1^st lesson free

Craig

5 (15 reviews)

Rate $71
Response 1h
Students
Number of students Craig has accompanied since arriving at Superprof
50+
Number of students Craig has accompanied since arriving at Superprof

5 (15 reviews)

$71/h

1^st lesson free

Singing

Experienced tutor in Singing in Winston-Salem, Craig offers private lessons tailored to your needs.

Singing

Lesson location

- online

About Craig

I am passionate about helping others learn how to sing in a free, healthy, expressive manner so that they may meet their vocal and musical goals, be able to sing any style of music, sing beautifully, bless others, be totally self expressed, and/or have fun.

With almost 50 years experience as a professional singer and voice teacher, I can help you be the best singer that you want to be. I have had great success in teaching students as young as 11 and as old as their 80s. My students have performed a wide range of repertoire from classical, musical theater, contemporary Christian, folk, bluegrass, and Country and Western. I have been a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the New York Singing Teachers Association.

Everyone should be able to sing well and enjoy singing. I love helping others to "find their voice" and discover the joys of singing well. It makes me happy to see them get excited as they learn and improve. I hear a lot of people struggling to sing well, and as a result, they have less confidence and don't enjoy singing as much as they could. Singing is a wholistic exercise involving body, mind and spirit. There is much about singing that is not intuitive and should be different than how we use our speaking voices, so singers need to be trained carefully so that they can perform their best and sing in a healthy fashion for their whole lives if they so desire.

Breathing for singing is different than breathing to stay alive. It is the most important aspect of healthy and good singing, and most teachers don't understand and/or teach it well, so their students never really learn to sing as well as they can. I focus on helping students understand this breath process and how it affects their singing so that they can always be in control, sing well, and sing confidently. I do this by focusing on proper breathing and breath support, placement, and technique, which are the keys to singing well, in a healthy manner, and which once mastered, enable the singer to focus on making music and communicating the message of the song, and not having to worry about upcoming high notes or vocal inconsistency. It enables one to sing well evern through allergies or when one has a cold. This works in any genre or style of music.

I have performed leading roles in opera, oratorio, concert, recital and musical theater in New York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. I have soloed in many churches and sung for many weddings and funerals.

Please, if you're interested in studying with me, ONLY select me, and then if it doesn't work out, move on to the next teacher. I have a busy schedule, and it is often hours before I can respond, which puts me at a disadvantage. The first teacher to respond is not necessarily the best teacher for you.

Quite often, prospective students select four or five teachers and the odds of a teacher getting that student drop significantly, especially if some or the others respond before you. As a result, I could easily wind up paying hundreds of dollars a week in referral fees, but have no interest in doing that. This is my livelihood, and I won't waste money needlessly. If you select another teacher or teachers in addition to me, please understand that I will not respond.

My first voice "students" were my high school choral classes I taught right after graduating from college in my first job as an adult. Then my next students were my adult and children's choirs at the churches where I was Music Director. Those were more group lessons. Then I started branching out and teaching individual lessons to church choir members, and finally others in the community.

I have two music degrees where I emphasized vocal performance and pedagogy, and I studied voice professionally for over 25 years, including 16 years in New York City, where I studied and coached with some of the top voice teachers, and coaches from the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera. I have also attended numerous professional vocal workshops/seminars and participated in numerous Master Classes.

I was a participant in the Aspen Summer Music Festival and an apprentice with Des Moines Metro Opera. I sang in the Dallas Opera Chorus, and performed leading roles in opera in New York City and New Jersey for 16 years.

About the lesson

I ask what their goals are, i.e., what they want to learn, why they want to study singing, what they want to sing, and how they think they learn best.

At their first lesson I hear them sing something that they know well, and begin assessing what I think their vocal needs are.

