The Singer’s Guide

 Host Tessa welcomes U.S. singing teacher and podcaster Chelsea Wilson (Broadway Vocal Coach), whom she met through the Institute for Vocal Advancement, to answer one question: what she wishes singers knew.
Chelsea focuses her answer on women in their 30s–50s who have put singing or performing aside due to marriage, children, careers, or caretaking and now fear their voice has changed or it’s too late to return.
She shares a story from an IVA conference group sing of “You Will Be Found” where a student was moved to tears while reconnecting with singing in community.
Chelsea relates this to her own decade-long break from performing while coaching and raising two daughters, and describes returning to the stage in Raleigh, including Come From Away and a new musical workshop, emphasising that performing, teaching, and motherhood can coexist and that artistry can start with small, local opportunities.
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:57 Meet Chelsea Wilson
02:21 The Big Question
03:11 It’s Never Too Late
04:04 IVACON Group Sing Story
05:50 Why Women Step Away
07:37 Chelsea Returns to Stage
11:37 All or Nothing Mindset
16:18 Find Community and Sing
19:29 Better With Age
21:29 Now Is the Perfect Time
21:51 Where to Find Chelsea
22:36 Final Thanks and Goodbye
 
FIND CHELSEA:
Chelsea Wilson is a Broadway vocal coach and voice teacher known for helping singers — and the teachers who train them — build healthy, sustainable contemporary musical theatre voices.
Since 2017, Chelsea has served on the music teams as the associate vocal coach for major productions including School of Rock (Broadway & National Tour), The Phantom of the Opera (Broadway and Int’l Tour), Jesus Christ Superstar (National Tour), and Rock of Ages (Off-Broadway). She is currently the associate vocal coach for Masquerade, the new immersive Phantom production Off-Broadway in New York City.
A graduate of the University of Michigan Musical Theatre BFA program, Chelsea is also a certified instructor and teacher trainer with the Institute for Vocal Advancement, where she now mentors and trains other voice teachers around the world in contemporary vocal pedagogy.
In 2021, she co-founded Broadway Vocal Coach, an online education platform and podcast serving professional and aspiring musical theatre performers worldwide.
In 2026, Chelsea returned to performing in Theatre Raleigh’s production of Come From Away — a reminder that she still loves being onstage just as much as helping other performers thrive there.
Chelsea now lives in Raleigh with her husband and two young daughters, where she balances coaching, performing, and family life — usually with a Diet Coke in hand and strict instructions from her kids “not to sing along!” 
 
https://www.tiktok.com/@singwithchelsea
https://www.instagram.com/chwils/
chelseawilsonvocalstudio.com
 
🎧 BVC Podcast
 
The Singer's Guide is hosted by Tessa Smith.
www.tessasmith.com
 
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🤫 THE QUIET PRACTICE TOOLKIT: 3 step-by-step exercises to improve your singing without making a sound https://subscribepage.io/quiet-practice-toolkit
 
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🤩 Tap here to learn more about the Singer's Practice Hub: www.singerspracticehub.com
 
🥳 Tap here to work with Tessa:
www.thesingersguide.com
 
🎵 Music by Tessa Smith
🎙 Hosted by Tessa Smith, creator of The Self-Validated Voice and The Singer's Practice Hub.

Host Tessa welcomes Jeremy Ryan Mossman to the Singer’s Guide podcast and asks what he wishes singers knew.
Jeremy says singers can “start at the end” by beginning lessons with the song and its specific challenges, then using exercises only as needed to serve that context, repeatedly checking changes in the repertoire.
He describes using acting-style given-circumstance games to clarify who the singer is addressing and why, noting that increased specificity often dissolves technical issues and reveals what truly needs technical attention.
He critiques traditional lesson structures and training sequences that delay students singing what they love, arguing for honouring the artist’s goals and building from where they already feel successful.
He encourages singers to count everyday singing as practice if they pay attention and get curious, and explains how simple body-based prompts can “hook” clients into experiential learning.
Jeremy shares where to find him online: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok (Body Based Voice with J Moss) and bodybasedvoice.com.
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:33 The Big Question
02:22 Start With the Song
04:23 Storytelling Fixes Technique
07:13 Why Lessons Get Backwards
08:47 Honour the Artist First
11:36 Real World Singing Practice
13:37 Flexible Lesson Structures
16:12 Hooking Clients Fast
17:43 Where to Find Jeremy
18:58 Final Thanks and Wrap
 
Reel mentioned at 17:46: HERE! 
 
