Katti Powell, founder of The Powell Method
Katti is a graduate of the Musical Program at New York City's Circle in the Square Theatre School and started out as a performer, primarily singing & acting in musical theatre. Over her years of performing, she was approached many times by people wanting to know if she could teach them how to sing. Katti took her years of experience as a singer and a voice student and developed her own vocal method, The Powell Method, and has been teaching private voice professionally since 2001. She launched her online class for teachers in 2009 as a way to duplicate her efforts. By teaching singers The Powell Method and giving them the tools to teach, she is able to help singers worldwide learn how to sing with versatility.
Katti has studied and performed a wide variety of musical styles including classical, opera, musical theatre, gospel, pop, country, jazz, R&B, and rock. Katti is also a proud member of Actor's Equity Association, the professional actor's union, and performs professionally in regional theatre under her stage name, Katie Irene Powell. She has performed in over 75 musicals, plays, and cabaret acts in many cities (performance website). Katti has also done some studio recording and has coached students during recording sessions. In addition to performing and teaching, she has been a vocal coach, a musical director, a director, an acting instructor, a choir director, and a worship leader.
Katti’s Beliefs on Singing
• ANYONE CAN SING—I have taught people to sing that called themselves tone-deaf before studying voice with me. The truth is that anyone with an ability to listen well and a willingness to practice can learn to sing. Anyone.
• ANY AGE CAN LEARN TO SING—People ask me all the time how young I start students in lessons or how old students can be. Let's start with the younger end. Many teachers will not teach young kids (under 16 years old) because they believe the voice is not fully developed. While this may be true, any child that expresses interest in learning to sing is going to experiment on his own. What is best for the child is to have the guidance of a professional instructor. I can't tell you how many young kids have come to me with already damaged voices because a teacher said they weren't old enough to take lessons. If the child can read and has the ability to stay focused for a full hour it is wise to register the child for lessons before any damage is done. As for the other end of the age spectrum, as long as the capacity for hearing is intact, it is possible to learn to sing. The youngest student I taught was 5 and the oldest was mid-70s.
• SINGING ABILITY IS A LEARNED TALENT—Whether you have been given the gift of a voice or not is irrelevant. Great singers become great from time and energy invested in mastering their craft. If you don’t believe you have the gift of a voice, it is okay because you can still develop a talent for singing through studying technique.
• LEARN MORE THAN ONE TECHNIQUE—So many voice teachers only teach classical vocal technique leaving singers to fend for themselves when trying to sing other styles of music. Some teachers only teach contemporary styles of singing and singers usually lose their voices quickly because there is no foundational base for what they are teaching. No matter what genre of music you want to sing, it will take learning multiple vocal techniques in order to be able to sing well and stay healthy.
• IT IS POSSIBLE TO SING WITHOUT LOSING THE VOICE—Vocal health should be a primary concern to all singers. What good is a beautiful voice if you lose it all the time? Practicing good vocal health will keep singers from losing their voices even after hours of singing.
Quick Links
 |
|
Click Here to be notified when one becomes available or Click Here to take Virtual Voice Lessons with the Founder of The Powell Method, Katti Powell |