The Struggle for Legitimacy: African American Voice Teachers in a World That Doesn’t Listen

... A Journey from High School to Today

Ya'll, I'm scared because I am mostly private but I felt the need to speak today... well, write. This is what I could get through in. just a couple of hours because I knew if I didn't do it then I would chicken out. So I hope this blog finds you well as a reader. I tried very hard to make sure it was from the heart so enjoy. )

I started this blog back in high school in Rochester, NY, at a time when I was grappling with vocal issues that threatened to derail my passion for singing. This blog was a way for me to spread the information that I'd learned from who I and many would consider to be one fo the best speech pathologist in the United States Gerrianne Jackson...and she was up in Rochester working miracles. At the time, I was already performing professionally, traveling to sing in different venues, and studying under the guidance of incredible mentors—including Renee Fleming’s(who I didn't know at the time but was very quickly aware of the professionalism I had gotten a chance to be apart of ) mother, Patricia Alexander, who was herself a world-renowned voice teacher. Having access to such world-class training at a young age was both a privilege and a challenge. It gave me insight into what excellence looked like, but it also made clear just how different the journey would be for me as a Black singer.

Life moved quickly. Over the last 13 years, I’ve worn many hats: professional opera singer, teacher, and music director, Pianist in New York City. But throughout this time, I’ve been the sole driver of my growth, both as a musician and as a person. The responsibilities stacked up, the pace of life quickened, and this blog—once a safe place to reflect and process—slipped to the background. Now, I feel called to write again. Because the reality I’ve lived, and the stories of countless other Black musicians, need to be told.

When people see me, they see Black. And that perception shapes everything—my credibility, the way I’m received, the authority my voice carries. It’s not something I can shed, nor would I want to. But it is something I must contend with daily in a field still dominated by Eurocentric ideals. As Leontyne Price once said, “I was never offered a great role because of the color of my skin. I had to work harder. I had to make a place for myself.” The truth is, for African American voice teachers, working harder is not an option; it’s the baseline expectation if we want even a fraction of the respect automatically afforded to our white peers.

This blog post is about that struggle: the fight for legitimacy, the quiet but crushing weight of systemic bias, and the resilience it takes to keep showing up for our students and ourselves.

The Long Road to Recognition

Opera and classical music often pride themselves on tradition, discipline, and excellence. But behind the curtain lies a history of exclusion. For centuries, Black voices were deliberately kept out of concert halls, conservatories, and faculty rosters. Marian Anderson’s 1939 performance at the Lincoln Memorial was not simply a triumph of artistry and for our ancestors; it was a direct response to the Daughters of the American Revolution denying her the chance to sing in Constitution Hall because of her race. Anderson’s artistry forced open a door, but it didn’t erase the prejudices embedded in the field.

Even after Anderson, Price, Norman, and Shirley, the idea of the "legitimate" opera singer or teacher remains tethered to whiteness. Students—often without realizing it—carry these biases into the studio. They may not consciously doubt a Black teacher’s authority, but when they encounter vocal techniques or pedagogical approaches from us, their internalized assumptions sometimes make them resistant. Yet the same instructions, rephrased or repeated by a white teacher, are accepted without question.

This isn’t just about pedagogy—it’s about centuries of conditioning. Conservatories and professional institutions historically held up white European singers as the gold standard. Black voices, even when technically excellent, were seen as exceptions to the rule, never the norm. That mindset has never fully disappeared.

“Why Can’t You Just Do It Like Them?” (this one grinds my gears)

One of the most painful aspects of teaching as a Black voice instructor is the quiet erosion of trust. I’ve had students look puzzled, even skeptical, when I suggest a technique that I know works. Weeks later, they’ll come back from a masterclass or having watched a video with a caucasian teacher, suddenly enthusiastic about the very same technique—as if it had just been invented.

This is not paranoia; it’s a pattern. And it is deeply exhausting. Our authority is often undercut not because our instruction is lacking in academia, pedagogy or love for our craft but because the implicit bias in classical music whispers to students: “He can’t be the authority. Not him. Not someone who looks like him.”

