Testimonials

Nadine Weissmann, Dramatischer Mezzosopran (Bayreuth, Covent Garden, Opéra de Paris, etc)

Lange bevor wir anfingen, zusammen zu arbeiten, hatte ich das Vergnügen, Jean-Ronald LaFond als Mensch und als sensiblen Pädagogen kennenzulernen. Nachdem ich jahrelang die Fortschritte bei anderen beobachten konnte war es für mich an der Zeit, neue Impulse von einem Profi zu bekommen, dem ich vertrauen konnte. Er hat eine unglaubliche Gabe, durch genaues Zuhören technisch suboptimale Koordination in der Stimme zu lokalisieren und dann durch klar verständliche Erklärungen und effiziente Übungen zu eliminieren. Trotz seines ernormen technischen Wissens an der Vorfront der Gesangspädagogik ist sein Unterricht anschaulich und leicht verständlich, einfühlsam und konstruktiv, fordernd und individuell flexibel. Neben seiner Musikalität, seiner immensen Sprachbegabung und seiner Geduld ist er durch seine freundliche aber bestimmte Art ein Vorbild sowie eine fundamentale Unterstützung auf dem Weg jedes Sängers, der sich verbessern will. Ich kann Dr. LaFond nur wärmstens jedem empfehlen, der ernsthaft und konsequent mit einem der weltweit besten Pädagogen arbeiten will.

George Cornelius, tenor

I actively sought out Ron LaFond after reading his voice science posts online with interest for several years. Our study together has been a tremendous time of voice building and discovery. His continual pursuit of deeper understanding of the human voice immediately clicked with mine. Ron aspires to the highest ideals of vocalism and has a profound belief that operatic singing is not a mystical endowment of the gods, but a trainable skill available to anyone willing to put in the work. I have rarely met a soul so passionate, enthusiastic, positive, and generous of spirit as Ron. The tools we have used have made a tremendous difference in the capabilities of my voice. Through systematically building the strength, coordination, and flexibility of the breath support muscles, the laryngeal muscles, the resonance and articulatory muscles, along with building the mind’s abilities to focus, I can approach literature that was out of my range just a few years ago with confidence, enjoyment, and beauty of tone. I highly recommend Ron to any singer who believes there is much more potential to his/her voice than he/she is currently getting from it.

Inga-Britt Andersson, Lyrische Koloratur Sopran

Ron ist Lehrer mit Leib und Seele. Seine Freude über jeden noch so kleinen Fortschritt motiviert sehr und macht seinen Unterricht zu einer Freude. Durch seine fundierten physiologischen Kenntnisse, mit denen er immer Sinn und Zweck seiner Gesangsübungen erklären kann, habe ich mich getraut seine mir anfänglich sehr ungewohnten Übungen anzunehmen und habe mit ihnen unglaublich schnelle Fortschritte gemacht.

Und nicht zuletzt ist Ron ein gebildeter, in vielen Fremdsprachen beheimateter, humorvoller und liebenswerter Mensch.

James Pike, tenor

My time with Jean-Ronald has been revolutionary!  I have a new understanding of my voice and a level of comfort and musicality because of his teaching.  He has a masterful understanding of the human voice and how it should function.  Most importantly, he knows how to get the singer to achieve balance and efficiency in a way that is respectful of both the art and the singer.  Because of Jean-Ronald’s guidance, I have a new confidence in myself and the possibilities open to me as a singer-artist.

Amber Smoke, dramatic soprano

I have been working with Ron since 2009, and it has truly been a transformative period for me as a singer.  His singer-as-athlete philosophy clarifies the (often confusing) process of practicing and building technique by teaching singers to “walk before they run,” focusing on building a voice that is strong and resilient from top to bottom before fine-tuning.  His teaching is targeted to the individual strengths and weaknesses of each voice rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.  Also – and maybe most importantly of all – Ron refuses to allow preconceived notions (like “I have no high notes” or “I can’t do coloratura”) into his studio, which encourages students to exceed their own self-imposed limitations and expectations. I would never have made the transition from mezzo to dramatic soprano without his guidance and encouragement!

Erik Enqvist, tenor vid Göteborgsoperan

Jean-Ronald LaFond utbildar inte sångare, han tränar upp sångatleter. Hans metod och teori är den mest kompletta jag stiftat bekantskap med, och förutom att det verkligen fungerar så är resan i sig mycket givande. Liksom sång så utgörs lektionerna inte bara av detaljerat tekniskt arbete, utan präglas av en helhetssyn som innefattar en djup musikalisk kunskap och förståelse, samt även element av filosofi. Jean-Ronalds smått fantastiska språkkunskaper får man på köpet.

