The Sheila Dugan Voice and Speech Studio
St. Louis, MO, USA
(6)
St. Louis, MO, USA
(6)
My focus is Voice, Speech, and Audition training for Singers, Public Speakers, Actors and Dancers. Fifteen percent of my Musical Theatre Students have been in 16 Broadway shows to date! Please visit my website and Instagram page for more information and testimonials!
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6 customer reviews
Lorenzo F. Gonzalez
“Sheila Dugan provided extraordinary assistance in helping me to refine my accent and articulation. My native language is Spanish, but I have lived all over the world and acquired an unusual accent.
Previous attempts to improve my
articulation failed when the instructors were unable to discern the origin of my accent. Sheila’s method is highly personalized, so my unusual accent was not a problem for her. From the instant we met, she used her approach to help me
clarify my goals and what I needed to do to achieve them. I was very impressed by the depth of her knowledge and her ability to communicate exactly what was needed. In addition to the personal coaching, she provided written materials that
were very helpful. I teach at a university and my students noticed the changes in my articulation immediately. I had given up on clarifying my accent until I met Sheila. She is an amazing professional and I give her my highest
recommendation.”
Lorenzo F Gonzalez
Author, To Return to Cuba
https://www.lorenzogonzalezcuba.com
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Daniel Estrin
Sheila Dugan successfully helped me identify areas of improvement and provided detailed imagery and exercises that I could apply immediately.
She was laser focused and dedicated in pursuit of these improvements. Sheila has an intuitive sense of what your voice needs.
Daniel Estrin, International Correspondent, NPR
https://www.npr.org/people/576543610/daniel-estrin
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William Frost
I was referred to Sheila Dugan by another Executive Development Coach. When I told my wife that I had been referred to a voice coach, she informed me that Sheila Dugan is who she worked with concerning her singing voice a couple years back.
Those two positive referrals gave me terrific confidence in Sheila's abilities, but great reviews also set one up for high expectations. Well, my expectations were exceeded. I love that Sheila listens, asks pertinent questions, and then provides no-nonsense advice. I absolutely appreciate that attitude. We had four sessions and I will probably reach back out for a refresher in a month or so. She is fast, efficient, and an expert consultant that is task focused to get her clients where they need to be. I am an experienced, hard working professional that is difficult to impress. I love having a high quality resource like Sheila Dugan in my toolbelt.
William Frost
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Mary Harp
My 8 year old son made the Muny Kids and I noticed he was straining a little when singing the higher notes. I asked for recommendations and was told, “well, if you want the best, it’s Sheila Dugan”. Sheila listened to Michael sing and accepted him as a student at the age of 9. In the past 8 years, Michael has had the privilege of singing in principal roles at the Lyric Opera in Chicago, The Muny Opera in St. Louis, The Paramount Theatre in Aurora, The Drury Lane Theatre in Chicago, The Fabulous Fox in St. Louis as well as many other venues. Sheila is now guiding Michael through the change of his voice and helping him prepare for his college auditions. I’ve vigorously recommended her to others and feel so grateful that someone recommended her to me. I (we) love her! She’s brilliant, creative, determined and so loving. I’m a control freak but when it comes to voice training I can Let Go! And Let Sheila! Mary Harp More...
Diane Drollinger
In my decades of experience as a professional musician, I have never found a teacher and mentor with the expertise of Sheila Dugan.
She gives each student the tools they need to explore and expand their vocal capacity and artistry. She is smart, dedicated and patient. She has an extensive knowledge of repertoire and is committed to excellence. Studying with her is a privilege and a transformative experience.
Diane Drollinger
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Elsie Winstead
I am in my late 60’s and have been studying voice with Sheila for several years now. She is an incredible person, as well as an incredible teacher.
Her methods are different from any voice instructor I have had in the past, and it is the first time in my life that I feel I am making real progress and becoming more comfortable singing. I am also a physician (retired long ago), and Sheila has an impressive knowledge of anatomy as it applies to producing speech or music. Remotely or in person, she can figure out what you are doing with your breath, your face, your tongue, and most importantly, your brain, and tell you how to change that to produce more beautiful, natural-sounding music. Although I started lessons with Sheila in person, I have had no difficulty whatsoever in transitioning to remote lessons. Unlike many situations where remote teaching had to be learned from scratch, Sheila was already teaching several out of town students remotely. That made the transition seamless when the pandemic made it necessary to switch to remote teaching for all her students. She does it very well! She emails you recordings of practice exercises for the lessons, as well as several recordings of each new piece. There might be a version with only the melody, maybe recorded at different tempos, maybe one with just accompaniment, but whatever is needed for a particular song for a particular student. I highly recommend Sheila for remote instruction in voice. I feel privileged to study with her!
