We recently connected with Nicole Barnhart and have shared our conversation below.

Nicole, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Natural ability is definitely a plus for anyone wanting to be a singer, but there are a lot of technical skills that must be learned in order to use your voice in a healthy and sustainable way. I never knew I had anything special about my voice until high school when I joined choir. I was blessed to have a wonderful choral director and I took private voice lessons from him during the summers. He set a strong foundation for my voice. As I worked with other voice teachers and directors along the way, I was able to explore new sounds. But in those early college days I wasn’t necessarily taught how to produce those sounds in a sustainable way. I ended up having to unlearn some habits in order to ultimately learn what healthy singing feels like for me. As a voice teacher, I’m very mindful of the individuality of the voice, and always check in with how things are feeling for the student. The most essential skill I’ve learned as a singer and teacher is MDH Breathing Coordination, which helps reduce muscle tension and balances the breath and body for more efficient singing. I became a Practitioner so I could teach my students more effectively and holistically. Another skill I’ve been focusing on more is keeping a positive and confident mindset while singing (basically, being my own cheerleader). The mind is so powerful and can make or break your performance. The main obstacle that has stood in my way of learning more is finances. It’s not cheap to attend voice lessons regularly. I wish I would’ve been able to be more consistent with my own lessons over the years. It’s also a big investment to further my voice teacher training and to add to my certifications, although it’s always worth it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I always knew I wanted a career in the arts and to also be a mom. As a child, I thought I’d grow up to be either a famous ballerina or a dance teacher. Turns out, I’m a not-so-famous professional singer (since 1994), a voice teacher (since 1997), and also a mom (since 2005).

I started my young creative life as a dancer, then a cheerleader. When I didn’t make the cheer squad in high school, I was devastated! But I liked to sing so I signed up for choir. Little did I know, that would change the trajectory of my life. That’s when I realized I do have a gift. My senior year, my boss took me to see a musical at Citrus College, where she was previously in the acclaimed Citrus Singer program. I immediately thought to myself, “I want to do that!” And that’s what I did. While I was in college, I began my professional career doing shows at the LA County Fair. It was so fun and I made money! Once I graduated, I continued performing in various musical productions, bands, etc, while continuing training with voice, acting, and dance classes.

I never thought about teaching voice until I was asked to sub for a friend of mine. Once again, it changed my life. I experienced just as much joy teaching as I did performing. But I knew I had a great responsibility. It isn’t enough to just be a good singer or to teach the same things you’ve been taught. It’s a whole other ballgame to know HOW to teach each individual.

I’m currently still singing professionally in a country band and serve on my church’s worship team. But my day-to-day passion is teaching. I am the owner of SoCal Singer Studio in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. I have a cute studio detached from my home, just a quick walk across the patio. This private studio allows for scheduling flexibility, as well as one-on-one focused care for each student. I take a holistic approach to teaching lessons and will be the biggest supporter of their goals. As a team, we will often check in with some bodywork and stretches, being aware of muscle tension and/or postural imbalances. All of this makes a difference in how efficiently we breathe and sing. Vocal health is my top priority because I don’t want anyone to suffer the way I did when I struggled with vocal issues. We work on healthy technique and make sure everything feels free and sustainable. These skills build confidence and solid technique. We must then let go of some of the science of singing as we dive into its real purpose: storytelling. We can’t forget the importance of connecting emotionally to a song and letting that shine through in performance. The art of singing should be enjoyable!

Services I provide as part of lessons: MDH Breathing Coordination, laryngeal release, audition coaching. I offer multiple performance opportunities during the year, as well as choir, musical theater camp, and pop star camp during the summer.

I work with kids ages 8+, teens, and adults. From beginners to professionals, each lesson is catered toward individual needs and goals. I’m here to serve and support you! Many of my students have gone on to book roles on national tours, community theater productions, or just built confidence to rock the karaoke stage!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The friendships you make with a diverse group of people is very enriching. We all have that creative bug in common, and if you’re in the business long enough you’ll end up working with some of the same people over the years. Some folks are what we call “show friends” that you lose touch with when you’re not working on a project together, which is fine because you pick up where you left off when you see them again and it’s great! But a select few have become my most cherished friends for many, many years. I even met my husband backstage during one of my shows!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Being married to a creative, the term “starving artists” was all too true for us until we settled into steady jobs. There was a time when we were really struggling financially, and I was given the opportunity to take an office job with health benefits. I reluctantly accepted out of necessity and had to let go of my voice students. I cried because I felt like I wouldn’t be making a difference in anyone’s life anymore. I was very good at my job, but sitting behind a desk every day slowly decayed my creative soul. After about five years I was grateful for the experience and also relieved when I was able to quit. It took about a year to rebuild my roster of students again.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://socalsinger.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socalsingerstudio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoCalSingerStudio
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thesocalsinger?feature=shared
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/t1WiX5lWf0