How I proceed depends upon their interest, experience (whether they have had previous vocal or musical study, and or performance), and what I think their needs are. Generally, I explain the types of things we will be doing in lessons, begin laying the foundation for what we will be working on in their study. I explain the need for them to practice at home, the need, if possible, to record their lessons and listen to them during the week, and begin helping them to feel/hear what happens when they sing. I explain that vocal study is a partnership. I can help guide them, but they have to be full partners, thinking, exploring, experimenting, questioning, listening differently, seeking to feel what happens in their bodies as they sing.

Unless we are athletes or do cardio exercise regularly, most of us breathe in a very shallow manner. Singing requires taking in and using a lot more air than we normally do, so there is a need to learn to breathe in a slightly different maner. Therefore, initially, a lot of time is spent on that, since it is a basic foundation upon which one's singing voice is built, and breathing/breath support needs to become habitual, so that one is free to focus on other aspects of singing, music making, and communication of the message of the song when singing. I make use of simple vocalises and songs to help them free their voice, and work on breathing/breath support.

With more experienced or developed singers, we are able to begin with more advanced vocal concepts such as placement, phrasing, working on releasing any tenseness/tension in the lips, tongue, jaw, throat and abdomen, and are able to use more advanced vocalises and repertoire.

I have had voice students ranging from 11 to 83 in age. I have worked with both men and women and all basic voice types. Some had some experience with voice lessons, but most did not. Some could read music, and some could not. Some planned to major in music in college, some just loved to sing and wanted to sing better for themselves or the choir in which they sang, some had run into vocal problems and needed help, some had an upcoming performances or an audition and wanted me to help them prepare.

I would tell them to look for a teacher who has lots of experience, who is classically trained, and who is a classical singer because generally, they have a better understanding of how to sing in a healthy manner, and classical vocal technique can work well in any musical genre or style. I would tell them to not be afraid to ask questions about the teacher's teaching style and methods, and what is his/her experience level. I would tell them to keep an open mind, as there are a lot of things about singing that aren't intuitive and will be very different than they expected that they would be, and to keep an open mind about repertoire the teacher might suggest to aid in their learning and development. I would tell them that when they begin lessons if something their new teacher asked them to do in a lesson hurt, to immediately inform the teacher. I would tell them that it takes time for the teacher to get to know the student and the student to fully understand what the teacher is asking them to do and being able to do it. I'd tell them to be patient with themselves and the teacher, that it can take time to make changes in how one thinks about singing and how one sings. I'd tell them that if they leave a lesson hoarse more than once, to find a new teacher. I would advise them that if they aren't willing to practice at least 2-3 times a week that they can expect their progress to be very slow, and to expect that they'll wind up spending a lot more money and time learning to sing. Learning to sing or to play any instrument means that one has to put in the time and work to learn and improve. It's a joint effort of the teacher and student. If one only thinks about how one is producing one's voice once a week and only tries to do the things the teacher asks at the lesson, then progress will be painfully slow. I would also try to help them understand that most often, changing how one sings takes time and a lot of practice. After 3 months of lessons and practicing, one should begin seeing substantive progress in terms of tone quality, pitch/intonation, breath control, and vocal range, but depending upon what vocal issues they have, what their goals are, and the abilities of the teacher, it can take a solid year or more to really learn how to sing well.

I had potential student contact me about lessons. He told me that he had been singing since he was a child, and that both of his parents sang. He had been performing with a band for many years and singing well, but year ago he had a bad cold and that something had changed in his singing, and he couldn't get his voice back on track. We made arrangements for him to come for a lesson rather than doing it remotely. He came from a city two hours away and we spent two hours working and talking. I was able to point out the things that he was doing that were causing him problems, freed his voice, and got him back on track in that one two-hour lesson.

A few things worth thinking about before reaching out
They should have some idea of what their strengths and weaknesses are, and what they want to learn or gain from studying voice. They should think through their commitment to practicing and working at getting better. Teachers can't just pour the knowledge into student's heads once a week. A student-teacher relationship is a partnership. The teacher can only help and guide the student. The student has to spend time practicing and thinking about what it feels like when they're singing, how they're producing their voice, why they have trouble with certain aspects of singing. They should also ask themselves if they're willing to trust the teacher and do what he or she says in terms of singing and practicing.