Dr. Elsie Winstead MD
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What do you love most about your job?
What do I love most about my job? Well, I get to help people present themselves to the very BEST of their abilities whether they come to me for Public Speaking training or Singing Lessons, or Voice Rehabilitation. I work with interesting people with unique and complex issues and I LOVE the challenge of that. I get to make music, to shape art, to shape the way information is delivered that informs and shapes opinions, to help people be influential in the most wholesome way and I get to enjoy the results of THEIR success! My job is exhilarating!
What inspired you to start your own business?
I preferred being my own boss, rather than conforming to the rules of institutions. I taught for years at a university and more years at a conservatory and being in business for yourself is a much more pleasant option.
Why should our clients choose you?
Bark's Clients should choose me because I have 1) DECADES of experience solving complex vocal issues (example-the resolution of the problems of phonation caused by unilateral vocal fold paralysis), 2) fifteen percent of my serious Musical Theatre students have been in sixteen Broadway shows to date, 3) my unique, custom approach to not only Singing training, but Public Speaking training allows my Clients to understand HOW to manage their instruments and performance style for long term success, 4) what YOU need as an individual is my number one priority to fulfill, so that YOU can shine. Whether you are singing a song or presenting your closing argument at a trial, YOU will know how to present your most authentic Self so that you can persuade your audience to believe you as a speaker or singer/artist.
Can you provide your services online or remotely? If so, please add details.
I am located in St. Louis, Missouri. For the safety of my local students, during this pandemic, I have been teaching entirely remotely. I started teaching remotely, years ago! For instance, I have students who are located in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Palm Beach...and as far away as Maui, Hawaii, and Jerusalem, Israel! Once the general population is vaccinated and we are back to enjoying a safe environment, I will teach in person and remotely. I can tell you truthfully that my students are flourishing! For my Singing students, I provide recordings I have made of custom exercises, melodic content of songs and their accompaniments...including scanned, emailed copies of the music that they will be learning. I am an accomplished pianist.
What changes have you made to keep your customers safe from Covid-19?
I have been doing Public Speaking training, Singing lessons, Audition preparation and Voice Rehab (which is strictly done by medical referral) all remotely. In this way, I have kept myself and all my students safe.
Public Speaking Training
A variety of styles of “performance speech” training are given at the Sheila Dugan Voice and Speech Studio. Whether you come from a leadership. business, legal, real estate, educational background, or just want to communicate better at school or with your friends and family, custom training is provided here. I do not believe that “one size fits all.” Those approaches do not take into account your unique story and needs, in order be able to present the best and most authentic version of yourself. (sheiladugan.com)
Singing Lessons
I teach non-abusive, clearly understandable technologies for singing which can help anyone to sing with more range, flexibility, endurance, style, and expression.
Fifteen percent of my voice students have appeared in sixteen Broadway shows to date. Multiples of my students have performed on National Broadway tours and at Regional theaters across America. Some of my students are members of famous pop groups (such as The Isley Brothers) and some just love to sing with their church choirs or in the shower! I love to teach intelligent people who are willing to practice from 13 years old and up. Please contact me to discuss your needs! I have posted a couple of video links to my students performing on youtube.com. The first is of Kandy Isley (the blond principle singer) and her sister, Kim Johnson, in their video: "FREE," and the second is my student, Michael Harp, starring in A Christmas Story at the Paramount Theatre in the Chicagoland area. Please scroll down to watch them and Enjoy!!
sheiladugan.com
Voice Rehabilitation
This service is provided at the recommendation of your physician. For example, I have successfully worked with Clients dealing with issues that include vocal fatigue, voice abuse, contact ulcers, nodules, presbylaryngis and unilateral vocal fold paralysis...to name a few of the types of issues I see at the Studio. Please contact me to discuss what type of help you are looking for. sheiladugan.com