Angela Brown, an acclaimed soprano and educator, has spoken about similar experiences. While she has graced the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, she has also acknowledged that Black singers are too often funneled into narrow roles: the exotic, the tragic, the stereotypical. “We’re good enough to sing Aida or Porgy and Bess,” she noted, “but why are we not considered equally for Mozart, Verdi, or Wagner?” If a singer of her caliber is questioned or typecast, imagine the uphill climb for those of us trying to gain legitimacy as teachers.

The message is clear: Black teachers must continually prove that we belong in spaces our credentials already earned. We are asked to over-explain, to justify, to validate what should be taken as professional authority. White teachers are given trust as a gift. For us, trust has to be earned again and again and again and again...you get the point. 

And I know, I know there is an argument about "not feeding into the racism" or "just see yourself as a singer" or the all time favorite "why focus on that?" but I can assure you that with every show, concert or tour I've booked or award I've won or recital I've done, I have never walked into the room and introduced myself saying "I'm black, Nice to meet you". No, I introduce myself like every other person to have graced or glided across that stage, hall, or arena with my full name and the respective words to follow. So. to that argument I ask one question, Why is naming racism often treated as being divisive, but ignoring it treated as being professional? Or even more, Is it possible to separate my artistry from my identity, or are they in fact intertwined in ways that enrich my music? (I have examples if you want) 

The Hidden ( or not so hidden) Racism of the Classical Music World

Racism in our field rarely announces itself with slurs or outright hostility. It’s quieter, more insidious. It’s in the way audition panels “struggle to place” a Black singer’s sound within their expectations of a role. It’s in the lack of Black faculty members at conservatories across the country. It’s in the invitations to teach or adjudicate that never arrive, despite résumés filled with world-class training and professional credits.

George Shirley, the first African American tenor to sing leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera, once said: “We are not here to be what the system thinks we should be. We are here to be the teachers, performers, and leaders we’ve always been meant to be.” His words remain prophetic. Because even now, the system often views Black voices—whether on stage or in the studio—as, "a good look" or all together not central.

These biases don’t just hurt teachers. They harm students. Black students, in particular, absorb the subtle cues that their sound, their approach, or their cultural expression is “less than.” When they see their Black teachers undermined or dismissed, it reinforces a damaging cycle: that validation comes only from whiteness. That authority looks only one way.

Fighting for Legitimacy and Respect

And yet, despite these barriers, we fight on. Black voice teachers are not just holding space—we are reshaping it. Through mentorship, community building, and advocacy, we are building networks that affirm our expertise and challenge the old gatekeepers. Companies like Harlem Opera Theater, Opera Ebony and organizations like the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) or the Sphinx Organization are vital lifelines, creating visibility and opportunities for Black artists to thrive.

But the fight is also personal. Every lesson I teach, every student I guide, is an act of resistance against the narrative that my knowledge is somehow secondary. When I stand before my students, I bring not just pedagogy, but a lineage: the courage of Marian Anderson, the brilliance of Leontyne Price, the authority of George Shirley, the power of Jessye Norman. Their stories remind me that I am not alone in this struggle—and that my very presence in the studio is part of a much larger legacy.

So, What Now? 

So where do we go from here? First, we tell the truth. We stop pretending that classical music is immune to racism simply because it aspires to universality. We hold Instructors and institutions accountable for diversifying their faculties, their juries, their repertoires, their understanding of cultures that are not their own in order to better help the pupil achieve their desired goal . We confront the biases in ourselves and our students. And we refuse to shrink back when our legitimacy is questioned.

The road is not easy, but it is one paved with resilience. 

To my fellow Black voice teachers: 

our authority does not come from the validation of white counterparts. It comes from our training, our artistry, our lived experience, and the lineage of excellence we inherit. To my students, I say: trust that when I teach you, I am giving you the tools you need to succeed—not filtered through race, but rooted in expertise.

The truth is this: African American voice teachers have always been a crucial part of classical music. It’s time the world caught up and started listening.

Thank you all for reading this! I just felt a strong need to put this in writing. So if another black voice teacher is feeling the same as I said in the beginning they know they are not alone. 

We can only fight this together and bring back the main focus which should be creating beautiful voices and guiding singers as they go on their performances. Keeping them on their musical toes. 

What will you do to help? 

I do welcome constructive critics and comments. I don't allow bullying, so please be respectful in the comments section if you so desire. Look forward to hearing what your thoughts are! 

( I will try to put one piece out a week.... hopefully people still read blogs hahahaha)  

Foods that are harmful to your voice!