Review

All of our reviews are collected by us and are 100% reliable. They correspond to a real experience lived by the teacher's students.

5 (15 reviews)

C

Caleb
- 5
Perfect! Craig is a phenomenal teacher,he's very patient with me,and dedicated to helping you sing at your very best,I highly recommend him if your looking to start your singing journey.
See the response Craig Read more See the response Craig

C

Caleb

Perfect! Craig is a phenomenal teacher,he's very patient with me,and dedicated to helping you sing at your very best,I highly recommend him if your looking to start your singing journey.

See the response Craig
Thanks, Caleb!!!
- See the response Craig :
  Thanks, Caleb!!!
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Recommendations

Recommendations come from relatives, friends and acquaintances of the tutor.

T

Thomas

I have been going to Craig for over a year and have enjoyed every lesson. Craig is a wonderful teacher even with my hearing problems I have seen improvement. Craig is very understanding and patient I highly recommend Craig to anyone that cares or would like to improve your singing!
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Thomas
I have been going to Craig for over a year and have enjoyed every lesson. Craig is a wonderful teacher even with my hearing problems I have seen improvement. Craig is very understanding and patient I highly recommend Craig to anyone that cares or would like to improve your singing!
Sarah

I am 80 years old. I was having trouble with singing because of allergies. CrAig helped me to sing more clearly, to vocalize to improve my tone and to increase my range. He’s a great teacher.
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Sarah
I am 80 years old. I was having trouble with singing because of allergies. CrAig helped me to sing more clearly, to vocalize to improve my tone and to increase my range. He’s a great teacher.
Houston

Craig Collins is the exceptional voice coach and teacher. He teaches you to have a strong foundation with your voice which will transcend in anything you decide to do. Craig has a lot of experience including sitting under the great Franco Corelli. His teaching skills will teach you not only how to control the voice, but to use it for what your voice was intended to be used for. Rather it be singing or public speaking. Yes, vocal lessons can help improve multiple areas of your life rather it be, singing, public speaking, personal relationships, Improve posture and even feel happier! Being Craig’s student was a true honor and I recommend him to everyone who is decided to take voice lessons!
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H
Houston
Craig Collins is the exceptional voice coach and teacher. He teaches you to have a strong foundation with your voice which will transcend in anything you decide to do. Craig has a lot of experience including sitting under the great Franco Corelli. His teaching skills will teach you not only how to control the voice, but to use it for what your voice was intended to be used for. Rather it be singing or public speaking. Yes, vocal lessons can help improve multiple areas of your life rather it be, singing, public speaking, personal relationships, Improve posture and even feel happier! Being Craig’s student was a true honor and I recommend him to everyone who is decided to take voice lessons!
Amy

Craig was such a pleasure to work with. He pushed me to develop my voice further than I thought possible. I sang Pie Jesu when I was 8 months pregnant and did not think I had the lung Capacity to do that.....but I did! He helped me strengthen my tone, achieve 3 full octaves, and helped me to really enjoy singing!! His vocal warm ups were something I had never done before. And believe me, I felt VERY silly doing them. But they work!!! And believe it or not I still use them to this day!!! I highly recommend Craig !!!!!! ♥️🎶🎵🎶♥️
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A
Amy
Craig was such a pleasure to work with. He pushed me to develop my voice further than I thought possible. I sang Pie Jesu when I was 8 months pregnant and did not think I had the lung Capacity to do that.....but I did! He helped me strengthen my tone, achieve 3 full octaves, and helped me to really enjoy singing!! His vocal warm ups were something I had never done before. And believe me, I felt VERY silly doing them. But they work!!! And believe it or not I still use them to this day!!! I highly recommend Craig !!!!!! ♥️🎶🎵🎶♥️
Michael

