Vocal Toolkit

Unlocking the Art & Science of Singing

TOPICS

ABOUT

CONTACT

OVERVIEW

Big-Picture Explanations of How Singing Works

Acting

Compelling, Character-Driven Singing

Articulation

The Mouth, Tongue, & Other Articulators

CCM Styles

Pop, Rock, Jazz, & Other Popular Styles

Choral Singing

Resources for Choral Singers and Conductors

Composition

Writing Effectively for One or More Voices

Diction

Singing in Different Languages

Education

Studying & Teaching in K-12 and Higher Ed

Historical

Historical Approaches to Vocal Pedagogy

Phonation

The Larynx & Air Pressure Systems

Professionalism

Best Practices for Working Singers & Teachers

Registration

Adjustments Throughout the Vocal Range

Repertoire

Selecting Vocal Music for Individuals & Groups

Resiliency

Mental Health Resources for Singers

Resonance

Timbral Adjustments for Different Styles

Respiration

Physiology & Application of the Breathing Apparatus

Technology

Technology for Singers & Teachers

Vocal Health

Maintaining & Rehabilitating the Voice

ABOUT

About Vocal Toolkit

Vocal Toolkit is a nonprofit organization that provides resources for evidence-based solutions for singers, teachers, coaches, and others who work with singers.

Mission Statement

Vocal Toolkit is dedicated to producing educational materials about the art and science of singing and to the creation and maintenance of a centralized domain for the dissemination of these resources. Our mission is to educate the general public about the technique and practice of singing and to further the education of students, practitioners, and educators of singing. We engage with current research and experts in the field to develop up-to-date content and practices informed by voice science. We also have a commitment to diversity, which includes sharing information and resources that extend beyond the traditional canon and conventional vocal techniques of Western classical music.

Board of Directors

Aaron Alon, DMA

Composer, Teacher, Producer

Founder/Board Member
He/Him/His

Eric Laine, DMA

Singer, Teacher, Vocologist

Founder/Board Member
He/Him/His

Joseph Nizich, MM

Singer, Conductor, Teacher

Contributor/Board Member
He/Him/His

Advisory Board

Jack Beetle, MM

Caitlin Duckworth, MM

PROBLEM SOLVING

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Aaron Alon, DMA

Writer/Composer
(He/Him/His)

Website

Aaron Alon is an award-winning composer, writer, director, filmmaker, and teacher. His concert music has been played in concert venues in seven countries (including in 14 US states, as well as Washington, DC) on five continents. His concert music has also been released on five labels and awarded numerous national and international composition honors, including those from ASCAP, NACUSA, NFMC, SCI, Meet the Composer, the Lotte Lehmann Foundation, the Renée B. Fisher Composer Awards, and Mu Phi Epsilon. He is a member of ASCAP, the Recording Academy (voting member for the GRAMMYs), and a past chapter president of Mu Phi Epsilon.

Alon is also highly active as a teacher. He is the Chair of the Visual & Performing Arts, the Director of Music, and a Professor of Music at Lone Star College-University Park. He is a two-time winner of the Lone Star College Faculty Excellence Awards (2020-2021 at LSC-University Park and 2015-2016 at LSC-CyFair). He was also the Director of the Composition program at AFA’s summer music festival until 2018 and has previously taught for the Women’s Institute of Houston, Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and their School of Continuing Studies, the University of Texas “Road Scholar” program, Writespace Houston, and Alvin Community College. He is also the writer/creator of musiciandevelopment.com, a professional development site for musicians.

Since 2009, Alon has also been highly active as a playwright and musical theatre composer-lyricist. His plays and musicals have been read and performed in New York City, Houston, San Diego, and Galveston, as well as in the UK. Alon was one of six international finalists for the 2022 Fred Ebb Awards for musical theatre writers and one of three international finalists for the 2023 Stanley Drama Award.

Alon is the writer and director of the award-winning feature film musical BULLY (2017), which has been screened in and awarded prizes from numerous film festivals around the world. Current projects include three new new stage musicals (THE GREAT WHITE WAY: THE BERT WILLIAMS MUSICAL, MAD!, and THE CHOSEN ONES), a new play, new film scripts, and additional content for his YouTube Channel, which has had nearly 10 million views. He is a founding member and president of the Board of Directors of Thunderclap Productions, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that produces new and under-recognized plays, musicals, and screenplays.

In addition to designing this website, Alon is also a web designer through his company Aaron Alon Web Design, LLC.

Alon holds a DMA from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, an MM from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a BA from the University of Chicago. His past teachers include Karim Al-Zand, Anthony Brandt, Shih-Hui Chen, Jean Milew, Marta Ptaszynska, and Orianna Webb.

Eric Laine, DMA

SVI-Trained Vocologist
(He/Him/His)

Website

Acknowledged for his “vocal allure” and “fiery declamation” (San Diego Story), Eric Laine, tenor, has gained recognition as an innovative artist both on stage and in recital. Recently, he made his European debut as Il Podestà in La finata giardiniera with the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest, a role that he then reprised with Opera Neo in San Diego, CA. This past season’s engagements included concerts with Houston Masterworks Chorus and Orchestra of New Spain, several recital appearances across the Southern US, and a debut with First Coast Opera as Jay in The Stranger’s Tale. On the operatic stage, Dr. Laine has sung Joante in the American premiere of Apollo y Dafne, Alfred and Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus, Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia, Vašek in The Bartered Bride, Henrik in A Little Night Music, the title role in Albert Herring, Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola, Tantale in La descente d’Orphée aux enfers, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Noël in Le testament de la tante Caroline, Apollo in the American premiere of Coronide, and Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw, appearing with companies such as Orchestra of New Spain, Moores Opera Center, American Baroque Opera Co., Opera in the Heights, and Red River Lyric Opera, among others. During the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 seasons, Dr. Laine was a regular ensemble member with Houston Grand Opera.

As a concert soloist, Dr. Laine has been featured in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Messiah, Alexander’s Feast, Missa in Angustiis, Schubert’s Mass No. 2 in G Major, Pergolesi’s Miserere, and J.S. Bach’s Christ lag in Todesbanden, to name a few, having sung with Mercury Chamber Orchestra, Harmonia Stellarum Houston, Symphony of the Hills, Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra, Tyler Civic Chorale, and Houston Symphony. He is an avid promoter of art song, often creating themed interdisciplinary programs of chamber music and visual art. Most recently, a portfolio of materials from Dr. Laine’s recital “In Pursuit of Self” was selected as the graduate winner of the 2020 University of North Texas Pi Kappa Lambda Scholarship Competition. Previously, he was awarded a travel grant to serve as an Art of Song fellow at Toronto Summer Music in 2019.

Dr. Laine received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in vocal performance and pedagogy from the University of Houston Moores School of Music. Additionally, he holds a Master of Music in vocal performance from the University of North Texas and earned a Bachelor of Music in music education from UH, specializing in both voice and classical saxophone. Dr. Laine is a trained vocologist through the Utah Center for Vocology in Salt Lake City, UT, where he studied under the tutelage of Dr. Ingo Titze. His research interests include Latin American art song repertoire, vocal agility, and the intersection of exercise science and vocal pedagogy. During the 2024-2025 academic year, Dr. Laine will serve on the faculty of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro as Visiting Assistant Professor of Voice.