Carrie! You have been on the team at Jacob Burton Studios since August of 2019. It has been an honor to have you a part of the team! What is your background as a vocal coach?
I am honored to be a part of this team! Such a fun and inspiring group to work with!
I went to school in NYC at the American Musical & Dramatic Academy – where I studied Musical Theater, acting, classical voice, voice production speech, and dance. When I moved to Nashville I furthered my education at BAST teaching training with well known Nashville vocal coach – Lisa Huepert. I then went on to teach voice at Franklin Brentwood Academy Art school and have had numerous private students in Voice, songwriting, basic guitar and artist performance.
You’re a vocal coach by day, and incredible indie-artist by night! You have opened for artists like David Cook (winner of American Idol), Delta Rae, and Melissa Ethridge! That’s a pretty incredible résumé! What is one piece of advice you would give to aspiring artists in the music industry?
It’s definitely been a wild ride! Patience is the key in this business and also learning how to enjoy the ride even when it gets real bumpy. It’s also important to really hone in on what makes you unique as an artist and hold on to that! Believe in you!
What is your favorite performance of your career thus far?
There are so many fun performances. Ok! I’ll pick two! 😉
I opened up and sang with the Marshall Tucker Band. I also recently sang “Calling All Angels” on stage with the Grammy Award winning band Train!
What do you enjoy most about coaching voice
I really love seeing someone discover their voice. Even if you’ve been singing all your life there is always something new to discover in your voice. Those “AH HA” moments are so special to me!
What is one of your favorite vocal coaching related stories?
I have so many! Ok, here’s one: I was helping a student of mine through the whole audition process of getting into Belmont University for commercial music! It was a challenging audition to prepare for, but she was accepted! I was so very proud!
You are also an extremely talented songwriter. What advice would you give to aspiring songwriters?
Write a true story! Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. People will always relate and that’s key to the listener. Also, sometimes you have to write a bunch of bad songs in order to get one good song. It’s worth it!
What is the number one thing you feel that you have to offer singers when working with them on their voice?
Experiential advice and confidence. Most people can sing but they just have to believe it and discover different techniques to make their voices work the way they want. I love helping people do this- the discovery of their own unique voice. Everyone has one!
What is the greatest compliment you have ever received?
I’ve been lucky to have so many kind people in my life. I think the greatest compliment to me is when someone relates to one of my songs during a show and then comes to me after or writes me a message telling me why they related and how much it touched them. I live for those moments!
Got any funny stories?
I’ve got too many funny stories I could tell, so I’ve decided to tell you a funny talent that I have. Here it goes… I can do the Donald Duck Voice… very well! Don’t ask me to do this in a lesson…or do! 😉
