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Edmund Molathe
Johannesburg, South Africa RESULT: IDOL South Africa TV Show + more! |
Andy Garcia-Ruse
Kansas City, MO, USA RESULT: Got her SAG-AFTRA Card! |
CarmillaJo
San Francisco, CA, USA RESULT: Became singing audiobook narrator! |
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aka "Karey Poppins " (like Mary Poppins)
Karen Lyu (she/her) is a queer Korean-American Holistic Voice Coach + Eclectic Jazz Singer/Songwriter/Speaker/Actor and former ESL teacher, who has taught over 1,000 students from 11 countries to transform their voices, since 1997. Her nickname is "Karey Poppins". She happens to be an eHow.com YouTube voice expert and EzineArticles.com expert author who has earned IMIA, CCHI, TNAOC, TESOL, and New Science of Singing certifications, and studied with 15 respected voice coaches, including Berklee School of Music voice professor, Roberta Davis (RIP). Due to her love of jazz, Karen earned a BSS in Jazz Studies, Vocal Performance from Cornell College. Currently, she is Co-Chair of the Voice and Speech Teachers Association (VASTA) BizCore Committee, and a full member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). In Minneapolis, MN during the 2000s, she was the Voice Department Head and the Executive Director of the legendary West Bank School of Music. Karen’s honors include a Minnesota State Arts Board grant, a $10,000+ arts patron sponsorship, a MusiCares grant, a Samsung sponsorship, and being a judge for Hmong Idol USA. Karen has sung in over 40 musical styles and dozen languages with 13 bands, since 1993. Karen has ADHD and mental illness (like Selena Gomez) - which has made her a more compassionate and creative voice coach. She is a digital nomad who was born in Seoul, South Korea and has also lived in CA > TX > MN > IA > MN > Nashville, TN > spent 11 years teaching ESL part-time in Korea > Chicago, IL > currently traveling > and is on her way to Atlanta, GA next! Also, Karen enjoys board games, food, travel, nature, animals, comedy improv, books, movies, art, yoga, salsa dancing, history, computers, and more.
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"Karen Lyu has a comprehensive understanding of how to enhance vocal capacity and essence. Coupled with her astute understanding of coaching and motivation, Karen's students experience transformational learning as they engage the voice. Karen rocks!" Jean Keating - Minneapolis, MN, USA - Host & Creator of the "Living an Aligned Life" Cable TV Show "Thank you so much Karen!!! Such a privilege to have learned from you. You are the best!!!!" Dr. Adepero Meheytab'el Okulaja - Eden Prairie, MN, USA - Recording Artist/Medical Doctor "Karen is an incredibly sweet person and she always works hard to tailor lessons and techniques to your individual needs. I have been working with her for about 7 months. In that time, she has helped me open up my range, smooth out my transitions between head voice, mix voice and chest voice, taught me how to use my whole body to support my voice as well as how to protect my voice in daily life. And her lessons stick in my head so that I can always remember how to use them and do them. Even after 2 weeks of sickness, I was able to use all the techniques she gave me and still sound great! She also speaks Korean and has helped me practice K-POP songs! In addition to singing, Karen has helped me with writing multiple songs, given me tools to find inspiration and how to put together songs based on my ideas. On top of all of this, she has also worked with me on unlocking and perfecting character voices for animated characters as well as DND original characters, audiobook recording, and advertisement copy reading. She's so supportive of all of my goals and works with me to achieve anything I want to. And she's real about where and when I need work. I've thought about quitting for financial reasons, but I just couldn't give up working with Karen! She's well worth the time you get to spend with her." Veronyka Martinez - Seoul, South Korea - English Teacher + Aspiring Singer/Songwriter/Actor "Karen is one of the most underrated accomplished and technically-oriented vocal coaches available. I’m a singer/songwriter who wanted to improve my vocals and in just one lesson, Karen showed me that my body is my instrument, not just my throat and torso. She had me do some stretching and exercises that gave me an immediate improvement in resonance, ability to project, and FEEL in my bones! I feel honored to be able to still access private lessons at an affordable rate. Do yourself a favor and take one lesson. You’ll know what I mean and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Thank you, Karen. I look forward to many more lessons moving forward!" Lili McGovern~ Bellingham, WA, USA ~ Life Coach/Singer/Songwriter/Artist "Karen is an excellent voice coach. She'll have you learning so much about your instrument and how to fix those bad habits that you never knew - whether you've been a voice user for ages or not." Curtis Michael Holland - Hong Kong - Audiobook Narrator/Drama Teacher/VO Actor "Karen was my 8 year old daughter's voice coach in Seoul. Karen is a lovely, bubbly person and she helped my daughter, not only with her singing ,but also with her confidence at what was a scary time - having just moved from Thailand. I would highly recommend Karen." UPDATE:""I thought you might be interested to know that Jasmine got to the final of her school poetry reading competition and did a voiceover for a Korean cartoon, thanks to you." Phil Almond - Seoul, South Korea - Dad of Child VO Actor Karen is