Craig gave me solid instruction in healthy and beautiful vocal production. As a pastor I use what he taught me every day, in both speaking and singing. He is a patient and skilled teacher and I would recommend him to anyone.
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Michael
Craig gave me solid instruction in healthy and beautiful vocal production. As a pastor I use what he taught me every day, in both speaking and singing. He is a patient and skilled teacher and I would recommend him to anyone.
Mike

Mr. Collins was part of the faculty at Wesleyan Teaching Studios from January 2009 through February of 2020. In his capacity as Vocal Instructor, Mr. Collins worked with students from middle school through high school ranging from beginners to advanced. In addition, Mr. Collins also worked with adult students from our Wesleyan Christian Academy staff, the local community, and returning collegiate students. He is an outstanding vocal pedagogue and had the full confidence of our choral teachers who utilized his talents and abilities on behalf of the performing ensemble at WCA.

While adhering to sound fundamental principles of vocal technique, Mr. Collins meets the students where they are musically and technically and incorporates those sound principles into the student’s area of musical interest. He is then able to broaden and expand their repertoire, technique, and appreciation for a variety of genres. His voice studio had a very low attrition rate which is a testament to the relationships he builds and the progress made by his students. Mr. Collins was a cornerstone of our program bringing a high level of expertise and professionalism. He was a great ambassador for our program with students, parents, and the extended musical community.

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M
Mike
Mr. Collins was part of the faculty at Wesleyan Teaching Studios from January 2009 through February of 2020. In his capacity as Vocal Instructor, Mr. Collins worked with students from middle school through high school ranging from beginners to advanced. In addition, Mr. Collins also worked with adult students from our Wesleyan Christian Academy staff, the local community, and returning collegiate students. He is an outstanding vocal pedagogue and had the full confidence of our choral teachers who utilized his talents and abilities on behalf of the performing ensemble at WCA.

While adhering to sound fundamental principles of vocal technique, Mr. Collins meets the students where they are musically and technically and incorporates those sound principles into the student’s area of musical interest. He is then able to broaden and expand their repertoire, technique, and appreciation for a variety of genres. His voice studio had a very low attrition rate which is a testament to the relationships he builds and the progress made by his students. Mr. Collins was a cornerstone of our program bringing a high level of expertise and professionalism. He was a great ambassador for our program with students, parents, and the extended musical community.
Jeff

I wanted to expand my vocal range as a tenor. I received more than that. Although I studied voice in college over30 yrs ago, I had forgotten some technique, breath control, and lost upper range. One surprising element that I had heard but never felt was how to lift the soft palette at will ! Thanks to Craig I get it now!
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Jeff
I wanted to expand my vocal range as a tenor. I received more than that. Although I studied voice in college over30 yrs ago, I had forgotten some technique, breath control, and lost upper range. One surprising element that I had heard but never felt was how to lift the soft palette at will ! Thanks to Craig I get it now!
Cynthia

Craig Collins is the antidote to every mean or ineffective music teacher you've ever experienced. Craig not only knows his craft, he knows how to transfer that knowledge to you in a kind, constructive, and efficient way. Since I began lessons, I've become more confident in almost everything I do. The breathing has improved my outlook on life -- and I cannot believe how much my voice has improved!
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Cynthia
Craig Collins is the antidote to every mean or ineffective music teacher you've ever experienced. Craig not only knows his craft, he knows how to transfer that knowledge to you in a kind, constructive, and efficient way. Since I began lessons, I've become more confident in almost everything I do. The breathing has improved my outlook on life -- and I cannot believe how much my voice has improved!
Nancy

Craig Collins has a true passion for teaching correct, healthy voice technique with the ultimate goal being to bring out the maximum natural beauty of the student's voice. Craig's humor and gentle nature make it easy to relate to him, and trust that he knows what he's doing. He has been my voice teacher for almost two years. I am not a professional singer, but my range and singing quality has increased substantially under his guidance, so that I am confident enough to sing solo, and not just in choirs and choruses. Thank you, Craig!
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Nancy
Craig Collins has a true passion for teaching correct, healthy voice technique with the ultimate goal being to bring out the maximum natural beauty of the student's voice. Craig's humor and gentle nature make it easy to relate to him, and trust that he knows what he's doing. He has been my voice teacher for almost two years. I am not a professional singer, but my range and singing quality has increased substantially under his guidance, so that I am confident enough to sing solo, and not just in choirs and choruses. Thank you, Craig!
Matthew

