April 1, 2025
About the Author: Stefan Joubert
In this exclusive interview, we speak with renowned vocal coach Justin Stoney, founder of New York Vocal Coaching.
Justin shares his inspiring journey from aspiring performer to world-class vocal coach, his teaching philosophy, and the common challenges singers face.
He offers invaluable advice for adult beginners, reflects on the impact of social media on vocal training, and reveals exciting upcoming projects. A must-read for anyone passionate about singing and vocal development.
Stefan Joubert: Can you tell us about your journey into vocal coaching? What inspired you to become a vocal teacher?
Justin Stoney: I actually never wanted to be a Voice Teacher. I used to believe that “those who can’t do, teach”. It was something I wanted to avoid at all costs. As fate would have it though, there was a “miraculous” circumstance that led me to being a Voice Teacher.
Academically, I was on track to be a Chemical Engineer. But later I decided to pursue my love of acting, music, and singing. Eventually, I moved to NYC to do these things professionally. After only two weeks of living in the city, I was at a casting call waiting for an audition on a day that forever altered the course of my life.
I was sitting in a waiting room before an audition when a man walked in and said, “Does anyone here play the piano?” I shyly raised my hand and said, “I do.” He pulled me aside and asked me how well I play and whether I could sight read and play for an audition. I told him I play pretty well and I think I could. The man pulled out his cell phone and said, “Yeah I got some kid here who thinks he can do it. Okay — we’ll take the kid.” He hung up the phone and told me to finish my audition and come down the hall when I was done. Their accompanist had dropped out at the last minute and they needed someone right away!
I walked back to my seat and the audition runner said, “You know who that is right? That’s one of the most influential casting directors of all time! He’s cast films, T.V. shows, Broadway shows. You better be ready!”
As it turned out, I was about to become the accompanist for a major Broadway audition. I had never been so nervous in my life. I found myself accompanying Broadway stars – people that I had been a fan of for years and had only dreamed of ever meeting, let alone accompanying their audition!
When it was all over, the casting director said something to me that I’ll never forget. He said, “We saw something in you today, Justin. We saw your work and how you interacted with the singers. We think that you have what it takes to be a really great vocal coach.” I thought “A vocal coach?! That’s the LAST thing I would ever want to do!” I didn’t know it at that moment, but that day I went from pursuing my dreams to walking into my destiny.
Over the next couple of years, I found myself so booked as a vocal coach and loving it so much that I stopped pursuing acting. I realized that I actually loved helping others to sing and perform even more than I loved doing it myself. So, I devoted myself to learning everything I could about teaching voice. And I never looked back!
Stefan Joubert: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in the early stages of your career, and how did you overcome them?
Justin Stoney: I think leaving performing behind was ultimately a challenging decision. While it eventually became easy and obvious to take a different path, it wasn’t easy at first. I had trained for several years and devoted my whole self to the pursuit of performing. To choose a path where I would be giving all that up was a decision I came to slowly. All of that was not wasted though. Everything I learned and experienced contributed to who I am today as a Voice Teacher, Vocal Coach, and owner of a company. I wouldn’t change any of it.
Owning my own company has come with a lot of challenges. Naturally, I’ve gotten a lot better at it over time. But, I wouldn’t ever call it easy. I think it’s something you really have to want to do in order to maintain a thriving business (especially in New York City). As difficult as it can be, I am incredibly grateful for NYVC, for all those who serve alongside me, and for all that I have been entrusted with to steward.
Stefan Joubert: What are some common misconceptions about singing that you’ve encountered among your students, and how do you address them?
Justin Stoney: There are a fair amount of misconceptions about singing and vocal training. Some of this comes from classical music being the dominant style as far as vocal pedagogy for a long time; some of it comes from various teaching methods; and then there are just things that naturally become misconstrued over time.
I generally don’t find it challenging to address these misconceptions. It’s actually part of the fun! That is, to unpack and explore the truth together with students. Misconceptions eventually come up and we just talk through how the voice works and how to develop vocal control through controlling the muscles of the voice.
A few examples are:
- A singer might think they need to lift the soft palate in all circumstances, and I instead show them the benefits of Nasal Resonance and how we can alternate depending on our goals and needs.
