Student Success Stories
Note: You'll notice these stories are from a previous name of our school – Total Vocal Freedom. Though the name of the school has changed, the work has not and provides that same benefit and impact you'll see in these stories.
Karen Archbold
Musician, Teacher & Program Graduate
Okan Sipahioglu
Musician & Teacher Trainee
Suzanne Lutz
Musician & Teacher Trainee
Tracy Van Fleet
Musician & Teacher Trainee
More Success Stories
“…I was ready to retire from my professional career of 40 years. The TVF Academy turned everything around for me.”
“After working with a laryngologist and a speech therapist for vocal cord paresis I was ready to retire from my professional career of 40 years. The TVF Academy turned everything around for me. I found freedom and ease where I used to find stress both in my voice and my daily life. It has transformed my teaching as well!”
–Lisa Rogers Lee, Singer & Voice Teacher in Chicago, USA
“TVF Academy is not only a high-quality learning space for singers, but it’s also a life school.”
“One year in TVF Academy has been my healing process as an opera singer in crisis. It is the perfect place to find ease, freedom, inspiration, motivation, energy, power, passion and love! TVF Academy is not only a high-quality learning space for singers, but it’s also a life school.”
–Okan Sipahi, Singer in Catania, Italy
“My singing is much more connected with my body.”
“I am communicating with the audience more, and even if when I cannot achieve that I am aware of the importance of it. But what the TVF Academy program made a change in my life is that I begin to be more proactive in communicating my desires or feedback with the other people. Previously I was generally the one who was waiting for the other person to interact with me. But now I feel more open to others. I am hoping that this new part of me will grow more.”
–Elif Yavuzturk, Singer, Ankara, Turkey
“After only three or four weeks in the TVF Academy I felt my voice freeing up.”
“After a 25 year professional career in singing classical music, I had come to a place where my singing felt stuck. Singing was no longer the joy it used to be. I enrolled in the TVF Academy because I needed a boost and a change, but I didn’t know where to find it. I didn’t have the opportunity to start taking weekly lessons with any of my teachers, due to time, travel, as well as money. After only three or four weeks in the TVF Academy I felt my voice freeing up. A short time after that I began to feel like I had all the flexibility, colors, and coordination of my voice back again! I never lost my passion, but now singing is again my joy.”
–Tracy Van Fleet, Singer & Voice Teacher in Los Angeles, USA
“I have greatly corrected my posture…”
“This past year in TVF has changed me in so many ways, it’s made me a better voice teacher and singer but the truly amazing thing is how I feel physically. With learning about and using the Alexander Technique, I have greatly corrected my posture, learned how to stand on stage with little or no pain, and just feel better overall, even my Dr has said I need to keep up what I’m doing!”
–Lois Richardson Shive, Singer & Voice Teacher, Chicago, USA
“TVF is my lantern that gives me warmth and courage to keep moving forward.”
“I’m now a clear and precise teacher, a true supportive friend, a patient loving husband, a better version of myself. And a much expressive singer! I think I’m naturally a leader, but taking the time every week, every day to work on myself and improve my craft. I’ve now have a much longer reach to help so much more people. I’m scared of stepping into the fog’s future but deep inside I’m finding myself wanting to apply TVF principles to my whole island, to everybody I come across. It’s not even about making a living, it’s about making a living so I can keep on making people happy with their music. TVF is my lantern that gives me warmth and courage to keep moving forward.”
–Kevin Kelly Kahelain, Singer and Teacher, Moorea
“TVF has completely transformed my singing and my teaching in the most unexpected, delightful, and profound ways.”
When I first started my TVF Academy journey in 2016, I wasn’t sure exactly what I would learn. I was hoping for some tips and tricks for myself and my students, and possibly connections with other vocal teachers. Boy was I blown away! The TVF Academy not only offered a science-based approach to free vocal production, but also an incredible community that has become family, and more support and assistance than I could ever have imagined. I have already learned so much about myself and experienced massive improvements in my own singing, and I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface of possibilities! I can honestly say that TVF has completely transformed my singing and my teaching in the most unexpected, delightful, and profound ways. For once, the ”hype” doesn’t even begin to describe the actual experience. Joining TVF was one of the very best decisions I’ve made for myself and my career!
–Midge McMoyer Smith, Singer and Accompanist, Houston, USA
“There are avenues now for me to make a living with my singing.”
“Peter, I love the way you teach – the positive words you use, the gentle way you correct and the order of your presentations – the way you allow all of us to ‘be’ in a safe, supportive place – priceless! You really named the program right: Total Vocal Freedom (it’s more than just the voice!) There are avenues now for me to make a living with my singing. It will be most interesting to see where my journey takes me next! Woo-hoo!”
–Donna Marie Castaner, Singer, New York, USA
“… a safe and supportive place for all of us to feel free and ease.”
“Peter, I love the way you teach….You are so kind and gentle. You use positive words to correct the members of the Academy. You create a safe and supportive place for all of us to feel free and ease. You approach to problems is very helpful….Thanks a lot for everything.”
–Angeliki Krissila, Choral Conductor, Thessaloniki, Greece
“I joined the Academy in 2016, and it was easily one of the best investments I have made in my career.”
“I have struggled for years with technical issues – in particular tension, which none of the many teachers I have studied with have really been able to address. In the past year, through the different modules in the Academy, I have found several tools that have helped me address these issues. The best part of these discoveries has been that I have really understood how they came about – which means I’m able to re-create them whenever needed (versus my experiences in the past making progress only to find it fall away in a few weeks and not knowing how to get back there). The different modules all fit together into this brilliant approach to finding more freedom vocally, mentally and emotionally. Peter has somehow managed to put together a community are the most supportive group of people that I have ever encountered – connecting with them has brought me so much joy.”
–Nitya Thomas, Singer and Voice Teacher, New York City, USA
“TVF Academy is an honest, supportive community…”
“When I first started in the Academy, I really thought I was alone in my frustrations about how things had gone in my singing career. I thought I was the only singer insecure in my vocal abilities. I thought that other singers didn’t struggle to find the time to practice or know how they fit into a professional vocal world. I was wrong! TVF Academy is an honest, supportive community and I know now that there are a lot of other singers who struggle with these same issues.”
–Karen Archbold, Singer and Voice Teacher, Chicago, USA
