You walk into auditions knowing you’re talented—but your voice betrays you. It shakes, tightens, or simply won’t access the emotional depth and expressive range you know is there. Casting directors never see all you are capable of.
Your voice is frustratingly inconsistent. Some days it’s open, free, and expressive. Other days it’s locked up tight—and you have no idea why or how to fix it.
You’ve lost callbacks because nerves hijacked your voice in the room. You’ve been told you’re “in your head” or “not connected”—but no one’s taught you how to stay grounded when the pressure’s on.
You’re watching actors with less training book roles because their voice lands—while yours feels unreliable, unpredictable, and like it’s working against you instead of for you.
You know you have more emotional range, more nuance, more power—but it’s trapped. Your voice can’t express what you’re feeling, and it’s costing you work.
✓ Your voice becomes your most reliable tool—not your biggest anxiety. You walk into every audition, rehearsal, and performance knowing your voice will be there for you, fully responsive and emotionally available.
✓ Casting directors finally see your full range. Your voice can access the emotional depth, nuance, and power that’s been locked inside—so you’re no longer leaving opportunity on the table.
✓ You stop losing work because of nerves. You develop the somatic tools to stay grounded, connected, and vocally free even in high-stakes audition rooms where everyone else is falling apart.
✓ Consistency becomes your competitive advantage. Your voice stops being unpredictable. You know exactly how to warm up, release tension, and access your full expressive capacity—every single day.
✓ You eliminate the vocal strain and fatigue that’s been limiting your stamina. Long rehearsal days, back-to-back auditions, 8-show weeks—your voice sustains you instead of breaking down.
✓ You build a voice that can handle anything the industry throws at you—from last-minute audition prep to emotionally demanding roles to the marathon of a full production run.
Vocal Influence for Actors provides performers with a strong, dependable foundation in vocal presence, emotional expressiveness, and embodied technique—skills you can rely on in auditions, rehearsals, and performance.
Your journey begins with a comprehensive one-on-one session designed to set the tone for the work ahead.
In this session, we will:
This session establishes a clear, focused pathway forward—rooted in curiosity, precision, and your lived artistic practice.
Across four (or eight) bi-weekly sessions, we systematically build your vocal and expressive toolkit.
Each session integrates:
The work blends rigorous technique with somatic awareness and performance application, ensuring your voice is not only skilled—but responsive, connected, and available in the moment.
Between sessions, you’ll receive individualized vocal practices designed to:
These practices are practical, focused, and designed to fit into your training and rehearsal schedule.
To ensure ongoing support, this tier includes two flexible 15-minute check-ins you can use as needed for:
I don’t teach you to perform a voice. I remove what’s blocking your natural, expressive instrument—so your voice becomes an extension of your acting, not something you “do.”
I combine:
You get: A PhD-level theatre professor and voice researcher who has trained hundreds of actors—offering personalized coaching that shortens your learning curve by years.
This isn’t generic group class work. Every session is tailored to your body, your habits, your artistic goals, and your specific career challenges.
❌ YouTube vocal warm-ups that helped for 10 minutes but didn’t change the fundamental tension patterns
❌ One-off voice lessons or large group classes where you got general exercises but no personalized diagnosis of your specific vocal issues
❌ Trying to “relax” or “get out of your head” by sheer willpower—which just made you more anxious and more disconnected
❌ Acting teachers who told you to “use your voice more” or “be louder”—but never taught you how
❌ Pushing through vocal fatigue and strain, hoping it would just get better (spoiler: it didn’t)
Generic exercises can’t address your specific patterns of habitual tension, breath holding, or disconnection. You need personalized diagnosis and a customized training plan that meets you where you are—not a one-size-fits-all approach.
The truth is: Your voice is being limited by specific habitual patterns you can’t see or feel on your own. You need someone who can identify exactly what’s blocking you and give you the precise tools to release it.