clearly a professional singer who knows what she’s doing. She taught me a lot of new techniques in only one hour, such as using my mask, avoiding the ‘H’ sound when I sing to prevent breathiness, narrowing the width of my mouth to hit higher notes, and switching between five genres of music by changing the shape of my vocal resonators. I also became better informed on how to take care of my vocal instrument: I suffer from post-nasal drip, and the mucus in my nose and throat affects my ability to sing on a day to day basis. Some days, my voice sounds better; other days, it’s worse. Karen recommended Neti pots and sinus rinses that have the potential to help clear my instrument and improve my singing. Rosa Nguyen - Philadelphia, PA, USA - Actor "Karen is incredibly patient and encouraging as a teacher. She's helped me understand how my past physical injuries have affected my voice, and through her instructions, I've been able to improve my singing. I highly recommend her." Sara Matsui-Colby - Alameda, CA, USA - SAG-E Actor/VO Actor |
"I have been singing since I was a child. When I took a voice lesson from Karen she helped me realize that by making a few changes in posture, breathing and where to place my voice for different songs I could make a big difference in my singing. More strength and durability. Her coaching helped me to perform two concerts each 70 minutes back to back while touring in Brazil. Karen is creative and very good at coaching." Masankho Banda - Lilongwe. Malawi - Founder - UCanDanc' African Healing Arts "Really wanted to thank you for all the help you have done for me. I can really hear the difference. Thank you so much. I’m connecting more emotionally with the songs now. My voice feels great, sounds more smooth than before. And, I’m on pitch! Amazingly, someone just asked me if I teach voice lessons! I guess it’s true when the student is ready the teacher will appear." Bill Harris - Houston, TX, USA - Jazz and Blues Vocalist "Karen Lyu helped me to think about my body alignment, my mouth and facial movement and really getting the most out of my instrument, my voice. She’s an inspiration because I know she herself really worked hard and studiously to learn her singing craft and become the accomplished singer and vocal teacher she is. I am grateful for her teachings and would recommend her to anybody who is serious and passionate about singing." Benjamin Cartel - New York, NY, USA - Singer/Songwriter "I’ve gotten to know Karen as a very passionate and professional educator. It’s inspiring to learn from someone with the amount of experience that she has, and I recommend her classes wholeheartedly!" Ellie Fatou - Den Haag, Netherlands - Singer/Songwriter/Producer "Karen Lyu is exactly what you want in a voice teacher, she is knowledgeable and patient, supportive and committed to detail. But it's the small things that make Karen an exceptional voice teacher. The reassurance in her eyes and the genuine caring in her heart. She was able to free that part of me that I thought was imprisoned forever, my own and true voice. With Karen's guidance I was able to take my own music to new heights. From performing with my own band to soloing with award-winning singers and singing on several CD projects." David Ballman - St. Paul, MN, USA - Singer/Songwriter "Facing doing a substantial part in a big musical, I was searching for a teacher to help revive my voice after years of idleness away from the stage. ...Karen Lyu's approach resonated with me immediately. Her holistic outlook incorporates the body as well as working on placement of the voice. She is knowledgeable, experienced, and fun to work with, and I have improved so much in just three lessons. If you are looking for teaching beyond just vocal coaching, you'll likely find your way back to the voice you once had or even discover one you didn't know you had! I highly recommend Karen Lyu." Colleen Bates Lance - Birmingham, AL, USA- Semi-Retired Actor/TV Show Host "I've spent years battling with a voice that always seemed to betray me when I needed it the most. I avoided social gatherings, telephone calls and all forms of public speaking simply because I feared that my voice would not cooperate. After fruitlessly spending hundreds of dollars on Ear, Nose and Throat doctors and speech therapists, I decided to try a vocal coach. I found Karen and what a Godsend she has been. Using a variety of tools and techniques, Karen has shown me how powerful my voice can be when it is used properly. Because of Karen, I've found that speaking before one or many is now a challenge I am willing to face." William B. Patton - Seattle, WA, USA - Senior Business Intelligence Engineer/Internet Radio Host "Karen is passionate a lot and has been a great help to prepare for my musical theater audition. I can feel that my singing, acting, and English enunciation skills have ALL improved thanks to her. " Alexandra T. - Seoul, South Korea, USA - French Teacher/Actor "If you want to improve your singing or speaking voice, learn how to protect it and learn how to better use your vocal energy and range, I highly recommend Karen. She has taken my voice to a place I never thought possible. I am also amazed at how her techniques apply to my job as a language interpreter. (* Interpreter colleagues, remember that our voice is our tool, and if we do not care for it, sooner or later we will not be able to perform our job.)" David Morales - Nashville, TN, USA - Interpreter/President of TN Association of Interpreters and Translators |
What are you waiting for? Meet Karen online.
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