2024 Revamp
Dear students and clients,
Me with my hojicha soft-serve with caramelised bananas from Pompette. @ Beauty World Center Level 1
Kenogi here!
When I first started Vocal Evolution, it was with the conviction to right the wrongs in the industry.
I’d always been into singing and performing ever since I was a child, but I was never a good singer. I was not naturally talented, and I did not have the privilege of growing up in a musical environment.
Singing was difficult, and my voice was a big obstacle — I could not get it to do the things I wanted, such as higher notes, varied dynamics (soft and loud), with texture (clear vs breathy, thick vs thin), or be consistently singing on pitch.
Because I loved singing so much, I wanted to make it my career. I knew that whatever I was doing was not working, and I decided to go for “professional” singing lessons after my O-Levels at a music school founded by a local “celebrity coach”, known for spotting one of our most well-known local Mandopop artists.
At my singing lesson when I was 16 years old…
I was taught that the very limited vocal range I had at that time was what I was born with, and I had to push my tummy out and shout with a very open mouth in order to sing a few notes higher. If it was still too high, I would have to reduce the key of the song.
I ended up reducing the key of every single song I was singing, even if they were by male singers. And also getting scolded by my neighbor living downstairs for “shouting, not singing”. I was getting nowhere, and I knew something was wrong.
Fast forward 10 years later, I had my fair share of both good and bad singing lessons, and my own singing had come a long way thanks to the discovery of training techniques used by some of the top singers in the international music industry.
I always found myself feeling a sense of indignation over why didn’t more people know these things, and how much more singing hobbyists and professionals could ease their pains and enjoy their passion if they did.
And so, together with my passions in entrepreneurship and teaching, I started the Vocal Evolution brand in 2019.
About 3-4 years later, I was on a roll. My success rate of helping students get a noticeable improvement every single lesson was close to 100%, way ahead of my industry peers who did not know what I knew.
But then I started to realize one new problem... these results were not sticking.
It took me a while, but I finally saw what was happening — most singing students don’t do much singing outside of singing lessons.
It’s not just about practicing alone at home, which most people don’t even do cos of either a lack of theoretical knowledge and/or discipline, or the fear of being heard by their family members.
It’s about applying what’s learnt in lessons, being constantly exposed to performing and quality music (environment), and having a circle of friends to sing and talk about singing with.
Our karaoke party in February 2024~
It’s about making singing a part of your lifestyle.
✅ Learning the right, evidence-based theories — none of that “push with your diaphragm” nonsense
✅ Getting proper feedback — with coaches who have an understanding of how the voice works, and preferably have been through what you’re going through
✅ Doing actual singing with people who are just like you — singers who have still things to work on in their singing, are committed to growth, have a non-judgmental attitude, and are happy to spend more time singing because it’s both healthy and fun
And so, I decided to make a huge investment in getting the new studio on Level 2 in late 2023 to help facilitate group experiences and enhance your learning experience.
Over 20 singers and singing teachers came together for Dr Darren Wicks’ harmony classes in April!
I expanded the team, and I did more work than ever to execute new initiatives + programs, which many of you loved. New students kept on coming in, I taught more private lessons, and a few months in I found myself constantly burning out and underserving all my students…
And I have come to the realization that I can’t do this anymore.
I will need to cut down my private lesson hours and at the same time update the rates that I’ve been trying my best to maintain for so long so that I can cover our increased costs and have time, energy and capacity to work on providing you with these things that will really benefit you.
Based on my personal experience, I truly believe that the best singing training anyone can get will involve a mix of:
✅ Private Lessons (personalised feedback)
✅ Group Learning (harmony singing, discussions & ear training through observation)
✅ Holistic Development (vocal technique, musicianship and artistry)
✅ Actual Singing — Social Events, Jamming, Recording/Content Creation and Performing (outside of a lesson setting)
✅ Independence Training (e.g. how vocal exercises work, how to improve your own singing, understanding music theory for singers etc. without having to depend so much on your coach)
Regarding dependency, I believe that no coach should aim to keep a student dependent on them in order for their voices to work well so that they can have recurring business. I was never taught the logic behind voice training in my lessons back then, and I constantly found myself stressing out just before performances and doing random vocal exercises to try to get my voice into the right place.
With the goal of providing you the ultimate singer training experience (to the best of our abilities) that’s not just effective, but also fun and highly-fulfilling, we will be revamping our packages and offerings from June onwards.
