What if a voice lesson starts not with what’s wrong, but with what the singer already does well?
Dr. Jean Goffi-Fynn teaches student-centered voice pedagogy at Teachers College, Columbia University, and that is where she starts: with the student’s goals, with their strengths, and with a conversation, not a diagnosis. She still brings the teacher’s expertise to it, especially when a singer does not yet know what they do not know, and she still sets the scaffolded warm-ups and the repertoire. The student’s voice is at the center, not the teacher’s method.
In this conversation, Jeanne and I get into what that looks like in a college studio, in group voice, and in a high school choir, and how the teacher’s job changes as singers grow and gain tools. Along the way we sounded like we might disagree about student-centered teaching, and it turned out we were mostly defining the word differently.
Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.comd
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Jeanne Goffi-Fynn is a musician, educator, and voice specialist whose work spans performance, pedagogy, and mentoring. She is Program Director and Associate Professor of Teaching in the Program in Music and Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she focuses on singer development across the lifespan, applied studio teaching, ensemble singing, and collaborative mentoring practices. She is also a Singing Voice Specialist with expertise in vocal retraining for singers experiencing Muscular Tension Dysphonia.
Dr. Goffi-Fynn’s scholarship appears in the Journal of Singing, the Journal of Voice, the ACDA Journal, and her book, Student-Centered Voice Pedagogy: Working with Students Toward Developing Artistry, Authenticity, and Autonomy (2025), guides singers and teachers in developing expressive, resilient artistry. She has presented internationally for the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the International Congress of Voice Teachers, the American Choral Directors Association, the College Music Society, and The Voice Foundation.
She is Founder and Director of the Singers’ Workshops at Teachers College, serves each summer at the International Lyric Academy in Vicenza, Italy, and maintains an active performance career in opera, music theatre, choral work, and solo recitals.
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