Training for Professional Singing
& Career Invigorating Speaking™
Enhancing talent, creativity, confidence and connection!™
Laurece West Studios
"I came to Laurece as a beginning singer looking to use sound and vibration to help heal my thyroid. I never expected to learn as much as I did about singing, and am thrilled with how the lessons have progressed. Laurece is a thorough and very kind teacher, perfect for someone who was (but is no longer!) afraid to practice at home if anyone is here. I have learned a lot, faced many fears, released a lot of jaw tension, and find myself much more equipped to express through speaking and singing. Thank you Laurece!"
Helen Davidson Tapper
Yoga Teacher and Movement Therapist
"Before working with Laurece, I was unsure of my voice and thought even though I had a deep passion for singing, that I could never be a good singer because of my acid reflux. Laurece made me realize that I could create a beautiful voice and helped me with confidence, ideas, inspiration and was such a positive force in my life at a time when I really needed someone to ground me. Her process was structured yet creative and I felt very supported by her. After working with Laurece, I had much more confidence in my voice and felt I was strong enough to begin performing in public."
Sumi Krishnan, Singer/Performer, Washington, D.C.
"It was awesome working with Laurece, as I was suffering from chronic loss of my voice. As a Professional Speaker, where my voice is my money maker, it was a dire situation.
Luckily, Laurece came to the rescue, and I'm happy to report and endorse here as her program provided me with the steps, exercises and resources needed to be back, stronger than ever, amplifying my voice in the proper manner to efficiently care for my voice.
Highly recommend Laurece! Thanks!
Larry Long, Jr., Durham, North Carolina
⚡️CEO (Chief Energy Officer) / 🗣️ Speaker / 🎤 Professional Emcee / 📈 Sales Trainer / 📕 Author / 🎙️ Podcast Host / 🎥 Content Creator / 🫶🏾 Board Member (x3) / 💰 Investor
"Working with Laurece is powerful, practical, and spiritual! I noticed that I was losing my voice, in a week-long teacher training I was giving, when I remembered what Laurece taught me and applied it quickly...everything worked out fine and I had a happy voice! I often think about techniques she taught me and I keep using them."
Toni Bergins
Creator of Journey Dance
www.JourneyDance.com
"My intention was to better the way I express myself and how I communicate. I wanted to have a better tone of voice because I didn’t like my voice. My voice used to get tired easily. I cleared my throat very often. I was not sleeping well and coming here made me aware of the relationship with my voice and my health. I was not drinking enough water. Not drinking enough will affect my voice, not sleeping enough will affect my voice. I sleep much better and pay more attention to my voice. I am more aware of when my voice is stressed. Voice coaching has helped me become aware of the connection of my voice and emotions. I feel that the way you teach, it’s like life coaching, moving around, getting a different perspective. I think that’s really helpful."
Raquel Dominguez, Life Coach and Reiki Practitioner, Durham, NC
Hi Laurece,
I felt you standing by my side as I gave a 2 1/2 hour presentation in China on Forest Schools for 40 or so teachers and principals. The opportunity came up unexpectedly on our 2 month visit and I went for it. My husband helped me prepare my first ever PowerPoint, my interpreter got me talking with ease on our walk over, and I chose to sit at the table while my talk was translated every few sentences. This gave me plenty time to pause, breathe, and relax throughout. I highly recommend it for nervous first timers😅
Your words of encouragement kept me going as I remembered our [singing] lessons from 2? years back, and I wanted to let you know I'm still thinking about you and thanking you.
Here's a photo of me and the promo for the talk!
In nature's light,
Robin
"I was stuggling with loss of my voice for months. After four sessions with Laurece, she was able to determine how I was causing unnecessary strain on my voice with my breathing habits. Her coaching was able to help me resolve my issue and I have had no problems since. Laurece is phenomenal at her craft."
