start at the end” by beginning lessons with the song and its specific challenges, then using exercises only as needed to serve that context, repeatedly checking changes in the repertoire. He describes using acting-style given-circumstance games to clarify who the singer is addressing and why, noting that increased specificity often dissolves technical issues and reveals what truly needs technical attention. He critiques traditional lesson structures and training sequences that delay students singing what they love, arguing for honouring the artist’s goals and building from where they already feel successful. He encourages singers to count everyday singing as practice if they pay attention and get curious, and explains how simple body-based prompts can “hook” clients into experiential learning. Jeremy shares where to find him online: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok (Body Based Voice with J Moss) and bodybasedvoice.com. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:33 The Big Question 02:22 Start With the Song 04:23 Storytelling Fixes Technique 07:13 Why Lessons Get Backwards 08:47 Honour the Artist First 11:36 Real World Singing Practice 13:37 Flexible Lesson Structures 16:12 Hooking Clients Fast 17:43 Where to Find Jeremy 18:58 Final Thanks and Wrap   Reel mentioned at 17:46: HERE!    FIND JEREMY: Jeremy Ryan Mossman is a teacher of voice, movement, and wholistic expression.  Jeremy has recently moved on from academic teaching after 15+ years in order to focus on teaching in more creative and integrative ways while sharing his passion for wholly embodied singing. Jeremy has a unique way of reconciling long-held beliefs with new understandings about the body and singing which he teaches to performers on Broadway, on their way to Broadway, and to teachers around the world.  You can learn more about him at www.bodybasedvoice.com Find Jeremy on Instagram: @bodybasedvoicewithjmoss Facebook: @bodybasedvoicewithjmoss and TikTok: @bodybasedvoicewithjmoss   The Singer's Guide is hosted by Tessa Smith. www.tessasmith.com   ---- 🤫 THE QUIET PRACTICE TOOLKIT: 3 step-by-step exercises to improve your singing without making a sound https://subscribepage.io/quiet-practice-toolkit   ---- 🤩 Tap here to learn more about the Singer's Practice Hub: www.singerspracticehub.com   🥳 Tap here to work with Tessa: www.thesingersguide.com   🎵 Music by Tessa Smith 🎙 Hosted by Tessa Smith, creator of The Self-Validated Voice and The Singer's Practice Hub.