- A singer might think they sound “nasal” when really they are just bright. This simply calls for larynx position work.
- A singer might think that they are “tone deaf” and I just tell them how incredibly rare this is and teach them how to stay on pitch. (In 20 years of teaching I have yet to meet a truly tone deaf person.)
- A singer might think they need to “sing from the diaphragm” and we discuss how this isn’t actually possible and what people usually mean when they say this. From there, we explore how the breathing system works.
- A singer might say they are concerned about strain and “singing from the throat”. So we talk about how all singing comes from the throat because that’s where the vocal folds are, and I help them pinpoint where exactly the strain is coming from.
- A singer might believe that singing with a high larynx, singing with compression, or using Vocal Fry are all wrong to do and unhealthy. So we talk about the larynx as a style changer and all the many options the vocal folds have. We explore the importance of having great technique that provides skillfulness, versatility, and longevity – regardless of the style or vocal quality we’re singing.
My desire for all singers is that they know how to choose their own “vocal destiny” instead of being put in a box.
Stefan Joubert: Could you describe a typical lesson with you? What are the key components you focus on?
Justin Stoney: I tailor every lesson to the student I’m with, but generally I discuss with the student how they are doing and how their voice is feeling. From there we discuss their goals for the lesson, struggles they’re having, and songs they are working on. I will then create exercises throughout the lesson that target their goals and target areas I see that need growth. We’ll then take the second half of the lesson to work on a song and apply the techniques they are learning.
Stefan Joubert: How do you tailor your teaching methods to accommodate different learning styles among your students?
Justin Stoney: My entire company and way of teaching is built on the idea that no student is the same. Instead of trying to fit the singer to the method, we fit the method to the singer. I learned throughout my teaching career that we can create very specific exercises that will target very specific techniques, and by being so exact we can experience dramatic improvement in the voice in much less time. I call this Vocal Exercise DesignTM and I now teach this to other experienced and aspiring Voice Teachers in the NYVC Voice Teacher Training Program.
There are also many other aspects of tailoring the lesson to the student and meeting them where they are at. Maybe a student thrives when using imagery, or maybe they need a more literal understanding of a technique. Maybe they are more physical and like to do movements that they associate with a technique, or maybe this distracts them. They might be more visual and seeing a Spectrogram helps them to understand resonance, or maybe it confuses them.
The goal is always to understand what each individual singer needs and to find the strategies that are the best for them instead of applying the same strategies to every student.
Stefan Joubert: How did you develop your unique teaching style, and what influences have shaped your approach?
Justin Stoney: As far as my “style” of teaching, I think part of it is just my personality. A lot of the way I teach is how I am in life.
When it comes to what has shaped my teaching, I would say my mentors, such as David Jones and Aaron Hagan. Reading countless voice books. Vocal science is very helpful – but it is also important to know when science is NOT helpful and may contradict real life experience of the singers. My acting experiences have also helped me a lot. And finally my students – they have ultimately taught me everything that I know.
Stefan Joubert: What are the most common challenges your students face when learning to sing, and how do you help them overcome these obstacles?
Justin Stoney: Every singer has their own set of challenges. But if I had to come up with the most common one, I would say mental and emotional blocks that keep them from accessing their potential. The voice needs a positive environment to thrive. If a singer is not able to maintain this positive, or gracious, perspective with consistent vocal practice then their growth will be limited.
Overcoming this involves celebrating the victories, no matter how small. Speaking positive things over yourself and your singing (“I can sing that note”, “I am a singer”, “I practice consistently and I am making progress on my voice”). Also, I would say it’s important to create achievable challenges. If we’re constantly challenging our voice with things it’s not ready for, we’ll never feel like our goals are possible.
On the other hand, if we don’t challenge ourselves, we won’t grow. So, a lot of success in singing comes down to knowing how to challenge oneself appropriately.
Stefan Joubert: What guidance would you offer to adults who are just beginning their journey in singing? Are there specific strategies or mindsets that you find especially helpful for adult learners?
