Today we’d like to introduce you to LaShella Sanders.
Hi LaShella, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hi, thank you for having me. I own a business called Ignite Vocal Studio working as voice teacher. I started out like most singers. I started singing and having a strong interest in music at a young age. I’d like to share a short story that I believe started this entire journey. I remember very vividly being in music class one day when I was in kindergarten. I loved music class. I even remember my music teacher’s name, Mrs. King. Anyways, we were preparing for a Christmas program, and she was teaching us the song that we were going to sing. I can see it now; we were all in a line side-by-side rehearsing and singing our little hearts out. Mrs. King was very stern. She walked back and forth listening closely to all of us as we sang the song. I can remember the expression on her face before she suddenly shut the music track off and told all of us to hush. She had such a look of concern on her face. I remember being scared because she was staring directly at me. I was such a timid child, and I never wanted to get into trouble. I knew for sure that I had done something wrong. She came and stood right in front of me and kneeled to my level. I nearly cried at this point. She said to me with the most serious look on her face, “Sing that again”, and she told everyone else to be quiet. Oh my goodness, I closed my eyes, and I sang with my knees knocking, and the next words that came out of her mouth had such a great impact on my life. She said, “Wow, what a beautiful voice that you have. I want you to sing lead in the Christmas program.” These words rang so much power to me at the time because I had heard so many negative things about myself that I couldn’t believe that she said this to me. This moment led to many musical pursuits which continue to this day. I became more active in music programs during my elementary school years, and I sang in church choir.
I would say that the ball really got to rolling during my senior year in high school around 2009 when I was introduced to a local producer by a friend and was able to get experience in a recording studio for the first time. I released my first single and was able to perform it live at my high school’s car wash carnival. This was a big deal for me because this was a public event for the senior class. I attended Duncanville High School, so my senior class had over 800 people. So, most of them were in attendance along with the people who didn’t attend the school. This sparked an interest within me to want to learn more about the actual recording process itself, so after I graduated from high school, I attended college and studied digital music production. I learned the use of audio recording software like Cubase, Pro Tools, and Studio One. I also learned and became familiar with synthesizers, sequencing, and using MIDI devices in notation, arrangement, composition, and performance of music. I used the skills that I learned and started recording my own songs. I was so fascinated with the fact that I could do this on my own.
This is where the momentum picked up because as I shared my recorded songs with others, the news spread locally, and to my surprise, I was contacted by a local record label in 2011, who offered me a recording contract. I eventually became an artist with the label and worked with them for a good 3 years. I gained much experience during this time as I attended artist development classes, traveled, and performed at many venues (ranging from small outdoor venues, local churches to the Omni Theatre). I dedicated my time to writing and recording songs. I had radio interviews and had the opportunity to be featured and interviewed on KHVN Heaven 97, which is one of the largest contemporary gospel stations serving the Dallas-Fort-Worth Metroplex. While I was doing all of this, I was also a music teacher at a preschool teaching 3–5-year-old students what is known as the “ColorSoundation” music curriculum, which incorporated exposure to a broad range of music genres, as well as an emphasis on listening, singing, and exploring a variety of instruments. I helped these young students reach a greater understanding of music by focusing on ear training- or as some would refer to it as “tuning the ear”- along with developing their singing voices. I concentrated on the fundamentals of music notation and rhythm. Over time, this foundation was applied to the study of instruments and basic musical composition and arranging. All of this was taught using fun character stories and correlating specific colors to the notes within the major piano scales. I would like to mention that don’t take any credit for this curriculum. I was just a teacher who was selected to teach this information to students because of my knowledge and experience with music at that time.
As I continued my work as a recording artist, I found myself helping other artists on their music projects as well. I’d gotten many requests to feature on their songs, write them songs, and do some mixing on their digital music projects. I realized that I greatly enjoyed helping them much more than I did trying to pursue a career in singing. I would even have people reach out to me and ask if I could help them with their singing, but I would always shy away because I didn’t know the first thing about teaching vocal technique.
Fast forwarding to years later, I slowed down with the music pursuits because I ended up getting married to my one-of-a-kind husband in 2014 who I’m still with today and was building a life with him. I became the mother of two beautiful girls. Becoming a wife and mom challenged me in many ways; I’m sure others can relate, but it also made me want to be more serious about the stability of my career. Every time I’d think about how supportive my husband has been, and when I’d look at my precious children that God gifted to me, I just wanted to do better as a person overall. I asked God for his direction on what steps to take and seeking him as to what he wanted me to do as a career. I began to think about how people would ask me if I could help them to sing and how much fun I had helping other people.
As a result of this, I was led to pursue becoming a voice teacher. I took on studying vocal pedagogy with one of the most leading voice teachers in today’s music industry based in New York. During my training, I worked with students of different ages and received comprehensive instruction on all aspects of the voice, vocal technique, and vocal pedagogy; this includes breathing, anatomy, laryngeal studies, vocal registration, vocal science, resonance, posture and alignment, diagnostics, designing vocal exercises, vocal styles, phonetics, singer psychology, and much more. There was so much confirmation during my training as a voice teacher for me to know for a fact that this is what I was supposed to be doing. It had been made abundantly clear. Now that I teach, I gain so much satisfaction from helping others to become better singers. After completing my studies, I went on to launch my own studio, which was established in July of 2022, and I look forward to doing this long-term.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been easy overall. I’ve had to press through thoughts and feelings of being inadequate. As I mentioned before, I had heard so many negative things about myself growing up from peers who bullied me in school and even teachers. I remember teachers saying very discouraging things to me as a young girl about my physical appearance to the way that I talked because I had a heavier than usual voice as a girl child. So, I still have to fight these thoughts of the negative things that have been said of me in the past and those things that are being said today. I have to not allow them to keep me from moving forward. It’s also challenging when you’re put in a position that others may feel you are not qualified for. It’s already hard enough when you’re a teacher of a subject because you are held at a higher standard within that subject. There are people who have expressed to me that only celebrity singers or world-class singers should teach vocal lessons. I’m neither one, but I do know that I have the gift, the musicality, the love for helping people, the singing voice, and the knowledge to successfully teach others exceptional vocal techniques to help them become better as singers.