That’s what this work does.
|
Tier 1 Single Session |
Tier 2 Vocal Influence, Essentials |
Tier 3 Vocal Influence, Deep Work |
Tier 4 Vocal Influence, VIP Deep Immersion |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length of Time | Single Session | 2 months | 4 months | 6 months |
| Initial Session | 1 × 50 minute | 1 × 50 minute | 1 × 50 minute | 1 × 50 minute |
| Ongoing Sessions | — | 4 × 50 minutes (bi-weekly) | 8 × 50 minutes (bi-weekly) | 24 × 50 minutes (weekly) |
| As Needed Check-Ins |
— | — | 4 × 15 mins | 12 × 15 mins (priority access) |
| Flexible Pacing / Priority Access | — | — | — | Adaptive pacing + priority scheduling and direct access |
| Price | $400 | $1,750.00 | $3,000.00 | $8,000.00 |
| Cost savings of: | — | $250.00 | $600.00 | $2,000.00 |
*Intensives available for those requiring an accelerated package
I’m already juggling auditions, survival jobs, and classes—do I really have time for this?
Yes, because this saves you time. Right now, you’re probably spending hours over-preparing for auditions, second-guessing your choices, or dealing with vocal fatigue that slows down your rehearsal process. This work makes you more efficient: faster warm-ups, less strain, and more reliable access to your full range. Most actors tell me they wish they’d invested in this, years earlier—it would have saved them countless lost auditions and vocal breakdowns.
Is this worth the investment when I’m barely making a living as an actor?
Here’s the reality: Your voice is either costing you work or booking you work. Every audition you lose because your voice couldn’t access the emotional truth? That’s lost income. Every role you can’t sustain because of vocal fatigue? That’s lost income. Every callback where nerves hijacked your voice? That’s lost income.
Most actors who invest in this work book their next role within months—often at a higher level than before. One leading role at a regional theatre pays for this program multiple times over. Think of this as career infrastructure, not an expense.
I‘m not sure I’m ‘ready’ to work with a vocal coach—maybe I need more training first?
You’re ready. Readiness isn’t something you wait for—it’s something we build together from day one. I meet you exactly where you are, whether you’re fresh out of school or a working professional hitting a vocal ceiling. Most actors who wait “until they’re ready” are actually just avoiding confronting the thing that’s been holding them back. Don’t let perfectionism cost you another year of your career.
Will this feel overwhelming or like more homework I can’t keep up with?
No. My approach is designed for sustainability, not overwhelm. You’ll get simple, repeatable practices (15-20 minutes daily) that fit into your existing routine—not elaborate exercises that require an excessive amount of time. The goal is to make your voice easier to access, not add more stress to your life.
How is this different from voice classes I’ve taken in school or conservatory?
Three key differences:
Do you offer coaching on Zoom or in person only?
Unearth your vocal potential with Shannon’s expert guidance. Reach out to explore how we can hone your voice, irrespective of your journey stage.
Use the form below to get in touch regarding coaching, workshops, speaking, or collaborations. I look forward to connecting.
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If you’re unsure whether professional or performer coaching is the right fit, I’m happy to help you think it through and decide what will best support your goals.
Real experiences from people learning to trust their voice.
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I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Shannon Holmes since 2010, when I first took private voice acting lessons with her. Even after 16 years, there are lessons she taught me that I still use today. That kind of lasting impact speaks volumes about the quality of her teaching.
Shannon has decades of experience and an incredible depth of knowledge, backed by a doctorate and years of professional work. Whether you’re interested in voice acting, public speaking, connecting more authentically with your voice, or simply becoming a stronger communicator, I recommend her highly.
Recently, I decided to return for private lessons, and there was never any question about who I wanted to study with. The fact that I came back after all these years says everything. If you’re considering working with her, I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Dr. Holmes has a strong and extensive background in voice and somatics, supported by both her academic training and artistic practice. She was able to accurately identify what I needed to improve in my voice based on my individual challenges, and her guidance was always precise and relevant. She was friendly and patient throughout the coaching process, and I felt relaxed working with her. The methods I learned during the sessions were integrated naturally, without pressure. Within a few weeks, a vocal issue that had previously troubled me was resolved through her coaching. I highly recommend Dr. Holmes’ voice approach and her coaching sessions.
I wanted to revive my speaking ability and take good care of my voice. Shannon’s guidance was spot on! She helped me take strides in reaching my goals and was a delight to work with. I feel more connected with my breath and have some new habits that will help me retain what I’ve learned.
Shannon has helped me connect body, mindset, and breath to build habits that are giving me the clarity and confidence to speak up in my business. She is easy to work with, fun, and super knowledgeable. I’ve gained such a respect for the power of our voice!
