As Mark Lubas puts it, he “geeks out” over the exciting process of helping a student become a better singer.
“Students come to me because they love to sing and they want to get better at it, but there’s usually something standing in their way,” said Lubas, a voice instructor at the Patel Conservatory. “Whether it’s lack of experience, technique or confidence...I go on their journey with them to discover what are their major issues and work on those...It’s an intensely personal thing which makes it fun and interesting.”
Lubas’ goal as a voice teacher is to help each of his students find his/her own unique technique.
“Every person is different physically, so there’s no one technique that works for all. That’s what geeks me out!” laughed Lubas. His down-to-earth style and passion for his students’ growth is clear.
As an opera singer with two masters degrees in music from the New England Conservatory of Music (in vocal performance and opera), Lubas has performed with companies across the U.S., including Aspen Opera Theatre Company, Ash Lawn-Highland Summer Festival, Boston Lyric Opera, Mobile Opera, Opera Carolina and Granite State Opera.
In addition to teaching at the Conservatory, he owns a voice and acting studio in Sarasota. He also helped create the college prep theater training program at the Out-of-Door Academy.
He offers these tips for voice students:
Take the time to notice what you’re actually feeling when you sing.
“Don’t focus on what you sound like, or what other people tell you, but what are your physical sensations?” explained Lubas. In doing so, you’ll discover tools you can use to then reproduce a consistent product.
Stop trying to make singing so complicated
“People, for whatever reason, try to change the pitch or tone of their voice,” said Lubas. He points out that many students often try to sound like their favorite artist instead of cultivating their own natural ability. “What ends up happening is that they end up making it much more difficult than it needs to be.”
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