Meet Onyie Nwachukwu | Vocal Coach & Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Onyie Nwachukwu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Onyie, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
As a vocal coach you would think it’s enough to understand “how to sing” or maybe how the voice works… but there is so much more. I’ve learned in my experience that as a voice teacher I have to be willing to be vulnerable and give my students permission to be vulnerable as well. When you teach something that deals in the sciences (like the biology of the voice and physics of sound production) you may find that things we once “knew” are now wrong and more knowledge and studies have brought more understanding to a subject. And that’s ok! In fact, that’s the fun of it for me! We are constantly learning and discovering more about the human voice year by year. BUT if you’re not ok with saying “whoops, what I was teaching before is actually incorrect” you can never grow as a teacher and your students pay the price for it.

And speaking of my students, in order to get the best out of them I’ve learned they have to feel safe giving their “worst” (vocally that is) to me! I NEED my students to be willing to make mistakes in front of me and I work hard to cultivate an atmosphere where they feel comfortable trying new things, making ugly sounds, asking a ton of questions… because that’s where the learning is. And that’s where their growth lies!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My background is both in Opera and Musical Theatre, which I went to college for, but I’m also a freelance multi-genre singer, songwriter and I’ve taught private voice off and on for nearly 20 years! I’m super proud of my theatre career which truly began here in Houston at the Great Caruso dinner theatre. It sadly burned down many years ago but it was my start while I was still in college. From there I went to cruise ships but my big theatre break was the national tour of “Rent” the musical. That’s when I moved to NYC where I lived for 16 years and did tours, opened off-broadway world premiere’s and even won a Lucille Lortel award a couple years ago! Being from Alief it’s always amazing to me to look at how far I’ve come. Many of my friends from Alief are actually doing quite well in the professional arts but before Lizzo (who’s older sis was one of my closest high school friends) no one really knew what Alief was and its reputation in Houston was… less than stellar.

And I’ve been teaching voice lessons everywhere I find myself! Often between show contracts but sometimes even to my fellow cast-mates! I love being able to use my professional experience as a teacher! I also know how tough this profession can be and how over the top “master” teachers can be when it comes to the arts. I make a point to take fear out of learning this craft and infuse my lessons with encouragement and enthusiasm. I find that because of my success as a professional artist, students are more willing to trust my bubbly and positive style of teaching to still be effective. Unfortunately, people often marry great skill as a teacher with a ruthless almost inhumane approach to educating. I know way too many professionals who are still healing from the trauma of their educational experience. I wish to change that and I believe that begins with me being the change I wish to see. Cliché as that may sound, I truly believe it because I put it to work in how I teach. And my students love it and learn!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Funny enough, coming back to Houston has made it feel new to me! And in the newness I’m rediscovering what I love about this city. You would think coming from NYC it would feel sleepy or slow here… but actually Houston feels like a cleaner more spacious Manhattan, lol!

I would take my friends to ALL the theatre here from the major places like the Alley and Houston Grand Opera to smaller ones like Main Street for sure! Stages (theatre) also just got a renovation a little while ago and it looks incredible now and puts on amazing shows! And there are so many beautiful parks here I would just pick one a day to visit and likely get a ton of “pics for the ‘gram”, lol. I’ve even recently visited some friends who have neighborhood lakes that are gorgeous and lovely for a stroll or just to chill. Being a singer I love finding live music and Houston has a lot of that as well! I just discovered Katy Vibes (I actually have family in Katy) but of course downtown has a plethora of options! The kid in me loves the trampoline parks and there’s even old-school arcades where you can play video games from the 80s and 90s! Honestly there is so much art, food, music, activities… everything you could ever want to do when visiting a new city. While there is still the balance of being able to find peace and areas where you can be still and quiet and just enjoy nature around you. I always say Houston is the best of “the city” and “the country” all in one! And it’s still growing which is kind of insane!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Actually, my college voice teacher Christopher Michel and my high school choir teacher Molly Anne Ness are two people I’d LOVE to shout out. Throughout my life I have been especially blessed to have a few teachers who were intensely passionate about the subject they taught as well as teaching as a whole. And Mr. Michel and Mrs Ness were two of the most influential for me as a vocalist but even more as a teacher myself. My love of the art of singing and the science of vocal pedagogy came from the both of them.

Mrs Ness was my choir teacher at Alief Elsik HS and had such an incredible work ethic and zest for life! She taught us not only by her words but by the way she lived her life and carried herself. I always say I learned as much from simply observing her as I did from what she taught. As a teacher I learned from her how influential I can be, even when I’m not instructing but I also encourage my students to aim for GREATNESS as well! She taught me to want to know more and always strive to be better! To this day I always pour into my students because I see great potential in each and every one of them and want to excite them the way that she excited me! Her elevated teaching and high standards made my transition into being a college music student easier than it should have been! I never took private lessons before college like many of my college peers and yet I was at the top of my class and earned the highest scholarship offered for my major.

When I transferred from doing opera in Indiana to musical theatre my sophomore year Mr Michel was my voice teacher at Sam Houston State. He taught me a love for specificity and trusting the process which also fed my work ethic. But Mr Michel also introduced me to what became one of my greatest loves… vocal pedagogy! And that love lead me into teaching! I even began helping out the musical theatre department at Sam by teaching private voice here and there while I was also a musical theatre major. I took to teaching like a fish to water and found an almost unquenchable thirst for knowledge with vocal pedagogy. I found the science of the voice fascinating and it didn’t hurt that it also made me a better singer! And being a singer myself brought an extra empathy and understanding to my teaching as well as my love of connecting and sharing knowledge! I was blessed to have both of these instructors influence the teacher I am today!

Instagram: https://instagram.com/onyiesvoice

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Youtube: @OnyieSings

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