Shannon is the absolute BEST when it comes to ensuring that our VOICE is our best asset as entrepreneurs & creators. She has helped me find more presence & confidence in all my endeavors, from podcasting to social media content creation to public speaking!!!
As a dancer who is hoping to one day work in theatre, but has no previous vocal training, I am so glad I started my vocal journey with Shannon. In a small group setting, I was able to learn so much about my voice and how it connects to things I already know about my body as a dancer. She is so encouraging and free of judgement. The knowledge and practice that I have gained from Shannon has been invaluable!
I ADORE working with Shannon! Her whole-body, playful, process-driven pedagogy gets me out of my head and into my body, leaning into the character & story I’m portraying. Her coaching is fueled by a really special level of support, attentiveness, and curiosity. In her lessons, I feel empowered to make bold artistic choices, and ask expansive questions about my voice. I can’t stress enough that her guidance has left a very special mark on me to this day. I continue to utilize her teachings in my vocal practice on a day-to-day basis, especially when I’m feeling stuck. I trust her immensely and would recommend her in a heartbeat.
Shannons pedagogy and practice as an educator was the missing link I had been looking for when it came to my voice. It was clear to me from the first time we worked together one on one that honing my confidence meant as much to her as it did to me. She made my comfort a priority, and in doing so, helped me discover a voice I didn’t know I had.
Her training, knowledge and experience make her an absolute professional and a confident educator. Meeting Shannon was a cornerstone moment in my education, and gave me a new sense of conviction in my capabilities. She helped me understand myself better, and for that I am eternally grateful.
Every time I sing (and because of her, I do it often) I think of her and the positive impact she has had on my life.
Shannon is an impactful, thoughtful and compassionate professional in her work. Not only does she see you as an artist – she sees you as a whole person. During the years I worked with her on my voice practice, I felt more empowered, more safe, and more free than I ever have.
Without her I217;m not sure I would have learned how to channel hardship into passion. Her voice still rings in my head at times when I am processing emotion.
She’s also hilarious. An absolute joy to be around.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Shannon in multiple courses in my BFA, and she’s an absolute master of her craft! Her expertise on the voice completely revitalized my perspective on singing and helped me negotiate and heal damage to my vocal cords. As a working artist, I still use techniques she taught me all the time, and feel confident in my preparations for auditions. She is extremely patient and kind with all her students and helps them work through the very challenging vulnerability of the voice work. I saw her change a lot of peoples perspectives of their voice, and help them leave with confidence and genuine skills. Her skills are based in classical training and years of experience as a performer and she shares this expertise so that you can approach the voice and performance from so many angles and have pleasure and success in your work. Could not recommend enough.
Shannon is everything you want and didn’t know you needed in a voice coach. She’s kind, empathetic, and gentle while supported by years of rigorous training and technique. She teaches in a safe and shame-free environment that, at times, feels almost more like therapy than voice lessons. If you ever have the chance of working with Shannon, whether one-on-one or in a group setting, take it. Take it every time.
Shannon has been a teacher and trusted vocal advisor for years. Her dearth of academic and biological knowledge on the voice is only matched by her patience and empathy. She has always found ways to help me improve with her supportive and encouraging tone. Her vast intellect also allows her to personalize her teachings to what best fits each individual. Not only do I recommend her, but I myself continue to seek her counsel.
Dr Shannon Holmes is a joy to work with and a brilliant and insightful artist, scholar, and educator. Her expertise in singing, voice techniques, and theatre training modalities springs from her thought provoking work as a performer, extensive training in vocal arts, and her dedicated experience in higher education mentoring young artists. I have enjoyed collaborating with Dr Holmes and I often rely on her feedback in my own work and process. I highly recommend her as a collaborator, teacher, and mentor. If you have the opportunity to work with her, do it! — Misha Penton, PhD, singer-composer, filmmaker, and creativity mentor.
I have known Dr. Holmes for nearly 5 years. I have worked with her on collaborative and solo projects. I have found Shannon to be an inspiration. She is imaginative, adaptive, and a problem-solver. A brilliant technician both for voice work and devising performance. Shannon has a lovely sense of humour and is a pleasure to work with.
~Brad Mcdougall Actor, Playwright, Singer.
Professor Holmes is an expert in her field and a fantastic person to work with. She is as considerate as she is articulate and you will be glad to have made her acquaintance.
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