FIND JEREMY:
Jeremy Ryan Mossman is a teacher of voice, movement, and wholistic expression.  Jeremy has recently moved on from academic teaching after 15+ years in order to focus on teaching in more creative and integrative ways while sharing his passion for wholly embodied singing.
Jeremy has a unique way of reconciling long-held beliefs with new understandings about the body and singing which he teaches to performers on Broadway, on their way to Broadway, and to teachers around the world.  You can learn more about him at www.bodybasedvoice.com
Find Jeremy on Instagram: @bodybasedvoicewithjmoss Facebook: @bodybasedvoicewithjmoss and TikTok: @bodybasedvoicewithjmoss
 
The Singer's Guide is hosted by Tessa Smith.
www.tessasmith.com
 
----
🤫 THE QUIET PRACTICE TOOLKIT: 3 step-by-step exercises to improve your singing without making a sound https://subscribepage.io/quiet-practice-toolkit
 
----
🤩 Tap here to learn more about the Singer's Practice Hub: www.singerspracticehub.com
 
🥳 Tap here to work with Tessa:
www.thesingersguide.com
 
🎵 Music by Tessa Smith
🎙 Hosted by Tessa Smith, creator of The Self-Validated Voice and The Singer's Practice Hub.

Host Tessa welcomes singing teacher and performer Molly Marie Walsh, a California-born UK-based musical theatre artist, close-harmony singer (The Honeybirds), Urdang faculty member, and BAST mentor.
Asked what she wishes singers knew, Molly emphasises that “slow and steady wins the race”: vocal growth and mindset change come from little-and-often practice rather than quick fixes promoted by ever-present technology and online “magic” solutions.
She describes reducing overwhelm by setting small, achievable tasks (e.g., in theatre history, the first assignment is simply to get and bring a book) and in voice lessons focusing on one demonstrable, repeatable concept, then integrating it into warm-ups and songs over time.
They discuss the need for teacher confidence in repetition, the value of discernment on social media, and how too many choices can stop practice altogether.
Molly has left social media and is reachable via https://mollymariewalsh.co.uk/
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
02:04 The Big Question
02:30 Slow and Steady Growth
04:27 Teaching Small Wins
07:53 Repeating What Works
09:11 Social Media Quick Fixes
10:29 Good Content and Discernment
14:03 Too Much Choice to Practice
18:09 Finding Molly and Wrap Up
 
FIND MOLLY:
Born and raised in California, lived and worked in New York and Philadelphia, and now over 12 years a resident and raising a family in the UK, Molly has worn many hats.
As a professional Musical Theatre Performer in the US: the National Tour of DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, and productions of WHITE CHRISTMAS, 42nd STREET, FORBIDDEN BROADWAY, OKLAHOMA! and INTO THE WOODS, and in the UK: Alan Menken's A CHRISTMAS CAROL, JEWISH LEGENDS, and THE MIKADO.
She has been a Vocalist with a classical crossover group, ANCORA, and close-harmony Andrews Sisters trios THE MANHATTAN DOLLS (US), and THE HONEYBIRDS (UK).
She has also been a creative consultant with writing team KANSLEY & LIDERT on their original musicals, CONFESSIONS and AUTUMN RHYTHM.
Molly currently teaches Voice, Musical Theatre and Drama across Buckinghamshire where she lives with her fellow musician-husband, and her two children, as well as teaching Voice, vocal technique, and the History of dance and musical theatre at Urdang Academy in London.
She has also just completed her final module for the BAST Level 5 Extended Diploma in Singing Teaching Skills, for whom she is now a Mentor.
https://mollymariewalsh.co.uk/
 
The Singer's Guide is hosted by Tessa Smith.
www.tessasmith.com
 
----
🤫 THE QUIET PRACTICE TOOLKIT: 3 step-by-step exercises to improve your singing without making a sound https://subscribepage.io/quiet-practice-toolkit
 
----
🤩 Tap here to learn more about the Singer's Practice Hub: www.singerspracticehub.com
 
🥳 Tap here to work with Tessa:
www.thesingersguide.com
 
🎵 Music by Tessa Smith
🎙 Hosted by Tessa Smith, creator of The Self-Validated Voice and The Singer's Practice Hub.

