Want to build a singing studio that reflects who you really are and stands out from the rest? Discover how one singing teacher turned her passions into her studio’s USP.
As a singing teacher, we bet you’re always encouraging your students to be authentic.
But when it comes to building your own business, do you follow your own advice?
Does your singing studio scream to the world what you’re about? Or is it a more generic offering designed to appeal to a broad market?
There’s nothing wrong with trying to attract a healthy roster of clients (the bills have to get paid).
But sometimes, when we try to please everyone, the result is a bit ‘meh’ – safe but unexceptional.
So, how do you build a successful singing studio centred around your passions?
To find out, BAST Training spoke to Rush Dorsett of Embodied Voice, a successful studio that incorporates Rush’s interest in sound healing.
Case study
Rush’s teaching weaves psychology, voice science, yoga and sound healing together. (Rush has undergraduate and post-grad university qualifications, sound healing certifications and is a certified YogaVoice®️ facilitator.)
Her lessons can include exercises you’d expect in a traditional voice lesson, such as vocalises, or may take a more alternative route and include sound healing. (This involves using instruments, bowls or recorded tracks to help ground a student or address energy imbalances.)
This unique approach to teaching didn’t come about overnight; it evolved over many years after Rush had an epiphany when studying opera singing.
“I was studying all these different characters and started to think ‘What about me? What about Rush as the artist? What do I want to say in my life?’ This question was always coming up, so I decided to embrace those curiosities.”
Finding her own way
Using The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron as her guide, Rush started to explore a range of alternative healing modalities.
“I was putting a tonne of pressure on myself and creating way too much anxiety. So I decided to loosen up, follow my curiosities and just see what happened. I wanted to be open to the unknown and learn from experiences and things that inspired me.”
By leaning into her interests, teaching has become an even more rewarding experience.
“Science tells us the creative mind is open and receptive. Having experiences, and diversifying our interests, can support our creativity and make us more of who we are.”
“I have found that pursuing different interests has not been a distraction from my craft. It’s actually really supported my craft, and I feel more fulfilled.”
Learn more
To take a deep dive into how Rush incorporates sound healing into her teaching, listen to this episode of the Singing Teachers Talk podcast.