Overview
Whether you perform as a soloist, in a choral ensemble, or simply enjoy singing and jamming out to music in your car during rush-hour traffic, this course offers a welcoming and engaging opportunity to explore singing and musicianship.
This flexible course is designed for singers of all experience levels and focuses on developing healthy vocal technique, artistic expression, and confidence in performance. Through group instruction, guided discussions, warm-ups, and master-class style coaching, students will explore the difference in breathing vs breath support, resonance and alignment, tone production, vowel shaping, and vocal techniques across a variety of musical styles including Classical, Pop, and Musical Theatre.
Students will also gain insight into vocal health, audition preparation, performance etiquette, and strategies for managing stage fright while working with both solo and group repertoire. Using musical examples and performance exercises, students will learn how to use their voice as a storytelling instrument while building artistry, stage presence, and individual confidence.
The course culminates in an informal in-class performance celebrating each student’s musical growth, creativity, and unique artistic voice. Designed to be supportive, collaborative, and fun, this class encourages students to grow at their own pace while developing practical vocal skills that can be applied in performances, auditions, choirs, theater productions, and beyond.
New repertoire will be introduced in each session, and the following semester will be an extension of special topics that will provide a deeper dive into course materials.
Topics
- WEEK 1 – Welcome and Introduction
- WEEK 2 – Introduction to Vocal Technique
- WEEK 3 – Video Lab
- WEEK 4 – Solo voicings and Group Work/Discussion
- WEEK 5 – Masterclass Workshops Begin
- WEEK 6 – Workshops Continue, Discussion on Perceptions of the Voice
- WEEK 7 – Workshops Continue, Discussion of Healthy Vocal Practices
- WEEK 8 – Workshops Continue, Discussions of Audition Etiquette
- WEEK 9 – Dress Rehearsal – Discussions of Performance Etiquette
- WEEK 10 – Final In-Class Performance
Program Details
Ages: 21+
Dates: Tuesdays, 6–7 p.m.
September 22–December 1, 2026 (10 weeks)
Skip Dates: November 24, 2026
Tuition: $330
Location: Mason Community Arts Academy Building in Fairfax, Virginia
Program Faculty
Ashlyn Rock
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Ashlyn Rock (soprano) was born in Boulder, Colorado, and moved at a young age to California and across the country to the East Coast where she currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Sterling, Virginia. Ashlyn started her undergraduate as an English major but was compelled to take voice lessons her sophomore year under the instruction tenor John Aler. She completed a Bachelor of Music with an English minor, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society (ΦΒΚ), America’s oldest and most prestigious honor society. She finds opera and art song contain the poetry and prose she loves in English, and believes classical music is the perfect pairing of her two major passions.
Ashlyn graduated summa cum laude with her Masters at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where she studied with William McGraw and Thomas Baresel. She completes her Artist Diploma at CCM with Amy Johnson in May of 2024. Ashlyn has also studied with Ruth Falcon, Danielle Talamantes, and Elizabeth Daniels.
When she is not studying music or teaching, Ashlyn enjoys practicing yoga, hiking, biking, reading, painting, writing poems and working on publishing her own book.
Notes
- Please note that group classes are subject to cancellation if minimum enrollment is not reached.
- Be sure to check our policies and procedures regarding registration, withdrawals, refunds, and more for fall or spring group classes.
- All students will receive a Welcome Letter via email at least one week before the class starts with all necessary details.
- Online registration closes two business days before the first class, however space may still be available. Please contact [email protected] for more information. A $10 late registration fee may apply.
- For additional information, please contact the Academy at [email protected].