Lori Van Lenten is the Founding Artistic and Executive Director of VOCE Studios in Augusta, Georgia. She loves teaching her group classes, but is also thrilled to have the opportunity to teach private lessons and coaching sessions as well as serve as a Musical Director for multiple shows each year.

Lori has had the opportunity to travel and perform all over the United States, Vietnam, Korea, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Austria, England, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, and Italy. Her singers have also been invited to travel and perform extensively and she has had students featured as soloists at Carnegie Hall, on National Broadway Tours, Disney, as well as Community and Regional Theatre. She has also had the privlage of serving as clinician or guest director to many choral festivals and events throughout the South East where she values the time she gets to spend working with singers of all ages, as well as working as a vocal coach for the cast of the National Broadway Cast of Paw Patrol Live.

Lori earned her Bachelors Degree in Choral Music Education from Florida State University and a Master in Vocal Pedagogy for Musical Theatre from Westminster Choir College at Rider University. She is also certified in Somatic Voicework(tm) through the LoVetri Institute, and is now focusing her advanced studies on Body Mapping and The Alexander Technique. She has taught all ages from “birth to death” in public schools (Elementary, Middle, and High School), private schools, community groups, and church choirs, and believes strongly that it is her responsibility to teach her students how to sing for life no matter what their goals as a singer might be.

Van Lenten considers herself to be a “Functional Voice Teacher” meaning she teaches based on the science and function of the voice. There are fundamental vocal techniques that serve as the foundation for all types of vocal performance, but different styles of singing require different uses of the voice. She is also a self-proclaimed “voice health nut,” and is very conscientious about the care and protection of her students’ voices. Lori has spent years studying the growth and development of the voice in order to help each singer grow and meet their individual goals.

In her own studio and rehearsals, Lori recognized the struggle of a number of singers at various levels of training who would make progress in the studio, but struggle when rehearsals called for strenuous dance or physicality as a performer. In an effort to continue to help her students learn and grow as CCM (Contemporary Commercial Music) Singers, Lori has done extensive research on strength training for vocalists. A product of that research is her course “FitVoice, Physical Training for the Athletic Singer.” This on-line course is designed to lead vocalists through a methodical and well-organized strength training program dedicated to protecting and improving the performance strength of Musical Theatre and Pop singers by partnering a specific series of physical exercises with vocal exercises. It is accessible to singers as young as 10 years old, and is also meant to accomodate touring singers who don’t have access to a gym or expensive workout equipment.

Lori has also written and published multiple resources designed to assist students (especially in the state of Georgia) prepare for and master the sight reading audition for All State Choir.

When selecting your voice teacher, knowing and communicating your goals is an important part of the partnership. As teachers, we should listen to your goals and then lead you through a strategic plan to help you meet those goals. As goals change and adjust, so will your plan and strategies. It is also important to understand what you will be getting in a voice lesson with your teacher. The difference between a “coaching session” and “voice lessons” is important to know. Lessons focus on vocal technique and the development of skills through the use of student specific exercises and repertoire (music selections) to reinforce and practice vocal technique. The lessons focus on proper vocal technique, and those techniques are then applied by the singer when working on their repertoire or song list. A coaching session focuses more specifically on the performance of a specific song for a performance or an audition. Technique is important during this process, but if you have selected a song that is outside of your physical or vocal capabilities, technique can’t be taught in a few short sessions. A singer would normally schedule a few coaching sessions before an audition.