“Voice lessons--private--voice lessons. Singing alone in a room with a professional voice instructor? No way. I mean, I like singing, but that just seems terrifying.” As a freshman, you would frequently hear this sentence coming out of my mouth.

I was shy and the thought of singing in front of a stranger once a week for half an hour was mortifying. But alas, I met Dawn Reising, who has been my private voice teacher for almost two years.

Let me tell you something about Dawn: aside from being the brightest and most down-to-earth person I know, she is also the most encouraging, honest, and genuine educator I could have asked for. Every Wednesday, I walk into her room knowing I am going to learn, grow, and build confidence. She is a real life star, but light years closer. Dawn is someone who wants me to succeed and wants me to find my inner voice. Her lessons aren’t just about breathing techniques and singing postures, she teaches me to be authentic and confident with who I am.
I remember walking into her room for my first lesson with a tight throat and jelly legs. What if she doesn’t like me? What if she thinks I’m terrible? Is it possible for someone to pass out from doing this? With these thoughts pounding through my skull, I introduced myself with a quivering smile. She greeted me with curious eyes and a question, “What three words would you use to describe yourself?” I was caught off guard. (Three words? I thought I was here to sing!) I rattled off some generic words like friendly, intelligent, and funny, and she looked at me as if she knew how terrible my response was going to be.

“Anyone can be those things, I want words specific to you.” And with this simple sentence her lessons began.
Each lesson is a building block, and Dawn and I have built a castle -- a castle of progress, personality, and ambition. She encourages me to try new and bizarre things in order to step out of my comfort zone and reach new heights of authenticity (like when she had me pretend to be two polar-opposite characters at the same time or turn the lyrics into a overdramatized monologue). But she is also open, patient, and supportive as I connect to songs on a personal and emotional level.

There is one lesson that sticks out to me the most. Dawn and I had been working on a song for weeks and after each run-through, she told me it was getting better each time. This particular lesson I was excited to show her my progress, so we ran through it like we normally would. After I finished singing, I looked at her for feedback, but instead of looking at her smiling face (like usual), I saw her wiping tears from her eyes. That was the best feedback I have received.

My fears quickly dissolved and the more Dawn teaches me, the more my confidence solidifies. After taking voice lessons with Dawn, it seems as though I am a completely different person today than I was two years ago. But that’s the thing -- I’m not. Somewhere inside me I was always a goofy, quirky, and out-going character, but it didn’t show until I became Dawn’s student. And I believe that is what a real educator should be -- not someone who molds your mind by teaching you what you could be, but someone who unlocks your potential by giving you full range to be who you are.