Lesson

(Intro)

It's not you, it's about how to train.

Too many talented individuals fade away, believing their lack of progress is their own fault - without ever experiencing proper training. They slowly distance themselves from their dreams and disappear without making their mark. But let me be clear: this is absolutely not your fault. As a vocal coach who has dedicated the past 15 years to studying cutting-edge voice science and vocal coaching methods internationally, I can say this with complete confidence:
“It's not you, it's about how to train.”

01: Develop Singer’s Brain.
We know how the brain learns.
We design training based on how the human brain learns vocal production. The brain cannot effectively learn vocal technique through theoretical explanations, descriptive instructions like 'make the sound this way,' or coaching methods based on abstract directions and metaphors. In fact, these approaches can seriously hinder the learning process.
Design attractors in vocal training.
Instead, when a coach designs effective exercises to elicit specific target sounds and guides singers to perform them correctly, the brain learns to construct precise vocal movements. This happens through a process of integrating various sensations experienced while singing, making predictions, planning motor execution, and implementing corrections.
Interpret what singers feel.
When students produce the correct sound under a vocal coach's guidance, their physical and auditory sensations are fed back to the brain. The brain then analyzes which muscle combinations and coordinations created these sensations, gradually building the neural networks required for singing.
Our approach is based on this scientific understanding of how the brain learns vocal technique - through practical experience rather than abstract instruction.
01. Get Senses
Your brain gathers sensory input, particularly from the somatosensory system and the auditory system.
02. Combine senses
It combines these sensory inputs to form a unified perception of your body’s position and the sounds you hear.
03. Translate it as vocal action
The brain then translates this unified sensory feedback into vocal actions, which involves formulating a motor plan. The motor plan is calculated with the help of an “inverse model,” working like a mental blueprint.
04. Initiate vocal movement
Our brain sends signals to the vocal muscles, instructing them on how to move precisely to produce the desired vocalizations.
05. Adjustments for Next Attempt
Your brain evaluates the feedback from the current attempt and compares it with a “feedforward model.” This feedforward model represents the expected outcome. The brain then makes adjustments for the next attempt based on this comparison.
06. Learning and Improving
With each practice and vocal exercise, the brain continues to refine its motor plans. It learns from experience and adapts based on sensory feedback and the feedforward model, progressively improving your vocal abilities over time.
02: Develop Vocal Technique
For singers, the voice is a tool for expression
Tools for Artistic Expression.
Even if singers possess outstanding emotional sensitivity and unique artistic intentions, they cannot fully convey their intended emotions to the audience without knowing how to properly use their vocal system (breathing, vocal cords, resonance) as a tool for expression through song.Even if singers possess outstanding emotional sensitivity and unique artistic intentions, they cannot fully convey their intended emotions to the audience without knowing how to properly use their vocal system (breathing, vocal cords, resonance) as a tool for expression through song.
Achieving Automatic Vocal Skills.
The ultimate goal of vocal training is to reach a state where singing techniques become fully automated and unconsciously accessible. This allows singers to focus their mental energy and intention entirely on expression rather than vocal production. The many technical elements like high notes, power, endurance, flexibility, agility, and dynamics are merely byproducts naturally acquired on the path toward this final goal.
Mastering Voice Control.
We provide vocal technique training aimed at helping singers internalize proper vocal production, ultimately giving them complete authority over their voice so they can control it according to their artistic intentions.

2-1Vocal Cords Coordination.
This training enables singers to perform from low to high notes as one voice without throat fatigue or strain by:

Eliminating unnecessary tension and habits
Improving control, strength, endurance, agility, and flexibility of intrinsic laryngeal muscles
Enhancing interaction with extrinsic laryngeal muscles

This phase goes beyond merely training the vocal cords; it integrates breathing and resonance system training within exercises, promoting balanced coordination throughout the entire vocal system.

2-2Acoustic Energy Stratagy.
This is a crucial training element for:

Register transitions
Resonance
Power
Tone color
Vocal efficiency
Voice fatigue management

Known commonly as 'Formant and Harmonics,' this training must be conducted alongside technical vocal development to achieve specific vocal styles required in different music genres. We were the first to introduce this training method in Korea and possess the highest level of expertise in this approach.
03: Develop Your Sound
The true purpose and ultimate goal of vocal training is to achieve free expression, develop your style, and sing in a way that's authentically you. We've designed training programs that enable singers to apply specific vocal styles and expressive techniques to their songs by utilizing the voice control skills acquired through vocal technique training.

