Breakout Session
You’ve Got a Business, Teaching Singing - Entrepreneurialism and the Contemporary Independent Voice Studio
Saturday, July 9 • 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Davin Youngs
Introduced by: Kimberly James
Location: Avenue Ballroom – 4th Floor
Since the advent of voice pedagogy, teachers of singing have been entrepreneurs. From the stay-at-home mom teaching out of her living room, to the Broadway specialist in her Manhattan studio, teachers have found ways to successfully establish and promote their skills outside traditional academic models and systems. But, the marketplace is changing; seeming at times unruly and often crowded. In light of this, how does the contemporary independent teacher establish herself or himself amongst all the others? How can their entrepreneurial voice be heard amidst all the noise? This presentation will explore practical, yet innovative solutions for finding success as an independent voice studio in the contemporary marketplace. Based on market analysis and qualitative experience, participants will walk away better understanding what the contemporary teaching market is, how it may differ from traditional models and how to strategize for success amidst a crowded landscape.
About Davin Youngs
Davin Youngs is a voice teacher specializing in Contemporary Commercial Music. As founder and owner of Davin Youngs Voice, a studio advancing vocal success through transformational learning experiences, Davin and his associates work with professional and amateur voice users in Chicago, online and abroad. Davin has been a featured vocal coach on WGN radio and WCIU’s You & Me This Morning. His unique business model was the focus of Monocle Radio’s The Entrepreneurs and he has given singing workshops for companies like Google. Davin has also lectured on singing for ENT residents at the University of Illinois at Chicago and was the 2014 recipient of the National Association of Teachers of Singing independent teacher fellowship. He is a member of The Voice Foundation and the Performing Arts Medicine Association. An active singer, Davin is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and DePaul University, Davin was a student of Richard Miller and Elizabeth Mannion. Most recently he has been taught and mentored by Jeannette LoVetri and is a Level III Somatic Voicework™, The LoVetri Method teacher.
