1. Who Is Jocelyn Ong?
Jocelyn is passionate about helping people to realize their potential. An educator at heart, she has been teaching for more than 10 years at various educational outfits, as an Academic Staff (Module Chair) at a local polytechnic, a vocal coach at The Little Arts Academy, a music teacher at a local kindergarten, and many more. She is currently an adjunct lecturer at Singapore Raffles Music College (Pop Vocals & Performing Arts Education), a singing teacher at Stamford American International School, and also offers private voice lessons & group workshops.
Her teaching is enhanced by extensive experience as a professional singer/musician, bringing an understanding of the dynamics of live performance to the classroom. She has performed both as front-woman and supporting band member in many local and international venues, including St James Power Station, The Penny Black, Red Dot Brewhouse, Timbre, The Esplanade, No Black Tie (KL, Malaysia), Shy Rooftop (Jakarta, Indonesia), The Swan Lounge (Perth, Australia), and many others. She also released an original Christian worship album, 'Saviour Messiah King' in 2016.
With regards to voice education, she believes in encouraging her students to experience and interact with music and singing in a way that they understand. Whether it be through “silly” folk songs, musical theatre, Christian worship songs, or the latest Top 40s, singing should be an opportunity for learning, education, and fun!
Having achieved a Level III IVA (Institute for Vocal Advancement) teaching certification, the IVA technique grounds her approach to voice training. Jocelyn also holds a Master's degree of Education from the University of Toronto, Canada. In addition, as a PAVA (Pan-American Vocology Association) member, she keeps abreast of the latest developments in voice science to guide her students towards optimal vocal function for singing and speech.
2. What Will My Voice Lessons Be Like?
Voice production is immensely complex. Until recently, voice teachers were not expected to possess a deep knowledge of the science of singing. Teaching was considered more of an art than a science. Fortunately, due in part to the work of a number of pioneering vocal pedagogues in the 20th century, this is changing. The science of singing is becoming more and more an expected component of voice pedagogy with an emphasis on evidence-based practice.
At JO Vocal, your lessons will be student-centric, technique-focused, flexible, and informed by the latest developments in voice science. While guiding you towards your optimal vocal function, you will be encouraged to take ownership of your learning experience, and I will leave space in each session to adapt to your learning needs, objectives, and what is present and most needed at the time. In all these efforts, I endeavour to establish a warm and supportive mode of interaction so that you will feel supported and understood as we work together toward your better voice.
Here's a snapshot of some of the work I was doing with my students during the week of 18th Oct '21. Your lessons may or may not be similar, depending on your voice type and your learning goals. (Note: these lessons were 100% online, in line with the safe distancing regulations of that time):
- Advancing vocal technique by building awareness of the 'E' vowel;
- Preparing a worship leader for a worship leading session using the VoceVista Video software;
- Training an aspiring voiceover artist via a dramatic reading of a section of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest';
- Working on integrating emotion with technique in singing via grounding and mindful singing exercises;
- Finetuning an 11-year old's rendition of a pop song in preparation for a recording session;
- Teaching a 10-year old to play the melody of their song on the piano in order to improve their pitch matching;
- Employing body percussion to help a 9-year old experience and internalize the concept of 'meter';
- Helping a heavy voice user (professional call centre team lead) develop a healthier way of speaking;
- Working with a teenager with an intellectual disability to smoothen their transition through different vocal registers;
- etc.
3. Where Is Your Teaching Location And What Are Your Rates?
Here's a little something about me: I am the sort of person who reads all the labels on products that I buy. Personally, I try not to pay for mere branding or marketing at the expense of honest, quality ingredients. This is the philosophy that I bring into my teaching studio and my pricing. I endeavour to offer you honest, quality teaching that provides the best value in the market instead of transferring the costs of branding, marketing and promotion to you. (By the way, I am also hardly on social media, as you might be able to tell from the very infrequent updates on my socials haha).
Location-wise, I teach from my humble home in Serangoon, Singapore. Both IN-PERSON and ONLINE lessons are available, though slots are limited. Please get in touch to find out my current rates and to arrange some mutually-available days/times! I would love to hear from you. :)
