Level up your teaching

Empowered Pedagogy 

Presented by Dr. Dana Lynne Varga

WHEN: Sundays July 7, 14, 21 (1-3pm Eastern) and
Wednesdays July 10, 17, 24 (5:30-7:30pm Eastern)

WHERE: On Zoom*

WHAT: 6 classes, 2 hours per class

COST: $429 (about $35/hour)

REGISTRATION: Click here to sign up

*Classes will be recorded for those unable to attend live

About the Workshop

This virtual, live course takes a modern approach to pedagogy, helping participants empower both their students and themselves.

When it comes to teaching voice, Dana believes in less talking and more action. In addition to the ample course material covered, there will be dozens of exercises presented. Participants will learn the specific purpose in applied use for each exercise.

Each participant will have an opportunity to mock-teach or be observed, and will gain access to observe three or more private lessons. There will be a strong emphasis on structuring lessons and teaching a structured practice model. One class session will be entirely devoted to the business end of setting up and running a private studio.

The focus in this course will be on classical singing technique, though much of the material covered will be applicable across genres. Participants should have a working knowledge of pedagogy basics; if they do not, recommended reading will be assigned prior to the course.

  • "Dana has the perspective, intelligence, and boldness to be a real game-changer. She can help empower you to change your game—the way you sing and plan your own path—but she can also empower the entire singing community to view the art and business of singing in a positive, productive way moving forward…She could change the entire system."

    —W. STEPHEN SMITH
    Author, The Naked Voice
    Voice Faculty, Northwestern University

  • "Multiple students approached me to express that Dana’s lecture imparted some of the most valuable information they have received during their time at NEC. Perhaps most impressive was the quantity and clarity of information that Dana managed to impart in just an hour. Students left the lecture feeling enlightened and empowered with clear steps they could take to build their careers."

    —EMILY SIAR
    Vocal Pedagogy Guest Speaker Series, New England Conservatory

  • "Dana offered a wealth of practical advice for singers, other musicians, and students of theater and fine arts, encouraging them to create their own opportunities and discover unique personal ways to pursue a fulfilling and financially viable career. Her presentation was both pragmatic and motivational for students grappling with the practicalities of life beyond college."

    —VALERIE MACPHAIL
    Assistant Director of the PSOM
    Associate Professor of Voice, Converse College

More about Dana

Founder and CEO of The Empowered Musician, Dr. Dana Lynne Varga brings extensive experience as a successful entrepreneur, artistic director, performer, voice teacher, lecturer and writer to her life's work of empowering classical musicians. A graduate of two intensive coach training courses through Graydin Coaching, Dana draws on her breadth of experience and deep industry knowledge to help musicians find and embrace their own authentic career path.

In addition to maintaining a full private voice studio for over 15 years, Dana served for seven years on the voice and opera faculty at the BU Tanglewood Institute, two years on the full-time voice faculty at UMass Amherst, and two years on the voice faculty at the New England Conservatory Prep school. Dr. Varga currently serves on the voice faculty at the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She is also Founder and Co-Artistic Director of MassOpera.

Dana regularly performs a wide variety of repertoire on the opera and concert stages. Recently she made her Carnegie Hall debut as the soprano soloist in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with Mid-America Productions. Dana’s 2019 appearance as Pallas Athene in Gluck’s rarely heard Paride ed Elena with Odyssey Opera garnered critical acclaim. Other notable engagements include Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with The Cantata Singers, Beethoven’s 9th with the Wellesley Symphony and Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with Coro Allegro. Favorite roles performed include Musetta/La bohème, Fiordiligi/Così fan tutte, Anna Maurrant/Street Scene, Rosalinda/Die Fledermaus, Micaëla/Carmen, Hanna Glawari/The Merry Widow, and the title role in Alcina.

Dana won the Second Place American Prize for Art Song and Oratorio in 2019 and was the First Place Winner of the professional division of the national Classical Singer Competition in 2016. She holds the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in Vocal Performance from Boston University, the MM in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory, and a BM in Vocal Performance from UMass Amherst.

Pedagogical Approach & Training

In the studio, Dana focuses on tailoring instruction for each individual, freeing the voice using a combination of vocal function exercises, overall technique work and body tension release. She has been greatly influenced by the works of major pedagogues of the bel canto school, including Garcia, Vaccai and Marchesi, as well as the philosophies of W. Stephen Smith, author of The Naked Voice.

Dana’s experience as a voice teacher ranges from young kids to regularly-working professional adult opera singers, and everything in between.

She has enjoyed extensive additional pedagogy training through participation in the following programs: Acoustic Vocal Pedagogy, The Naked Voice Institute (parts 1 and 2) and the Aspen Music Center Vocal Pedagogy Summit.