These are some frequently asked questions that I get about what can I eat or why is this not good for my voice, well here are some things and the reasons why they are not good for you. 

Heavily peppered or spicy foods should also be avoided because these cause irritation to our throat as well as our vocal cords, and may cause us to clear our throats more often, creating more discomfort in our voice!

Acid reflux (when our stomach acids flow back up towards our throat) is also a cause of throat and voice irritation, and it may be caused by taking too much spicy food, as well as eating a lot of food very late at night just before sleep.

When the food is being digested at night and we are lying down on our bed, this increases the possibility of acid reflux, and in serious cases, it could cause damage to our vocal cords directly!Acidic fruit juices also increase the chances of acid reflux and should be avoided too, especially late at night before sleep.

Many singers usually would also avoid dairy products before a performance, for example cheese, yogurt, milk, ice cream and so on, or even common fruits like bananas. These 'bad singing foods' create excessive mucus production and may cause singers to have too much phlegm or mucus when they are singing.

Generally, we should also try to avoid taking too many cold drinks, for health reasons as well as for overall voice care too. Cold drinks cause our throats and our voices to contract and stiffen, and this is not good for singing because we need our vocal cords and throats to be warmed up and flexible in order to be able to hit the various pitches that we sing!

Other bad singing foods include nuts and snack foods. If taken just before a performance, these foods may leave bits and pieces of remnants in the voice or throat, and these bits of nuts or snack foods may cause excessive irritation to our vocal cords when singing! It will also cause us to clear our throats more often, which is another cause of vocal abuse or damage!

For general health of the body, we should avoid fast foods and overly fatty foods. These may cause us to become overweight, putting more strain on our bodies and on our voice. These foods are also high in salt content and cause dryness in our body and throat.

Avoiding these  foods  will certainly help us to take better care of our voice, and reduce the chances of damage of (excuse my french lol) screwing up when we are ready to sing :) 

Breathiness: The “Airy” Voice Part III

Insufficient breath energy accounts for the rest of the breathiness that I hear in my students’ voices. Often new students assume an overly relaxed posture and fail to use good support of their breath. They need to learn how to manage their airflow by balancing the resistance provided by the expansion of the intercostals muscles and the controlled rise of the diaphragm (see Appoggio in Correct Breathing For Singing). When trying to eliminate a breathy tone, many singers will attempt to force the sound out in order to get more volume, pushing instead of supporting the voice, which only masks the problem and creates tension in the neck and shoulder muscles and an unsteady flow of air. Thinking in terms of “allowing” or “letting” more air out, rather than “pushing” more air out sometimes makes a significant difference both psychologically and physically. The notion of letting more air out often helps a student to relax and control the breathing mechanism better. There is an optimal balance of muscular involvement that needs to be achieved for singing. A singer must remain neither too relaxed, nor too tense. Once support improves, breathiness generally lessens.

Some students produce breathy tones only when descending in pitch. They tend to relax their breath energy because the pitch demands are not as high going downward on a scale. The laryngeal muscles may also become lax.

Some singers find that physical fatigue from inadequate rest makes it impossible for them to find the energy needed to support their voices and coordinate their bodies well enough to produce a clear tone. Better sleeping habits tend to immediately improve this kind of breathy tone production.

Insufficient hydration (dryness) can also temporarily create a breathy tone in a singer’s voice, as the vocal folds do not function optimally when they lack sufficient moisture for lubrication.

Some singers use a breathy tone in an effort to imitate the vocal stylings of their favourite singers. If the students’ vocal role models are singers like Britney Spears and Mariah Carey, who employ breathy, raspy, scratchy sounds for artistic effect, they may, either consciously or unconsciously, adopt the same tonal quality as their own, viewing it as both desirable and marketable. Emulating or learning to sing in the same fashion as their idols encourages the development of poor technique, and is potentially detrimental to the vocal apparatus. It may take months or years to help students understand why this tone is undesirable and to unlearn these bad vocal habits.

Of course, there is a place within contemporary music where breathiness may be acceptable. This effect, when intentionally but sparingly used, can add some thoughtfulness, sweetness, drama, sexiness and intimacy to a song, and can be an intentional effect to increase artistry.

