ROKSANA ZEINAPUR
Discover your voice
Learn to undo physical habits that inhibit vocal production and train you body to support your voice. Unlock your potential as a performer and communicate with freedom and power. Develop a reliable and consistent vocal technique.
Vocal Coaching
"The emphasis of the work is on the removal of the physical and psychological blocks that inhibit the human vocal instrument and its objective is a voice in direct contact with the emotional impulse, shaped by the intellect but not restricted by it." Kristin Linklater, The Free Voice
Voice lessons at Z Vocal Studio incorporate Yoga and Alexander Technique, and are rooted in the classical Bel Canto tradition. These tools are used to build the total singer from within, true to their own body, mind and spirit.
Voice lessons incorporate physical preparation and warm up, breath work, vocal exercises, repertoire preparation and acting exercises. Students are taught how to release unnecessary physical tension and how to engage proper musculature to support the voice. Vocal exercises are geared towards the acquisition of optimal diction.
How we shape our mouths to form words directly affects our tone, our ability to sing in pitch, vocal range and ease. Undoing our speaking habits and learning more efficient ways to produce vowels and consonants is a central element of the technique. How we speak and phonate is also intrinsically linked to our psychology, and it is essential for students to address the questions: "What am I trying to communicate, and why?" Z Vocal Studio aims to establish a constructive work environment that teaches singers to recognize their challenges and gives them the tools to build themselves into the performers they desire to be.
Testimonials
Roksana is a generous and flexible teacher. She easily adapts her work to the situation, the number of participants, the time constraints, etc. She has a clear understanding of the voice-body relationship and offers her insights with a directness that is at once inviting and commanding. Her metaphor for relaxation and an open throat have had an immediate effect upon me as an actor. As Co-artistic director of ARTEL, I can say that Roksana's guiding of our warm-ups has prepared the ensemble invaluably for each performance. She did so with a precise efficiency and joy.
Bryan Brown.
Working with Roksana I was able to integrate vocal technique and musicality. Her knowledge of singing and incredible skill at the piano make her a wonderfully perceptive and insightful teacher. Roksana has helped me find my voice and understand it. She is a gem.
Danielle Birrittella, singer, actress and collaborative artist
Roksana Zeinapur has a deep understanding of the physiological break down of the body, and how the mind is able to access the deepest parts of our being in order to relieve us from inner tension and stress. Roksana works in such a way that one feels both empowered and comforted; able to walk away with confidence to continue self-practice, and the assurance that they will be returning to a safe space when working with Roksana. I highly recommend this class for anyone who feels the need to deepen an understanding of how their body works, or for anyone who feels that they would like to live with more ease.
Roksana's voice teaching is centered on the use of consistent technique, where optimal sound comes out of a body that is relaxed and balanced. Her approach is no-nonsense and holistic, always with an aim to de-mysetify singing and bring it into the physical realm. She is a warm, generous and encouraging teacher. Time spent with her goes by too fast. In addition to her unfaltering musicianship, she brings a wide breadth of knowledge about other subjects--language, physiology, phonetics, and psychology to her teaching. For us students, there is ever the lesson there that we sing with the entirety of our selves.
Sara Bencivenga, singer and sound editor
Please email me to schedule your vocal coaching session. Z Vocal Studio is located in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles.