Meet Jane Chen of Jane Chen Vocal Studio in Atwater Village

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jane Chen.

Jane, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I didn’t know that I would become a vocal teacher, but I should have seen the signs… nerdy, detail-oriented, asked lots of questions in class, and… obsessed with singing. As a child, there were many impromptu performances in the living room. There was begging for singing lessons and then my father driving me to New York City every Saturday morning. And there was auditioning for Miss Saigon on Broadway four times. The fourth time, I was a freshman in college. After the dance callback where I was placed front and center, they singled me out and said, referring to my resume, “You’re currently at Yale.” I nodded my head. “We think it’s important for you to stay in school.” I was devastated, but followed their advice.

At Yale, I performed in many original plays, including the musical All Grown Up by Robert Lopez (of Frozen, Avenue Q, and Book of Mormon fame). After Yale, I went to the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theater, where I learned the fine art of theatrical clowning and European circus arts. I then moved to San Francisco where I wrote the original material and songs that became the mother-daughter show The Chinese Clown Cabaret which my mother and I toured North America with. (This show, which you can watch news stories about on YouTube, is dear to my heart.) I also worked with Montessori Schools on their operas and collaborated with fellow experimental artists like Dave Malloy, whose musical Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 starring Josh Groban is currently on Broadway. Eventually I began to crave a larger city and more diverse opportunities, which is what brought me to Los Angeles.

Wherever I performed, audience members would ask me if I gave singing lessons; that was the start of my career as a vocal teacher. I started by teaching students in the various studio apartments I lived in and doing house calls. I got kicked out of one apartment because a neighbor complained about the singing. Eventually I found my permanent home in Atwater Village after my parents helped me buy a house and convert the master bedroom into a soundproof studio. The studio’s minimalist design was created by my architect friend Tim Zamora.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well you might find you get what you need.” The Rolling Stones song pretty much sums up my greatest struggle — accepting my path and true calling. For many years I wanted to be a famous actress, which I believe stemmed from the lack of acceptance I experienced growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood (the “I’ll show them” mentality). I started so many different projects — acting in film, tv and commercials, singing in musicals, creating a solo show, collaborating in ensemble-based theater, directing a homeless theater troupe — and aborted them when they didn’t give me the recognition I wanted. Meanwhile, virtually the entire time, I was teaching private voice lessons on the side and didn’t realize what a gift that was. Sometimes the desire for acceptance is so strong that it convincingly disguises itself as something else. It took many years of a very windy path for me to realize it. But how can there be regrets when that path is life itself?

Jane Chen Vocal Studio – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am the owner and private singing teacher at Jane Chen Vocal Studio. I use classically based physical training to develop, mature, and power the voice to sing any style of music. Singing in the mask, studying the lift of the soft palate, breath expansion and support, and abdominal strengthening using scuba weights are some of the things we attack in the lessons. My favorite thing about teaching is the personal relationships that develop, and the strong sense of support and community among my students. Every single one of my students is a wonderful, kind, giving person; if I weren’t their teacher (and 20+ years older than many of them), I would be hanging out with them every weekend. We all share a deep yearning to express ourselves through singing, and we also know how scary it can be to make ourselves that vulnerable and go for what moves us to the core.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
For me, success is doing what I deeply want to do, not what someone else wants me to do, and certainly not what I think I SHOULD be doing. If I’m generally content (agonizing less than 50% of the time, working toward less than 25%), that’s a good sign that things are going in a sustainable direction.

Pricing:

• Introductory Lesson – $50
• Ongoing Weekly Lessons – $80 (currently a waiting list)
• Audition/Performance Prep Coaching – $95
• Ear Training / Pitch Perfection – $65

Contact Info:

• Website: www.janechenvocalstudio.com
• Phone: 323-351-8661
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: janechenvocalstudio
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/JCVSbeheard
• Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/jane-chen-vocal-studio-los-angeles-2

Image Credit:
Reeb Venners

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