My Philosophy

I attribute the success rate that I have had in my career to my work in private voice lessons. I create, foster and develop a relationship of trust with each student. My studio is a safe zone, and I function as a mentor and counselor as well as a vocal and artistic technician. Once they trust me, they then can trust themselves to take risks, explore, discover and master their vocal technique. I offer them musical and vocal tools to help them find their freedom. These tools are made up of specific exercises or vocalises that I personally design for each student’s strengths and/or weaknesses. I work with them to develop a deep and extended breath to support long phrases; I help them find an easy posture that allows them to command the stage when they sing; I teach them to pronounce their words properly in English, German, French and Italian; I help them to develop their musicianship and their artistic interpretation. In other words, I help them find their inner actor. Singers have the added aspect of texts in their performances. They need to understand what they are singing about and connect emotionally to that text as well as the music. Once they have worked on all of these tools, they must put it all together in master classes and recitals. This is where they find their freedom. Master class is a place where I ask students to take risks and experiment with their songs in a way they might not have thought of before. I ask them in a sense to “play” with their songs. If they are willing to try, they move to the next level of understanding. This understanding often influences their daily lives, and I believe I am contributing to their eventual success as people, not just singers and music teachers. I am developing strong citizens.

A student’s confidence is directly related to their sense of personal success. Success then breeds more success. My students have received awards and won competitions such as state and regional NATS, the Schmidt Voice competition, and Columbus Voice, in Ohio.

Click the image below to download my teaching resumé.

Student Testimonials

  • “Dr. Kathleen Allen is a phenomenal singer and voice teacher. With a stellar ear and mastery of the “bel canto” technique, there is not a better option for studying classical voice. No matter what your voice type is, Dr. Allen is equipped to help you achieve your goals like very few others can. She discovered my talents nearly 20 years ago, seeing my potential as a classical singer long before anyone else. It is because of this that I have since made debuts with New York City Opera, Opera Philadelphia, San Diego Opera, and my European opera debut with Opera de Oviedo in Spain. Acclaimed roles include the title role in Falstaff, Iago in Otello, Figaro in both Barber of Seville and Marriage of Figaro, Tonio in Pagliacci, and Marcello in La Bohème. I fully encourage anyone looking to learn the art of classical singing to invest in voice lessons with Dr. Allen. She changed my life.”

    Robert Mellon, Internationally acclaimed Baritone

  • “I had the privilege of studying voice under the tutelage of Dr. Kathleen Allen for my entire 4 years of undergraduate work at the Crane School of Music. Dr. Allen brought out the voice that’s been hidden inside of my soul, she gave me the confidence to believe in myself, and the encouragement when I wasn’t feeling my best. Dr. Allen improved every aspect of my singing, from broadening my range, training my breath support, shaping my tone; she fostered my true love for singing, allowed me to realize that our singing is a gift to share with others, not to be shy or afraid. I am forever grateful for her teaching and her support.”

    Christa Braunreuther, Elementary General Music and Choral teacher, popular music singer.

  • “I can’t say enough how much your lessons completely revamped and reshaped my voice to help me be ready for the opportunities I have today!! Thank you for your kind words and for everything you’ve done for me!!♥”

    Maria Dalanno, Musical Theater actor, Broadway’s Mrs. Doubtfire