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Katie Guthorn
KATIE GUTHORN has been teaching singing to individuals and groups since 1988, and is now co-owner of The Voice Studio in San Francisco. Katie taught private lessons for the University of San Francisco, Dept. of Performing Arts, 2002-2003; at Blue Bear School of American Music, 1988-2000; and currently teaches the Musical Theatre Workshop in the Adult Extension of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She also conducts classes and workshops for West Coast Songwriters.
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Katie has been a lead singer in party band Big Bang Beat (formerly Zasu Pitts Memorial Orchestra) for over 20 years, and owns a Bammie for Best Independent Album of 1985. As a background vocalist, she has performed with Ronnie Spector, Bonnie Raitt, Eddie Money, Martha Reeves, The Doobie Brothers, and recorded with Elvin Bishop, Freddy Roulette, Bill Spooner of The Tubes, and others.
In the late 1980s, Katie sang and co-wrote a number of songs that topped the Billboard Dance Chart for Megatone Records group Modern Rocketry.
From 1992 to 2002, she starred in "A Karen Carpenter Christmas", in San Francisco and Seattle. For this role, she was nominated as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical by the Bay Area Theatre Critics.
When Katie began her vocal teaching career in 1988, one of the biggest challenges she faced was helping students sing high notes without straining, cracking, flipping, or abruptly changing tone quality. She found the solution in Seth Riggs' book, Singing For The Stars, and began studying with Mr. Riggs and his associate Dave Stroud to apply this approach (Speech Level Singing™) to "mixing" the chest voice (low notes) and head voice (high notes.)
Speech Level Singing™ has worked incredibly well for singers of all styles, from rock to jazz and classical, as they address the mechanics of singing, training their voices to work without effort. The technique is currently in use by over 120 Grammy Winners and 4 National Metropolitan Opera Winners.
A wonderful result of good technique is that singers' voices stay strong, flexible, and reliable. This also helps self-confidence, freeing us from the constant worry about our voices so we can express ourselves and perform for our audience's (and our own) enjoyment.
Katie Guthorn is now a Certified Level 5 Speech Level Singing™ instructor (the highest level.). Lessons are 30-60 minutes long, with half the time usually spent on singing technique (warming up) and half on songs. Instruction in harmony singing, ear training, reading music, chord structure, singing styles, and other practical matters will be included as desired. Singing students of all ages, levels of ability, and styles are welcomed. Almost anyone can learn to sing; it’s a physical skill that can be developed, much like playing guitar or riding a bike.
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