Brian Scott, Owner, Aggie Technologies, North Carolina
"Reading this newsletter has been such a joy to me as it is completely and totally is true that you have such an incredibly positive, healing energy in your voice; but not just that - your presence, your energy, the way you interact with people, the things you say both in music and in conversation are just absolutely life-giving. It reminded me how you were such an incredibly powerful healing force for me back in 2010 when I had voice lessons with you. Just so you can get an idea of how profound an effect you had, I actually went to professional counseling the previous year because at that point I had finally started to get an understanding how deep my father wounds were. While it was helpful, I don't feel like I really made great progress with my father wounds from that counseling. However, the voice lessons with you were absolutely profound in my healing as I felt like just about every lesson was a powerful counseling session and I remember crying about every other week from something you would say or do during the lessons. The healing you brought me from being so gracious, patient, loving, and affirming to me was so incredibly powerful. In addition, you teaching me how my own negative self talk was actually me internalizing the negative critical voice of my father was so important for me learning how to let go of that voice and embrace the truth of what God says about me. As if all of that wasn't enough, you also taught me one of the most profound spiritual lessons I've ever learned through you teaching me about having "freedom to fail". I find I talk to people about that idea all the time as so many others are in bondage to that too and I get to reference you and tell the story of how God used what you taught me to set me free from that. Laurece your desire to set people free to sing, speak, and make themselves known as an artist is so incredibly aligned with the heart of God because what you're really teaching people to do is to accept themselves. This is one of the most profound spiritual truths any person could ever learn because until you can accept and love yourself you can't really accept and love others. The fruit this has brought me being able to both live this and teach it to others by how I live has been absolutely amazing and I could tell you story after story related to this.
Thank you so much for being such an incredible light to the people your life touches and bringing prisoners to freedom through the work you do. Since you had such a profound impact on my life (and are one of the best teachers I've ever seen - irrespective of subject matter), I recommend you all the time to anyone who is even remotely thinking about trying to sing. Hopefully some of them have taken me up on that offer and are benefiting from the wonderful person that you are :-)
In any event, I hope you're doing well and reading your newsletter was such a great reminder of how powerfully positive an impact you've had on my life. Thank you again for being such a life-giving influence on me :-)
-Jeremy
"I am greatly enjoying working with you. I am continually amazed at how the principals you teach about singing end up having vast and far reaching implications for everyday life in terms of behaviors, attitudes, and how one approaches the world. The principles I've been learning from you about life in general are things that I've desperately needed to hear because they are setting me free from the chains of past emotional wounds. I feel that these areas of freedom that are being unlocked by your teachings are exactly what God wants to bring me into at this season in my life which is immensely encouraging! Thanks for being such a great teacher!"
Jeremy Potts, Music Ministry Singer, Chapel Hill, NC
"When I began working with Laurece I had a narrow range and a weak voice. I believe my voice was even damaged by uninformed previous instruction and a very bad case of bronchitis. It would constantly break whenever I tried to sing, which was extremely frustrating. I have worked with Laurece now for about three years and can confidently and enthusiastically say that she is what you want in an instructor. She has extensive knowledge of vocal techniques, as well as knowledge about how the body works and how environmental and anatomical factors can affect the voice. Her understanding of science informs her teaching. However, it is not only her scientific approach that has impressed me, but also her artistic approach. While supplying structure through various exercises, including the use of an excellent book to work from, there is so much freedom in her lessons. I have found her incorporation of improv to be some of the most helpful work I have done with her for development of artistic expression.
Laurece is special because she does not believe there is one right way to express oneself artistically. This is perhaps the most powerful concept I have come away with from working with her. She helps you find your rhythm, your voice, and your words. From her teaching it is now a rare occurrence for me to suffer from writer’s block or composer’s block. My voice has gained a significant amount of strength, flexibility and resonance. I have also gained much more vocal freedom and artistic freedom. Thank you, Laurece!"
Haley Barak, Durham, NC
"I came to Laurece because for years I was uncomfortable using my voice, most especially my singing voice. I was finally ready to take the leap to really get to know it, to accept it and to hopefully discover my authentic voice. I found Laurece to be a multi skilled, openhearted guide, willing to both challenge me and gently soothe me as warranted. She welcomed me in whatever mood or level of preparedness I was in each time we met, and created a lesson to suit my needs.
Through her wide variety of amazing exercises I learned to befriend my voice. I am less afraid to sing out loud, and to let more feelings show. My voice is more dynamic. I'm more confident telling my stories extemporaneously without fear of pauses, of 'freezing up", or of concerns no one is interested in what I have to say. I find myself better able to access my own true stories. I am more playful and less critical of how I sound, more apt to break into song during the day. Most importantly, Laurece continually encourages me with ways to speak and sing with more ease and less effort."
Robin Rogers, Chapel Hill, NC
Healing the Voice