KIRK DOUGHERTY
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Our Work Together

The most fundamental principle of beautiful singing ('bel canto') in a classical sense, and vocal freedom our more modern aesthetics, is the avoidance of extremes of function. 
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There exists a 'Golden Mean' between the extremes of most sounds that we hear as vocal faults.
They are e
ither the under-expression or the over-expression of a quality of vocal production.
The singer learns how navigate in between these extremes in order to find their true voice, a lasting outcome of finding the Golden Mean.

We are not singing or sounding machines, as we embody an artist's mind and an artist's soul; on the other hand, our minds and bodies are physical, and obey certain physical and mental principles. I would welcome the opportunity to explore and mediate between these opposing extremes of art with you.
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Our work as students and teachers should focus on mastering the artists deeper knowledge together while also integrating the universal outcomes of any good musical performance, using both honest individual instruction and measurable outcomes.

Developing The Singing Mindset: Singing is unlike any other instrumental musical art or any other dramatic, literary or visual art. Often successful artists of other disciplines attempt use their practical experiences from those other disciplines in an attempt to teach themselves. Unfortunately, the singing task involves the individual as both the medium and the artist. Worse yet, the pupil's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors direct the inner, intrinsic muscles both respiration and phonation - muscles which the pupil cannot directly control through kinesthetic feeling. There is a vocal mindset that is developed over time that, in the end, creates both the artist and artist's voice.

As opposed to collegiate/university voice instruction, online, private instruction is uniquely suited to this type of learning. In online, private instruction their are no grades, no timetable, and no defined course of study at the outset of our work. Our work together, like a kind of 'vocal therapy', is part of a relationship, based upon the pupil's unique strengths and goals, constantly evolving over our time together.   ​​

​I welcome the opportunity to work with you and provide you value. 
I want to help you to become BOTH a better singing instrument AND a better singing artist.
www.kirkdougherty.com
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