However, many of these famous singers are unable to produce a clean, focused tone due to poor singing technique. They sing each song on their CDs with the same unfocused tone. If this is the only way in which a singer is able to sing, then he or she lacks good technique and should not be considered an ideal vocal model. He or she may make a good living with this style of sound production, but success and popularity are not necessarily synonymous with vocal talent, correctness and healthiness, and students of voice should be cautioned to avoid imitating these tones. Just because a singer may have a pleasing, albeit breathy, tone, does not mean that he or she is singing well or correctly, and it doesn’t mean that he or she isn’t being limited by this tone production choice, if indeed it is a choice. Again, this should not be the only way in which a singer is able to sing.

Prepubescent girls and those who are in their early teens may not be able to fully eliminate breathiness from their voices, as there may be a physiological (medical) explanation for this tone – the mutational chink – that will require maturation to make disappear completely. Although I tread lightly with the voices of younger students, it is possible to safely and gently help to improve the singing tone of these maturing voices, in spite of the mutational chink phenomenon, since some of the breathiness is also attributable to improper singing technique, including inadequate breath support and energy and poor attacks or onsets of sound.

Using gentle glottal onsets, achieved by singing notes in staccato, twang and energized whining (like a baby) in the upper middle and upper range may be effective. Some teachers find that lip and tongue-tip trills help to even out breathy (as well as pressed) phonation. Also, forward consonants, like “b” and “v”, may help to focus resonance or tone during onset/staccato exercises. Eventually, once tone clears up, these consonants can be removed from the exercises. Using front vowels, particularly the [i] and [e] is generally not recommended for young female voices because they force a firmer adduction (closure) of the vocal folds and thus a higher air pressure on the young instrument. However, in order to produce a balanced training of the voice, these vowels, which occur regularly in both speaking and singing, should not be altogether neglected, even by the young singing voice.

I have had success with removing much of the breathiness in the middle registers of some of my young female students by having them make excited statements like “Whoo hoo!” and “Oh no!” in a range of pitches that would fall within their upper middle register. From these exercises, I will often move onto having the young singer say a variety of English words, formed with different vowel sounds, at specific pitches. (They always seem surprised that this “pitched talking” sounds a lot like singing, but doesn’t feel as difficult!) Once these students begin to become aware of the mechanism that maintains clarity of tone during speech at these higher speech-inflection pitches - they can invariably produce a clear “calling” voice, which suggests to me that the problem of breathiness is often more a matter of psychology than biology - they almost immediately find it easier to produce the same clear tone during the extended vowels of singing. Sometimes just seeing how the vowels that they train with during their lessons are applicable to the singing of songs (i.e., with consonants added to create meaningful words) helps them to make the body-mind connection.

Breathy tones in young singers may also be caused in part by their growing bodies. There tends to be a fair bit of inconsistency in their placement – where they focus their tone – because growth, including that of the vocal apparatus, may occur rapidly. One week, placement works, and the following week, it doesn’t. A mere millimetre of growth in the larynx can significantly affect the voice. Often the simplest methods of achieving good tone and placing resonance in the mask or masque (the bony structure of the face), such as humming and the use of more resonant consonants, are the most successful ones with this age group. Once these pre-adolescents are beyond puberty, the problem with inconsistency generally disappears.

Additionally, young singers often lack coordination between their body alignment, theactuator (the lungs and breathing system), the vibrator (the vocal folds) and theresonator (the vocal tract). As they gain better awareness of their postural balance, their breathing becomes more efficient, which in turn helps them to phonate and resonate more efficiently.

Breathiness: The “Airy” Voice Part II

Poor approximation (closure) of the vocal folds explains much of the breathiness that I encounter in my teaching, especially in my young female students. Students often need help developing a good onset of sound or attack at the start of a sung phrase.

Many untrained and self-conscious singers produce this tone in order to soften the edges of their voices so that they don’t sound as loud. Oftentimes, new students who have never taken lessons before are extremely nervous when they first meet me – a trained, professional singer - assuming that I will critique them harshly or make fun of them for their less-than-perfect singing voices. They then produce a very quiet, conservative, airy sound while singing in front of me. In some cases, the issue of self-consciousness becomes most pronounced during puberty, a time during which young students must contend with an inconsistency in their changing and maturing voices and must come to accept and embrace a newly emerging adult voice that sounds different than what they have grown accustomed to hearing themselves produce. The voice is a significant part of who we are as individuals, and if we don’t feel as though what we have to share is worthy of being heard by others, we may produce a non-projective, quiet singing or speaking voice. Sometimes improvements happen immediately, once the student becomes more comfortable singing in front of me, but most of the time, it takes some work to help them get past their psychological hang-ups so that we can clean up their tone.

