Rachel Day, DMA
The Joyful Singing Teacher
Why am I so committed to helping each human follow their own path of vocal development?
I was the child who was always moving, always singing, who found joy in everyday life. As such, I was labeled “too much.”
I was the child who experimented, explored, and colored “outside the lines.” As such, I was deemed “not enough” (discipline, logic, etc.).
I was once told that if I had the discipline of another and she had my zest for movement and exuberance, we would be the “perfect performer.” That sentence crushed me, made me feel wholly insufficient and began my journey carrying boxes labeled “this is singing” and “this is not singing.”
My entire attitude towards singing and teaching voice changed when my mentor said,
“There IS no box.”
When there is no box, there’s no need to try to get outside the box—you’re already there, in a place of joy, imagination, exploration, and play. She also said:
“Your voice is the sound of your soul.”
- Meribeth Dayme, “CoreSinging: A Joyful Approach to Singing and Voice Pedagogy” (2022)
At Daylight Voice Studio, I teach from a student-centered framework, where teacher and singer explore together as co-learners, co-creating the path that we discover.
We delve into what you want to accomplish with your voice, what you want your voice to be able to do. You are encouraged to seek new ways of sounding as we follow a free, creative, and positive path to singing, experimenting, vocalizing, and playing with sung tone.
Through a compassionate music-teaching approach, I help you find your “authentic” sound—for you to feel you are fully and wholly your human self while singing. I will be your guide, support, champion of your self-selected dreams. I listen and respond to your personal aspirations for musical expression. Those dreams are the catalyst for investigating diverse technical and artistic skills. Each voice lesson functions as a joint problem-solving session, prioritizing the exploration of tools, techniques, and attitudes, following your intuition, curiosity, and natural abilities.
Lessons are available in person, at the studio in Northwest Missouri, and online via high quality audio/video options.
I love to guide singers in developing ease and clarity, joy and surprise, compassion and confidence on their journey to vocal communication.
You may quickly discover that I rarely give an opinion or a directive—rather I ask questions and guide you to interrogate your sound, explore what happened with a curious mind, suspend judgment or criticism, and ask a series of framing questions: “How was that sound? What caught my attention? What did I enjoy? What specific sound components can I identify? (It’s okay if the answer is “none.”) What are the elements that make up “good?” Where do I feel I succeeded? Where would I like to seek change?”
In this way you find how to practice and find change in your vocal production. You guide the direction of your journey. You are the change agent in your vocal exploration. Follow your intuition, curiosity, and natural abilities.
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![Robert Sussuma praises Rachel Velarde Day joyful singing teacher]()
She is truly a life-long learner and a great example for students and educators alike!
I have had the privilege of knowing Rachel in dual roles: as both a voice student and a mentee in my transformative SINGING SELF PROGRAM - TEACHER TRACK. Through our journey together, I've had the pleasure of witnessing Rachel's remarkable evolution from a mere "singer" to a dynamic "vocal learner," and from a proficient "voice teacher" to an inspiring "voice learning facilitator" deeply immersed in the intricacies of somatic learning.
I've also been able to observe firsthand her unwavering commitment to enhancing her students' learning experiences. Her relentless pursuit of knowledge and her relentless dedication to infusing joy, mindfulness, acceptance, and liberation into the learning journey and artistic pursuits of each student she encounters is exactly what our profession needs.
~ Robert Sussuma, MMus., GCFP, www.thesingingself.com
Fun Facts about Dr. Rachel:
I learned to roller skate to my grandfather playing the American Songbook (Gershwin, Porter, Kern, and others) on the organ.
I play the piano quite well, but do not call myself a pianist.
I am a reference librarian’s daughter—I collect information (and books!)
I seek to find elements of joy in all I do.
I love to connect with colleagues and find out what new things they’re up to (see #3 above!).
I grew up singing with my family. My favorite part of Girl Scout camp was sitting around the campfire making up harmonies to songs we sang. I have been blessed to have extraordinary musicians in my life, family members and mentors, who have joined me on my journey toward self-compassion and acceptance, joy, and the willingness to be willing to explore both life and the possibilities of vocal sound.
Happy, joyous and free—let it be me.
Business values:
transparency & openness
acceptance and compassion
encouragement and empowerment
honesty and flexibility
personal authenticity and authentic connection
continuous learning
The fine print:
Please call me Rachel or Dr. Rachel.
BA Music from Smith College
Began teaching at The Music Studio in Northampton, MA as a junior in college
Master of Music (MM) in Vocal Pedagogy and MM in Vocal Performance from Arizona State University
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Vocal Performance with an Emphasis in Voice Pedagogy
Wicklund Singing Voice Specialist (SVS) certification (how to help singers with diagnosed voice issues)
CoreSinging™ Certified with Meribeth Dayme—I wrote Chapter 8 in the book on her work, “The Essentials of CoreSinging: A Joyful Approach to Singing and Voice Pedagogy” (2022, Rowman & Littlefield)
National Center of Voice and Speech (NCVS) Certified Vocologist, Summer Vocology Institute (SVI)
Bones for Life® certified teacher
Former Professor of Music at Grand Canyon University (2011-2022)
Assistant Professor of Music at Northwest Missouri State University (2022-)
30+ years of experience teaching voice
Member of the Speakeasy Cooperative (SECO), the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), the Pan-American Vocology Association (PAVA), the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA), the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME), and the New York Singing Teachers Association (NYSTA). Patroness member of Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI), Epsilon Chapter.