Unlike the basic vocal training phase, this process isn't about simply imitating the coach's demonstrations. Instead, singers are encouraged to express themselves by connecting with both the context of the song and their personal experiences. We also include exercises that bridge the gap between basic vocal technique and style development. This includes training in vocal tract (resonance cavity) adjustment and harmonic control, which influences our timbre or voice character, allowing singers to experience various sound options.

In essence, this training helps you discover and develop your unique voice while maintaining proper vocal technique. We provide the tools and guidance needed to help you find your authentic sound and express yourself freely through music.

(Booking)

Please tell me your goal.
PLEASE TELL ME YOUR GOAL.
PLEASE TELL ME YOUR GOAL.
PLEASE TELL ME YOUR GOAL.

Please tell me your goal.
PLEASE TELL ME YOUR GOAL.
PLEASE TELL ME YOUR GOAL.
PLEASE TELL ME YOUR GOAL.

21Century Vocal Training

(Method)

Integration of Proven Vocal Coaching Techniques and Modern Voice Science

In the United States, a leading country in vocal education, modern vocal coaching techniques were established over the past few decades that are now recognized as the global standard for vocal training. Particularly around the 2000s, with the advancement of practical voice science, collaboration between skilled vocal coaches and voice scientists began to emerge, leading to even more sophisticated vocal training methods.
Along with these new developments, I provide 21st-century vocal training based on my established expertise and experience. This approach combines time-tested techniques with cutting-edge voice science research to deliver comprehensive and effective vocal training.

VOCOLOGY INPRACTICE
The integration of vocal training and voice science.
PRO|VOCAL COACH
21st Century Vocal Training and Professional Excellence.
SPEECHLEVEL SINGING
The global standard of modern vocal training.

EXPERTISE & EXPERIENCE.
JOE is uniquely recognized in Korea for his consistent, long-term research and instruction focused on mix voice training. His coaching method, which enables singers to master various techniques such as Mixed Belt, Belting, and Legit based on the stable foundation of mix voice, has received high acclaim from vocal coaches in the United States and Japan.
See With Ears, Feel With Body.
A highly trained vocal coach's listening ability can detect vocal issues that are difficult to observe visually or measure through voice analysis programs. They can also understand the physical sensations that singers experience during vocalization. Vocal training crucially depends on understanding what these sensations mean and what information they convey. JOE has a deep understanding of which sensations singers need to experience repeatedly during lessons, how to interpret these sensations for singers, and how to elicit them effectively.
Develop Vocal Affordance.
A vocal coach's role is to develop what JOE terms "Vocal Affordance" - enabling singers to not only improve their physical capabilities but also understand their voice and make independent decisions about how to apply learned techniques and express their artistic intentions. (Vocal Affordance is a new term coined by JOE.) This requires a different training strategy and specific methodology. The lessons go beyond addressing visible vocal issues and physical elements - they develop singers' cognitive strategic abilities to control their voice and creatively use various vocal techniques according to the artistic expression and intentions required in songs. This approach is one of the key differentiators of JOE's method, proving highly effective in the complex and unpredictable learning environment of singing (Wicked Learning Environment), both in long-term development and handling various performance variables.
*Vocal Affordance: This concept refers to how voice perception can lead to or induce specific actions. In singing, it means that when a singer's perception of sound changes through training, their singing behavior changes accordingly. Furthermore, it suggests that through training-induced perceptual changes, singers can recognize new possibilities in their voice usage independently.
VOCOLOGY IN PRACTICE
'Vocology', conceived by voice scientist Ingo Titze and otolaryngologist George Gates, refers to "the science and practice of voice education." It represents an integrated approach to vocal training that combines various disciplines including medicine, voice science, vocal pedagogy, voice rehabilitation, and vocal coaching.
This comprehensive field encompasses not only voice rehabilitation, therapy, and vocal training but also includes specialized training processes tailored to specific purposes and requirements. For singers, this means preparing them for the various vocal abilities demanded by different singing styles.
Vocology in Practice (ViP) is a network of vocal coaches and voice specialists who collaborate to advance vocal education through practical and effective coaching techniques based on vocology principles.
Core Value of ViP.
The method maintains proven training exercises while incorporating new approaches and insights from modern voice science to create a highly practical and logical vocal coaching methodology. It provides:

Training suitable for various musical demands and vocal styles
Comprehensive solutions for singers' growth and care through collaboration with voice specialists, music professionals, producers, and voice therapists
Coaching based on seven core principles: Artistry, Anatomy & Health, Musicianship, Voice Science, Body & Mind, Vocal Pedagogy, and Professional Development
Integrate Theory and Practical Application.
A crucial aspect of any vocal training method is not just whether it's scientifically based, but how effectively it translates scientific theory into practical coaching techniques. ViP stands out as the only method where voice experts, scientists, and experienced vocal coaches collaborate to create training methods where theory and practice align seamlessly.
Integrate Technique and Artistry.
he method provides vocal training that balances technical proficiency with artistic expression. While the primary goal is maintaining vocal health, popular music requires both solid vocal technique and artistic individuality. The training is designed with:

Deep understanding of laryngeal muscular aspects
Acoustic considerations (resonance and harmonics)
Latest scientific knowledge from various fields
Ability to achieve specific expressions and vocal styles without strain

This comprehensive approach ensures that singers can develop their unique artistic voice while maintaining proper vocal technique and health.
SPEECH LEVEL SINGING
This vocal training method, developed by Seth Riggs, stands as one of the first modern vocal coaching techniques for popular music vocalists and has now become the "standard of vocal training" in vocal education worldwide. It has been used to train more than 120 Grammy Award winners, New York Metropolitan Opera audition winners, and countless Broadway musical performers, as well as pop stars like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Usher, Madonna, James Ingram, Michael Bolton, Natalie Cole, Tamia, Prince, Boyz II Men, Linkin Park, Luther Vandross, and many others.
Moreover, through collaboration with laryngologists like Henry Rubin, Hans von Leden, and Edward Kantor, the method has been used for vocal rehabilitation of professional singers who have undergone vocal cord surgery or treatment. It gained particular public recognition when Stevie Wonder successfully rehabilitated his voice using this method after vocal cord surgery.
Seth Riggs and the SLS method have had such a profound impact that it's impossible to fully discuss contemporary popular music vocal education (CCM Vocal Pedagogy) without acknowledging their contributions and influence. Currently, lesson methods based on or utilizing concepts from the SLS method are widely used in training professional singers in Hollywood, New York Broadway, the UK, Japan, and beyond.
Core Value of SLS.
This method is designed to teach harmonious coordination of vocal elements through exercises designed by the coach, rather than separately controlling breathing, vocal cords, and resonance or consciously controlling vocalization. It avoids inefficient approaches like sensation-based descriptions or biomechanical instructions, instead guiding singers to naturally acquire target vocalization by experiencing proper vocal sensations through exercises.
However, despite these benefits, the method has a potential weakness in that lesson effectiveness can vary greatly depending on the vocal coach's understanding and creativity with the method. Even after obtaining SLS certification, coaches need years of official training under master coaches in voice analysis, exercise design, and application methods to provide proper coaching.
Sing easily and freely like natural speech.
This means being able to sing without unnecessary muscle use and tension, just like when using a healthy speaking voice. Under this condition, the vocal system (breathing, vocal cords, resonance) is used more actively than in regular speech to match singing purposes. This absolutely doesn't mean singing with only the energy used in speaking, but rather refers to efficient vocal production that creates maximum sound value with appropriate breathing and muscle energy, which is considered important in voice therapy.
Sing with a speech-like tone.
This means being able to sing from low to high notes with a consistent, natural tone like in conversation, similarly indicating the absence of incorrect laryngeal muscle use and control in the process. This represents an ideal vocal state, and different singing situations require various tonal changes, irregular techniques, and applied expressions. It's a process of building solid fundamentals to prevent expression limitations due to vocal problems or increased risk of vocal cord disorders.
*While light voices and specific tones may be used temporarily or for certain periods during training, this is not the final result that the SLS method aims for.