An incredibly talented vocalist but also a caring coach and mentor. Encourages growth from students with proper technique, great advice, and a supportive attitude. Grew so much as vocalist in a short time
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M
Matthew
An incredibly talented vocalist but also a caring coach and mentor. Encourages growth from students with proper technique, great advice, and a supportive attitude. Grew so much as vocalist in a short time
Sean

Craig is a very knowledgeable and skilled voice teacher. He has helped me to not only sing much better, but with much less effort. Which increases the joy of singing! You will find Craig to be very positive and encouraging no matter your present skill level.
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Sean
Craig is a very knowledgeable and skilled voice teacher. He has helped me to not only sing much better, but with much less effort. Which increases the joy of singing! You will find Craig to be very positive and encouraging no matter your present skill level.
Chris

Craig is hands down the best vocal coach I've ever had the pleasure of working with! The amount of passion and skill this man has for singing truly truly amazes me! Not only will Craig use vocal techniques but also visual ones to help you develop your voice and get you to a place you want to be, whether it be classical or modern, with your singing ability. I'm still using these techniques today and absolutely wouldn't be the same without his care and guidance! SING ON!
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Chris
Craig is hands down the best vocal coach I've ever had the pleasure of working with! The amount of passion and skill this man has for singing truly truly amazes me! Not only will Craig use vocal techniques but also visual ones to help you develop your voice and get you to a place you want to be, whether it be classical or modern, with your singing ability. I'm still using these techniques today and absolutely wouldn't be the same without his care and guidance! SING ON!
Kelly

Craig’s classical training provided me excellent instruction in relaxing my jaw and breathing correctly when I sang. I still employ his techniques when I sing in choral groups.
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K
Kelly
Craig’s classical training provided me excellent instruction in relaxing my jaw and breathing correctly when I sang. I still employ his techniques when I sing in choral groups.
Jon

I have worked with Craig for several years and have found him to be an excellent voice teacher. He communicates very clearly the necessary ingredients for singing well and points out when I am failing to apply them. I am a 72 year old folk singer who has developed problems in staying on pitch. Craig is able to adapt classical singing techniques to fit my style while helping me with my pitch problem. I have made considerable progress through working with him. He is always pleasant and professional. I could not ask for a better voice teacher.
Read more

J
Jon
I have worked with Craig for several years and have found him to be an excellent voice teacher. He communicates very clearly the necessary ingredients for singing well and points out when I am failing to apply them. I am a 72 year old folk singer who has developed problems in staying on pitch. Craig is able to adapt classical singing techniques to fit my style while helping me with my pitch problem. I have made considerable progress through working with him. He is always pleasant and professional. I could not ask for a better voice teacher.
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5 h: $355
10 h: $710

free lessons

This first lesson offered with Craig will allow you to get to know each other and clearly specify your needs for your next lessons.

1hrs

online

$71/h

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Yes, my pricing for lessons is as follows.

30 minute lesson - $30;

45 minute lesson - $40;

60 minute lesson - $50

Experienced tutor in Singing in Winston-Salem, Craig offers private lessons tailored to your needs.

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Experienced tutor in Singing in Winston-Salem, Craig offers private lessons tailored to your needs.

Lesson location

Recommended

About Craig

About the lesson

Review

Recommendations

Rates

Rate

Pack rates

free lessons

online

Details

Other tutors in Singing

MALIA

Grace

Oceana

JAMES

STEF

Saina

Seif

Rosie

Joseph

Catherine

John

Jacelyn

LÉRAL

Pablo

Hil

Richard

Maria

Jordana

Veronna

Maria Jose

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