Often there may be certain sections of a singer’s range, or certain notes, that seem to come out particularly breathy or unclear. Sometimes this faulty tone emerges around pivotal registration points or only within certain registers. Most often, breathiness in untrained males occurs in head voice, as these students either are afraid of hurting themselves by singing above speech-inflection range and hold back on breath energy to reduce volume and strain or are simply unaccustomed to hearing themselves sing in higher pitches and substitute a breathy falsetto-type voice for legitimate full voice. In young untrained females, breathiness often emerges in the middle register because they tend to relax their breath support and reduce their breath energy in this range where they are more comfortable singing the notes or because of underdevelopment of this range. In untrained females who have passed puberty, breathiness often occurs in head voice because they fail to make appropriate vowel modifications and then produce a “spread” vowel sound rather than experiencing the necessary “narrowing” of the vowels that would otherwise enable them to maintain a clear, free tone in the upper register. In lighter- or higher-voiced females, I sometimes notice a lack of focus in the tone when they are singing at the bottom of their chest or natural voice ranges. (The bottom extreme of a singer’s range is impaired by breathiness because the marked shortening of the vocal folds tends to set the folds apart and create a bulging mass within the vocal folds.) These women tend to produce a vocal fry-type mode of phonation, which can be damaging to the voice if used excessively. In all of these cases, improvement in vocal technique corrects the problem of breathiness in the voice.

Many singers struggle to maintain clarity in their tone only while singing certain vowels. More closed vowels – ones in which the tongue is positioned close to the roof of the mouth - such as the [e] and [i], tend to give many students problems because, while attempting to add openness to the vowel to prevent it from sounding tight or squeezed, singers often end up spreading the vowel. For others, more open vowels – ones in which the tongue is in a low position - such as [a], seem to invite breathiness. Front orback vowels, as well as vowels that are either rounded or unrounded, may also be more or less problematic for certain singers. Most singers seem to have difficulties with at least one vowel when they first walk into my studio, and the reasons for these problems are often easy to pinpoint but painstaking to correct. In most cases,articulation of vowels and vocal tract shaping are what need to be addressed and corrected, and old habits are often hard to break.

Breathiness: The “Airy” Voice

Breathiness is by far the most common tonal weakness that I encounter with singers, and most predominantly among females of all ages. There are numerous explanations for why breathiness occurs in a singing or speaking voice, and I will explain them in the paragraphs below. Many singers are not aware of the breathiness that is present in their voices, nor of its undesirability and inefficiency, until it is pointed out to them and until they become aware of what good tone and resonance should sound and feel like.

A “breathy” quality or an “airy” tone can be heard as an audible passing or “leaking” of air through the mouth while singing, almost like the faint sound of air leaking out of a tire or balloon. It is often described as an “unfocused sound or tone”, and tends to create a diffuse and wispy sound, or a raspy, scratchy vocal quality (e.g., as in the case of ex-president Bill Clinton’s speaking voice). This mode of phonation, when habitually used, is also termed hypofunctional.

During inhalation, the vocal folds come apart to allow air to enter the lungs. Directly after inhalation and immediately prior to Phonation (or singing, for our purposes here), however, the vocal folds need to come together gently and firmly with the aid of the laryngeal muscles. This closure cuts off the escaping air. When the air pressure in the trachea rises as a result of this closure, the folds above it are blown apart, while the vocal processes of the arytenoid cartilages - a pair of small, pyramid-shaped (three-sided) cartilages that form part of the larynx, to which the vocal folds are attached - remain in apposition (side by side). This creates an oval shaped gap between the folds and some air escapes, lowering the pressure inside the trachea. Rhythmic repetition of this movement, a certain number of times a second, creates a pitched note. Ideally, the vocal folds should contact each other completely during each vibration, fully closing the gap between them.

