Annapolis voice teacher Rebecca Downs, has worked professionally as a singer, actor and voice-over artist for close to 30 years in New York and Los Angeles. She has been teaching voice for almost 20 years. She has a BA in theater from Tufts University and an MFA from The Boston Conservatory Of Music. Her conservatory studies included vocal pedagogy and voice therapy, as well as Operatic Performance.
EXPERIENCE
As a professional singer she has worked in several styles - classical, jazz, musical theater and pop. She learned early that remaining flexible in her approach to singing allowed her greater opportunity to work and grow as an artist. Having studied and performed a range of styles for many years she is similarly flexible in her approach to teaching voice, preferring that to a one-size-fits-all approach. Staying true to her classical and voice therapy roots, she has integrated elements from different musical styles and vocal techniques to create a process that strengthens and expands the voice. A vocal technique that helps her students first find their voice and then develop it. Using a combination of exercises customized to each voice and each level, students build the desired muscle memory in lessons and in practice. Breath support, pitch, range, repertoire, emotional choices, song mapping and even mic technique can all be part of the lesson
Her most influential teachers included David Blair McCloskey, a pioneer in vocal therapy, and celebrity voice teacher and coach Seth Riggs, author of speech-level singing. Blending what she learned from them and what she drew from her own professional experience, she learned how to achieve exactly the kind of sound she wanted. She treats the singing voice and speaking voice with equal care, as they are one and the same thing. "In my many years working as a professional singer and voice actor, I had to make sure my voice was warmed up and ready for every booking, every audition. I had to be able to sing all night at a gig, and still be able to show up in the studio first thing the next morning, ready to record."
BOOKING AGENT
In addition, for over a decade she ran a music agency she founded in Los Angeles with her husband, Grammy winning sax player Rick Rossi, creating cutting edge musical groups for Films, TV series, private parties and corporate events. She groomed young musicians to become successful performers in this niche market, and her experience on both sides of the audition desk continues to be an important aspect of her work as a music teacher.
STUDENTS
She works with beginners and intermediate level singers: with people with serious musical career aspirations, actors looking to expand their range and skills, and people of all ages who simply want to sing a little better for the sheer joy of it. Areas of focus can include
* Basic vocal skills
* Song prep
* Song/Audition Coaching
* Ear training and harmonizing
* Close harmony work
* Mic technique
* Breath Control
* Performance Skills
* Jazz Improvisation
SONGWRITER
A published songwriter, her songs are featured on movie and television soundtracks as well as movie and corporate promotions including hit TV show Roswell, the academy award nominated film The Cooler, The Wedding Crashers, and Down With Love. She sings in five languages.