Business-wise, it’s been challenging starting off because you must get the word out about what you have to offer. You can’t just expect everyone to hop on board because you decided to start a great new business. You need dedication and a good motivator for why you do what you’re doing so that it’ll keep you going. I’ve had to be very careful about not negatively comparing myself to other small business owners who are at the peak of their success and remind myself that everyone had to start from somewhere. If anything, I am inspired by other entrepreneurs who have been able to stand firm despite all the challenges that they face every day. I understand that I must gain people’s trust and show that I truly have something to offer that will benefit them. I’ve been challenged not to move hastily trying to gain as many students as I’d like right now. I’ve learned to appreciate the students I do have and give them the best singing lessons that I have to offer. I celebrate the goals that I’ve reached and my successes so far. This keeps me focused and less stressed. Keeping God in the center of what I’m doing can be challenging at times. I believe that all I do should be for His glory. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up trying to strive out of my own strength and fall to the distractions of this world, but I’ve learned that keeping God first in what I do is the best choice for me. When it’s all said and done, it’s not about me anyway.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
Sure, as a voice teacher, I explain how the voice works, what healthy sounds are, and how to freely achieve those sounds through proper support, registration, and resonance. I am able to build the voice by correcting any imperfections or any technical flaws. I teach the students how to apply proper technique to all styles of singing without damaging the voice. So, if you’re looking to extend your range, blend smoothly between registers (for example head voice to chest voice and back) without any breaks in the voice, correct too much or too little nasal in the voice, learn riffs and runs, and techniques such as these, I can address all these issues and much more. Although I specialize in teaching healthy vocal techniques that can be applied to any style of music, I have more experience with gospel, pop, rhythm and blues, jazz, and musical theatre. I’m known for working with singers who want to get out of their head that they can’t do it. This has a great deal to do with why the name “Ignite” Vocal Studio came into fruition. It actually started with me. I would have many times that I felt like I wasn’t good enough, which led to a very dark season in my life of having severe anxiety and panic attacks that lasted for nearly 10 years. That’s a whole different story for another day, but thankfully I made it through. I’m a believer in God, so depending on Him during this time helped me to make it through. One day, which seemed like suddenly, but I know this was a gradual event, I was ignited with a desire to no longer allow these feelings to hold me back. I want to take all of that comfort that I was given during that season of my life and share it with others who are experiencing the same things. I want them to be ignited in knowing that they can do it, they can push past fears and anxieties and walk in their purpose. Many singers deal with a lot of vocal baggage and feelings of inadequacy. My mission is to help them overcome that. I would say that’s what I’m most proud of brand-wise, the meaning behind the name.
I want singers that come to work with me to know that I not only care about helping them to improve their voices but also giving them the comfort and encouragement that they may need to become confident singers. I believe that everyone’s voice is unique. This is not something that I say to sound encouraging, but it’s an actual fact that no two voices-even when singing on the same pitch-will sound the same. This is why I design personalized voice exercises to suit the singers’ individual vocal needs rather than sticking to a specific method of creating one-size fits all exercises. I am able to design vocal exercises right on the spot during the lesson and work with the student to make any necessary adjustments they may need. I love celebrating with my students when they reach their goals.
Right now, my focus is serving by offering virtual and in-person lessons starting at age 5, and there is no requirement to have any background in music to begin lessons. I also offer vocal evaluations where I watch a recording of a person’s performance (of their choice). You’ll receive a detailed analysis that will explain your strengths as well as areas that could use improvement. I cover the following areas based on their relevance: breath management/over-pushing or lack of air flow, pitch/intonation, diction/pronunciation/
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I’d like to be transparent with anyone who may be reading this. I lived my life driven by fear in the earlier years. I was overly concerned about what other people thought about me to the point that I missed out on many opportunities to avoid failures. I was bound by negative thinking that limited me from reaching my full potential. I knew that I had so much to offer, but I was so afraid to step out and make certain moves because I didn’t want to be criticized.
I’m here to tell you that during the darkest season of my life, I was stripped of all of these things, and my mind was renewed in this area. I had to go back and make it right with everyone that I could remember I had hurt. I now have a growing love for helping others that I can’t explain. I’ve realized that I’m my best self when I am selfless. I’ve made up in my mind that I will no longer be held back by fears, and I remind myself of this decision every day. Sometimes, it takes a person to have to get to a desperate point in their life to realize that some of the foolish things that they thought mattered really didn’t matter at all. I had to accepted that everyone is not going to like my personality, how I look, and other things about who I am, and that’s okay. I had to realized that there will be fears and difficulties every day, but I have the power to choose not to let it stop me or hold me back. Now I’ll ask you, what will you choose?
So, if you’re someone who has not taken that step to pursue your dreams because you’re afraid of what others may think or you don’t want to fail, this is your chance to take your power back. I know it’s easier said than done because it definitely was not easy for me. In fact, there were many times that I thought it was over for me. There is so much waiting for you once you take that step, so take it!
Pricing:
- 45 min lesson (virtual) – $40
- 60 min lesson (virtual) – $50
- 60 min lesson (in-person) – $60
- Vocal evaluation – $30
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ignitevocalstudio.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/ignitevocalstudio