In order to oscillate, or vibrate, the vocal folds need to be brought near enough together - this is known as vocal fold closure or approximation - so that air pressure builds up beneath the larynx . This increased subglottal – the area below the glottis, or larynx - pressure causes the folds to vibrate and make sound. The vibration of the vocal folds modulates (regulates) the flow of air being expelled from the lungs during phonation.

When the vocal folds fail to close completely before singing, however, breathiness results. In other words, a breathy style of singing is achieved by holding the vocal folds apart. In breathy phonation, there is insufficient resistance by the vocal folds to the air that sets them into vibration. As a result, airflow escapes the glottis during the quasi-closed phase, which generates noise and produces a strong fundamental.

Common Tone Production Errors

Although there are numerous undesirable colours  and “shades” of tone, (such as “pinched”, “sharp-“ or “shrill-sounding”, “flat-sounding”, “shaky”, “thin”, etc.), I tend to divide the most common tone production errors into three general categories: breathy, nasally and throaty. In this article, I have also included a fourth tone production error, pressed phonation, because it is also relatively common amongst untrained or incorrectly trained singers. Each of these errors in sound or tone production is a product of poor singing technique and results in a failure to create optimal resonance, which is an important part of good singing. These faulty tones all tend to hamper loudness ability and limit range, control, stamina and volume. Furthermore, since improper tone production is created through improper use of the vocal apparatus, it can also lead to vocal fatigue, strain or injury.

In some cases these tone production weaknesses may indicate the presence of a medical condition (e.g., vocal fold dysfunction or other glottal incompetence, etc.) that is preventing the vocal apparatus from functioning optimally. It is always in the singer’s best interest to have a doctor examine his or her vocal tract in cases where the singer finds that he or she is unable to make improvements in singing tone after a reasonable length of time working with a qualified vocal instructor, or where persistent pain or discomfort is present during either singing or speech. A correct diagnosis and proper treatment of such medical concerns can save the voice from (further) injury, and save the singer from years of frustration and discouragement when he or she remains unable to produce desirable tone.

It is important to understand that many singers may demonstrate these tone production errors only at certain times, in certain places within their range, on certain vowels or at certain pitches. Also, the voices of some singers may be described in more than one way. For example, some singers are both nasally at points and throaty at other times during a song.

Good Tone Production for Singing

A major goal of serious students of voice is to learn how to produce smooth, even, fully resonant, pleasant tone throughout the range.

Ideal tone is a complex product of breath control, vocal fold function, position of the larynx, tongue, nose, and soft palate, as well as use of resonance in the head and throat cavities, (amongst other functions of the vocal apparatus). Beyond these “basics”, there are many other nuances and intricacies of tone, such as colour, quality, registration, etc., that are best developed with some professional, expert guidance. Tone is far too complicated for me to treat in depth in this article, and far too complicated to learn by merely reading suggestions and advice from others on the internet.

I strongly recommend that you find a knowledgeable, experienced voice instructor who will teach you correct singing technique and improve your overall tone. Opt for a technique instructor who will focus a great deal on your tone development over a vocal coach who will likely spend more time on having you sing songs than on fully developing your technical skills. (Read my article Vocal Coaching or Vocal Technique Instruction? to learn more about the difference between these two styles of teaching.) Working with a vocal instructor who is highly knowledgeable about the science of singing will help you to gain a better understanding of how to use your body to produce a desirable, “perfect” tone. Furthermore, with some help, you can become aware of and eliminate tone production errors, and thus improve breath control, stamina, vocal agility, volume, range and vocal health as a result.

The following subsections will address topics ranging from common technical errors that produce poor tone, why they occur and how to correct them to finding ideal vocal resonance to why our voices all sound different to the role of breathing in tone production to register blending to exercises that will help a beginning student learn to feel and hear correct tonal balance in the voice. (Again, I can’t emphasize enough the inherent inadequacy of this article to help a singer create balanced tone. It is merely intended to provide some information to help guide a singer to a better understanding of his or her voice. A singer who is truly serious about achieving a great vocal tone should study vocal technique with a competent, knowledgeable instructor.)

This article is intended to go in tandem with the Singing With An Open Throat: Vocal Tract Shaping article soon to appear on this same site, which will address other aspects of tone creation, such as ideal positions of the tongue, jaw, lips, soft palate, larynx, etc. and the acoustical science of formants, which add warmth and vibrancy to the singing voice.