Justin Stoney: Be encouraged! I would say it is never too late to begin your vocal journey. Go for it and keep going. It is not something you will regret pursuing. From a vocal technique perspective, I would say to prioritize foundational flexibility elements such as Head Voice/Falsetto and Flageolet. This will build the “flexibility” of the voice and provide both health and longevity. This is ideal for every singer, but especially adult and older singers who are just beginning their journey.
Stefan Joubert: You’ve done a fantastic job building a presence on platforms like YouTube and Instagram. How do you think social media has influenced the vocal coaching industry?
Justin Stoney: I think it’s been a mix of helpful and unhelpful. There are a lot of “quick fixes” out there and the reality is that if you want to experience growth you will need more than that one quick fix. Wholistic training of the voice is the best way to experience the growth that singers are looking for. Ideally this is done with a trainer. But self-study is also possible.
My goal with Voice Lessons To The World was simply to assist those who have no choice but to self-study due to financial constraints or the unavailability of training in their area. Either way, you need consistency, you need to find your weak areas, and you need to find what it is your voice needs.
There’s a lot of information out there on Social Media that can be helpful for this process, but I also think singers end up overwhelmed because they don’t know where to start or how to know what’s possible for their voice amidst all the opinions and ideas that exist on social media.
Stefan Joubert: What inspired you to create your YouTube channel, and what do you hope your viewers take away from your videos?
Justin Stoney: I had the idea for “Voice Lessons To The World” a long time ago. At the time, YouTube wasn’t as huge as it has become. I was one of the very first Voice Teachers who started doing singing videos. But I wanted to create a series that would help singers who couldn’t afford or access professional vocal training.
So I created videos that discussed various voice topics, techniques, misconceptions, and in most of the videos I also have an exercise that we go through “together”. My hope for this series was always that singers from around the world who couldn’t receive voice lessons would be able to use the videos as voice lessons, and that it would eventually serve as an extensive resource for singers to discover vocal information that they could apply to their own voice.
Stefan Joubert: How do you see the future of vocal coaching evolving, especially with advancements in technology and online learning?
Justin Stoney: You might be surprised to know that I have always believed that one day technology and AI will take over voice teaching and Voice Teachers won’t be needed anymore. Sounds very pessimistic in some ways I know! But, it’s something that I talked about even 20 years ago when I started teaching. Of course, I HOPE that this doesn’t happen, but I have long suspected that it would. My wife strongly disagrees with me. We’ll see!
Stefan Joubert: What has been your proudest moment as a vocal coach?
Justin Stoney: Having the opportunity and privilege of training other experienced and aspiring Voice Teachers through the NYVC Voice Teacher Training Program. I’m honored to be trusted in this way, and it is incredibly special to me that this training is impacting singers who I will never even meet from over 60 countries.
Stefan Joubert: Can you share a memorable success story from one of your students that showcases the impact of your coaching?
Justin Stoney: One of my most memorable stories is a student of mine who came to me not being able to sing one note in tune. Everyone would have called him “tone deaf”. Now he is singing advanced songs.
Stefan Joubert: What are some goals you have for New York Vocal Coaching in the coming years? Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you’re particularly excited about?
Justin Stoney: My colleagues and I are working on a Voice documentary. It’s in the early stages but we’re excited about where this will go! We have new incoming voice teachers, lots of Voice Lessons To The World episodes, studio updates, interviews for our NYVC Presents series, and VocalPedagogy.com is still a newer project but it has been steadily growing!
Stefan Joubert: When you’re not teaching, what do you enjoy doing to unwind?
Justin Stoney: I spend time with my wife, I watch sports, I’m a film buff, I build lego cities, I train, and I play with my Maine Coon cats!
Stefan Joubert: If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring singers, what would it be?
Justin Stoney: Singing is perhaps the most distinctly HUMAN thing there is. You don’t actually need to do anything special. Singing is innate in all of us, and yet we’ve learned to stifle it instead of nurture it.
If you want to train your voice so that you can sing all sorts of songs with ease, go for it. If you just want to sing for joy and not do any formal training, you don’t have to.
Just sing, and Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord!
Follow him on Instagram: @newyorkvocalcoaching
Subscribe to his YouTube channel: New York Vocal Coaching
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