Bio: Haley Mears
Haley Mears grew up outside Philadelphia listening to an eclectic mix of early ragtime and jazz, classic rock, and 1980's pop radio. Haley studied voice from middle through high school, and played casual coffeehouse gigs with friends through college. Musically she was dormant for many years after that until discovering Crossroads Music School. Since then, Haley has been fortunate enough to have studied voice and music with great teachers including Lynn Asher, Sandy Griffith, Amber Morris, April Grisman, Michael LaMacchia, Rob Fordyce, Ken Cook, and Raz Kennedy.
.She has sung and recorded with Michael LaMacchia's New Directions and performed with his Organic Jive Collective. She is most grateful to have shared the stage with musicians such as Alan Hall, Dan Zinn, and April Grisman, among many others, and for the last four years has been a lead and backing vocalist in the popular 9-piece R&B band, the James Moseley Band. Haley also loves to get the Led out, among other rock pleasures, with her rock band, dBRx, and to get down and dirty with the blues with the East Bay’s Bait & Switch Blues Band.
Haley has a pure, evocative voice and a smooth, natural delivery. Her deep presence is expressed through her rich, emotion-laden tones. Haley loves to sing a wide variety of material from rock to blues to singer/songwriter material to R&B, and even sometimes jazz on occasion. No matter the genre, Haley sings music that resonates with something deep inside herself, and her heartfelt delivery and unique voice reach out to stir your heart and move your body and your soul.
Class description:
I remember my first Crossroads class vividly. I’d been away from music for far too long, but my heart and soul demanded I return to it. My first class was a revelation and I never turned back. I couldn’t be happier to be making music, to be in such a supportive and generous community, and now, to have the opportunity to give back to the Crossroads family that has given me so much.
Drawing on my own experiences as a student, performer, and coach I look forward to supporting vocalists with a wide range of aspects of singing and performing. Of course we’ll focus on some basic building blocks of singing such as breath, kinesthetics (yes- singing is athletic!), and rhythm. We will also work on techniques to make your vocals engaging and compelling such as story-telling & connection, vocal tone & placement, and phrasing & dynamics. By working with all these elements, we’ll collaboratively discover and cultivate each vocalist’s unique voice and presence. Finally, we’ll also delve into aspects of performance itself, with a special focus on overcoming nerves, boosting confidence, and focusing all that energy in productive, creative ways to produce the best performance and have the most fun!
Please come ready to learn, to stretch yourself, to laugh, and of course to have fun! To make the most of your experience, to each class please bring water, pencil and paper, and a recording device (phones are fine.)
*Please also bring 2 complete sets of lyrics for each of your songs to the first class.