In this Singer’s Guide podcast episode, Tessa interviews vocal coach Heather Baker (@thesingingteacher), founder member of the Institute of Vocal Advancement and a master’s-trained vocal pedagogy specialist, about the one thing she wishes singers knew.
Heather emphasises experimenting with vocal tract shaping - playing with vowels and adjustable elements like the tongue, larynx, pharynx, jaw and lips - to find the unique configurations that help each individual voice resonate best.
She explains that different shapes can make singing easier or harder and influence style choices.
Tessa and Heather discuss using recordings and teacher feedback to counter inaccurate self-perception, building trust between internal sensations and external sound, and how willingness to be vulnerable and try new coordinations speeds vocal progress.
00:00 Welcome to Season Two
00:58 Meet Heather Baker
02:40 The Big Question
03:36 Vocal Tract Shaping Basics
05:58 Playful Experiments With Vowels
07:04 Style Choices Classical vs Belt
08:31 Recordings and Feedback Loops
10:35 Familiar vs Comfortable Sounds
11:35 Confidence Vulnerability and Growth
14:06 Where to Find Heather
14:55 Final Thanks and Goodbye
 
FIND HEATHER:
Heather is a world-renowned singing teacher and vocal coach with over 25 years of experience working with contemporary singers.
Her clients range from Award Winning Recording Artists to West End and Broadway performers to Complete Beginners and everything in-between! She is a Founding Director of The Institute of Vocal Advancement and has amassed over 10,000 followers across her social media platforms.
Heather holds a Masters Degree in Vocal Pedagogy and has completed years of ongoing training and study on the voice. She is an expert in her field and has a passion for helping singers develop their true potential and achieve the results they deserve.
https://www.thesingingteacher.biz/
TikTok - Instagram - Facebook
 
The Singer's Guide is hosted by Tessa Smith.
www.tessasmith.com
 
----
🤫 THE QUIET PRACTICE TOOLKIT: 3 step-by-step exercises to improve your singing without making a sound https://subscribepage.io/quiet-practice-toolkit
 
----
🤩 Tap here to learn more about the Singer's Practice Hub: www.singerspracticehub.com
 
🥳 Tap here to work with Tessa:
www.thesingersguide.com
 
🎵 Music by Tessa Smith
🎙 Hosted by Tessa Smith, creator of The Self-Validated Voice and The Singer's Practice Hub.
 

Tessa welcomes listeners to The Singer’s Guide and announces that season two is coming soon.
 
She explains that season one focused on “what I wish I’d known sooner as a singer,” covering topics like warming up, cooling down, and how to practice.
 
For season two, she has invited a range of respected singing teachers and peers and will ask each one question: “What’s one thing that you wish singers knew?”
 
She mentions guests including Heather Baker, Jeremy Ryan Mossman, John Henny, Chelsea Wilson, and Lucinda Allen, and shares that episodes will be released fortnightly on Tuesdays starting 7 July 2026.
 
The Singer's Guide is hosted by Tessa Smith.
www.tessasmith.com
 
----
🤫 THE QUIET PRACTICE TOOLKIT: 3 step-by-step exercises to improve your singing without making a sound https://subscribepage.io/quiet-practice-toolkit
----
🤩 Tap here to learn more about the Singer's Practice Hub: www.singerspracticehub.com
 
🥳 Tap here to work with Tessa: www.thesingersguide.com
 
🎵 Music by Tessa Smith
🎙 Hosted by Tessa Smith, creator of The Self-Validated Voice and The Singer's Practice Hub.

In this final episode of season one of The Singer's Guide Podcast, host Tessa reflects on the journey so far.
 
She highlights her favourite episodes, the overall approach to diverse topics such as vocal health and practice techniques, and discusses areas for improvement.
 
Tessa also shares insightful responses from singers on what they wish they had learned earlier in their singing careers.
 
Looking ahead to season two, she plans to incorporate feedback and introduce new perspectives by inviting other singing teachers to join the conversation.
 
Tessa concludes by asking listeners for their favorite episodes and suggestions for future topics.
 
00:00 Introduction and Reflection
02:26 Season Highlights and Favourite Episodes
03:31 Areas for Improvement
07:02 Singer's Answers to the Question "What Do You Wish You'd Learned Sooner?"
10:39 Final Thoughts and Season 2 Preview
 
----
🤫 THE QUIET PRACTICE TOOLKIT: 3 step-by-step exercises to improve your singing without making a sound https://subscribepage.io/quiet-practice-toolkit
 
----
🤩 Tap here to learn more about the Singer's Practice Hub: www.singerspracticehub.com
 
🥳 Tap here to work with Tessa:
www.thesingersguide.com
 
🎵 Music by Tessa Smith
🎙 Hosted by Tessa Smith, creator of The Self-Validated Voice and The Singer's Practice Hub.