Welcome to My Studio...

My name is Celia Castro, which you know if you came in via ladolcediva.com. My voice studio is located in Edison, NJ, a neighborhood adjacent to Metuchen. Some of my New York students still work with me but I mostly teach in NJ now.

I am very proud to say that I TOTALLY enjoy teaching! I am not a "those-who-can't-do-teach" teacher. I love passing on what I've learned along the way. When a student recently told me he got a job to sing a concert in a local church, he told me this while beaming from ear to ear. This student started with me only able to work with one octave of his voice. Today he's accessing a full 2 and half octaves and singing very openly and freely. It's a joy to hear how far he's come. This is why I teach. I love to watch people go on to enjoy successful singing. Nothing makes me happier.

In my studio I have beginners, intermediate students and professionals. I have rock singers, R&B singers, folk singers, classical singers, actors, professional speakers... absolutely anyone who needs to know how to use their voice efficiently and effectively for their profession. It is really a labor of love to work with such a diverse group of people. The ages also vary from 13 to 60+. However, I do not take children younger than 13 because I find the intense one-on-one focus is usually more than their attention spans can handle. Anyone hoping to place their young child in voice lessons should consider a class setting with other children their age.

My Method (or "All the various ways to get to the same result")

My theories on good singing do not differ much from everyone else's. Every legitimate voice teacher wants their students to produce beautiful, free, resonating, round tones. Achieving a proper, relaxed throat opening and proper coordination and balance throughout the voice is what I believe most everyone is aiming for. Most of my exercises and approaches are taken from the Bel Canto masters -- Manuel Garcia being my greatest source of information. I have also supplemented the teachings of Garcia by turning to William Vernard's "Singing, the Mechanism and the Technic" when I found it necessary to back my information with a more scientific explanation. And, then of course, there are the years under a number of fantastic teachers from whom I took away all kinds of tips and tricks. I take all of this knowledge and then assign each student their own targeted exercises for their voice, their goals, their genre of singing, their experience, etc. Individualized training.

The pursuit of good vocal technique...

The pursuit of good vocal technique is, for most, a lifelong pursuit. Brilliant, clear vowels and stunning crisp diction can be elusive until one has learned proper balance and relaxation in the throat, tongue and breathing apparatus. Many a teacher and student have tried to put the cart before the horse. The truth is that what makes this an inexact science and an art is that there is no one "true" way. There are good ways and better ways (we won't discuss the bad ways).

It is my belief that we can't all learn the same concepts the same way. What I offer my students is the benefit of my own journey and study. I have studied under many of the best (and some of the worst) teachers the arts have had to offer in the past 15+ years. I use a variety of exercises to help weed out the bad tensions that are the usual culprits until I find what it is. I always aim to give a student whatever exercises and guidance I feel will serve them best. Sometimes I know immediately from the student's personality what will work, other times I might have to try a few different exercises before the right fit is found. I do not believe in doing things rigidly. This makes for rigid results!!

I do not advocate quick fixes. There are none. These are muscles and must be worked slowly and regularly for long-term results. I believe there is no other way. That doesn't mean you can't see results quickly though. Usually, people begin to notice they are making progress after only a few weeks.

My study continues... I recently went back to complete my undergrad education at Rutgers University, where I'm happy to say I just graduated summa cum laude as a Music major/Psychology minor. This will only further my goal of bridging the gap between the psyche and good vocal technique in practice. This is what I hope to continue to do whether I go on to a Master's or not. I've studied intensively in private studios with many wonderful teachers and studied the best pedagogical texts out there - Miller, Vennard, Garcia, Doscher, to name a few. As a performer, I've spent years working on the balance between needing technical proficiency and needing to let go and allow for creativity and artistry. I bring all this to the table.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss approaches to vocal training with other singers and voice teachers so feel to email me with your thoughts and/or articles you might want to have me link on this website. Singing is a process. A wonderful study that, when applied with joy, can be much like zen practice.