Author: Jess Baldwin

Jess is a creativity and artist coach, contemporary voice specialist, indie soul singer-songwriter-producer, and owner of True Colors Voice and Artist Coaching. Throughout school, she sang soul, jazz, pop, and musical theatre alongside choral and classical music. After completing her master's in classical vocal pedagogy and performance, she devoured whatever she could find about CCM (non-classical) vocal pedagogy, attended her first CCM Institute in 2009, and was eventually appointed to the faculty of the Institute in 2016. Her love for popular music in particular led to the creation of Singing in Popular Musics, a blog by and for voice teachers. Right after grad school, she started her personal artistry walkabout after a teacher led her to The Artist's Way. It was the first of a non-stop string of books about creativity, coaching, psychology, productivity, and healing, all of which found their way into her teaching as well as her own artistry. While she still loves nerding out on vocal pedagogy and helping singers create the sounds they want, her true passion is in helping singer-artists connect to the why behind their voice, songs, and style, walking alongside them as they find their own path to artistic authenticity. She’s currently a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Association for Popular Music Education, and the Creativity Coaching Association.
pensive ethnic man listening to answer in paper cup phone
Uncategorized

Popular and Commercial Music Voice Teachers: Your Input Is Needed!

Hello friends and colleagues!  I (Jessica Baldwin) am currently on the NATS Commercial Music Auditions national committee. The committee deeply wants the auditions to benefit popular and commercial music teachers and singers in the ways they want to experience benefits. It’s become clear that we need more information from the community itself, much of which exists outside of NATS. With the committee’s approval, I’ve created … Continue reading Popular and Commercial Music Voice Teachers: Your Input Is Needed!

Jess BaldwinLeave a comment
Pedagogy

Livestream Replay: Your Western-Classical Degree Did Not Prepare You to Teach Popular Music Styles

Flashback to this livestream with Jess Baldwin and Dr. Shannon Coates, talking about the different ways your Western-Classical Degree probably didn’t prepare you to teach popular music styles. If you want to fill in a few of those pedagogy gaps, Dr. Coates’ Contemporary Voice Ped Pop-Up runs this week! Anatomy on Tuesday June 14, Panel with Jess on Wednesday June 15. $125 for single days … Continue reading Livestream Replay: Your Western-Classical Degree Did Not Prepare You to Teach Popular Music Styles

Jess BaldwinLeave a comment
woman in green jacket holding a microphone
Genre Differences, Individual Style, Pedagogy, Rhythm and Groove, Software

Changing the Feel of a Cover Song with Limited Instrumental Skills // Jess Baldwin

There’s no shame in not having major instrumental skills, and it definitely doesn’t have to hold you back in helping your student (or yourself!) reimagine a cover song in a style that feels more authentic. Here are a few tools you can use. Ballad-ize It If you want to ballad-ize something, Look on YouTube/iTunes for stripped down versions of a song. Search terms like “piano … Continue reading Changing the Feel of a Cover Song with Limited Instrumental Skills // Jess Baldwin

Jess BaldwinLeave a comment
man using brown and black electric guitar while singing
Artist Development, Pedagogy

Good Artistry Doesn’t Require “Good” Vocal Technique // Jess Baldwin

Often, I see us voice teachers describing a good artist as someone who exists at the intersection of good vocal technique and good expression/storytelling/etc. I have absolutely been on this thought train in the past, but I’m seriously questioning it. Here’s why: I work with a lot of voice teachers who are exploring popular musics in their own voices. A common fear most of them … Continue reading Good Artistry Doesn’t Require “Good” Vocal Technique // Jess Baldwin

Jess Baldwin2 Comments
Popular Music Education

Before you create that popular musics voice teacher position… // Jess Baldwin

Please stop creating positions for popular musics voice teachers in your mostly classical voice department if you’re not going to provide the students with the full range of resources and training they really need to be successful in these genres. Will they be required to write and sing their own songs as part of their lessons? Will there be songwriting professors on faculty to help … Continue reading Before you create that popular musics voice teacher position… // Jess Baldwin

Jess Baldwin1 Comment
Classes & Workshops

March Workshops

Join our contributors for these upcoming workshops! Moving from Appropriation to Appreciation in the White-Owned Voice Studio // Jess Baldwin & Michelle Markwart Deveaux Friday, March 12⋅11:30am – 1:30pm Jessica Baldwin and Michelle Markwart Deveaux have developed a brave space for white voice teachers of popular musics who are ready to take actionable steps toward repertoire justice. Repertoire justice is the act of educating ourselves … Continue reading March Workshops

Jess BaldwinLeave a comment
Artist Development, Cultural Influences, Genre Differences, Popular Music Education, Post-Secondary Programs

Teaching CCM Styles, Finding Your Voice, and Appropriating Styles…and Yourself // Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin

Dr. Trineice (creator of Soul Ingredients® and author of So You Want to Sing Gospel) shares some fantastic wisdom with us about the ways academia can helpfully structure programs for singers of CCM genres, how she found her own voice and helps others find theirs, and ways we can be mindful of potential appropriation. Transcript: Jessica Baldwin:Hey everybody. I am Jess Baldwin, and this is … Continue reading Teaching CCM Styles, Finding Your Voice, and Appropriating Styles…and Yourself // Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin

Jess Baldwin2 Comments
Books, Interviews, Pedagogy, Research

Elizabeth Benson’s findings in her new book about CCM Voice Teachers: “Consensus is not a path to legitimacy.”

Elizabeth Ann Benson has recently published her book Training Contemporary Commercial Singers, in which she shares her findings from interviewing 26 voice teachers who work with CCM, popular music, jazz, and musical theatre singers. She is trained in Somatic Voicework™ the LoVetri Method, Lisa Popeil’s Voiceworks® method, and Estill Voice Training™, among others. She is a 2016 graduate of the Intern Program of the National … Continue reading Elizabeth Benson’s findings in her new book about CCM Voice Teachers: “Consensus is not a path to legitimacy.”

Jess BaldwinLeave a comment