Det är inte alltid så roligt eller mysigt att undervisas av Jean-Ronald. Han är en krävande lärare, och utmanar dig inte bara som sångare, utan även som människa. Men allt detta är mycket givande!

Rent tekniskt så har jag expanderat mitt omfång som tenor med ungefär en ters både uppåt och nedåt, och då är vi långt ifrån klara med arbetet. Jag har mycket bättre kontroll, bättre dynamiska kapaciteter, och jag blir numera väldigt sällan trött i rösten. Jag är också mycket mindre känslig för dagsform än jag var tidigare.

Barbara Solomon, dramatic mezzo-soprano

I’d heard about Jean-Ronald LaFond and his approach to teaching just at a time when I had despaired of ever finding someone who could unravel the mysterious “disappearance” of my voice.  Somehow I knew instinctively after that first lesson that there was someone who could not only tell me the “why” but show me the “how” we would find my voice again.  “Inch by inch” was the mantra for peeling away old tensions, tangled pairs of muscles closed spaces and imbalances.  Rejoicing with me over each hard-won step along the way to a complete voice.  Always positive, always supportive.  Practice is never boring because each lesson gives me something new to keep the momentum going.  This has been a shared experience that, while we’re beginning to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, will be providing both student and teacher more surprises than we ever expected. Thank you for everything Jean-Ronald!

Martin Berggren, tenor i Operakören, Umeå

En fantastisk aspekt med Jean-Ronald är att han möter sina elever på deras egen nivå. Han undervisar många som verkar på en hög professionell nivå men också lika gärna mer oerfarna sångare, så länge som det genuina intresset och passionen finns. För mig är sången en passion men inte en karriär eller ett yrke. Därför är det extra inspirerande att, trots det, få möjligheten att arbeta med en lärare på Ron’s nivå. Så vad är så speciellt med Ron? För mig handlar det om inspiration, genuin kunskap och förståelse om hur instrumentet fungerar och ska utvecklas samt musikalisk och mänsklig känslighet. Inspiration är en av de viktigaste komponenterna! Det är i övningsrummet som det mesta av arbetet uträttas och efter varje möte med Ron blir man alltid lika inspirerad att rusa in i sin kammare för att testa, öva och öva! Ron har en mycket solid förståelse för hur rösten ren akustiskt fungerar. (Jag arbetar själv delvis med akustik och har inte haft någon annan sånglärare som ens varit i närheten av den förståelse som Ron har!) Detta avspeglar sig i vad jag tycker är en uppfriskande avmystifiering av de ofta väldigt luddiga begrepp som många sånglärare svänger sig med. I praktiken, vid lektionerna, handlar det inte om invecklade teoretiska resonemang, utan det hela kokar ned till väldigt handfasta råd och övningar som, vid regelbunden träning, verkligen har effekt.

Meta Powell, dramatic soprano

I first encountered Dr. LaFond via an online forum for singers and was always struck by how true his comments and posts seemed, and his writing really struck a chord with me. One day a particularly impressive post gave me the courage to contact Dr. LaFond to find out if he ever came to Europe to teach. As luck would have it, a few weeks later he was in London, and I had my first lessons. The rest is history, as they say! It was the beginning of an extraordinary journey that I have yet to see the end of. At that point in my life, I already had a decade and a half of professional singing behind me, after attending a prestigious conservatoire in London and working with a very famous teacher. But what I discovered working with Dr. LaFond was that I had merely scratched the surface of understanding what “real” singing was. My analogy is that I was given an amazing, beautiful and fast car, but was never taught how to drive it properly, so consequently was poodling along in third gear for most of my life, thinking that was all there was. After a few lessons with Ron, I started to realize there was a lot more under the bonnet. Now, 4 years later, I think I might have found the Turbo gear! The way I can sing now was something I could only have dreamt of before. My understanding of singing, vocal technique and my own instrument today cannot be compared to how it was before I met Dr. LaFond. There is a consistency in my singing now, the stamina has improved immensely, but most importantly, I feel I have found my “true” voice.

Dr. LaFond’s understanding of the instrument that is the voice surpasses anyone I’ve ever met in my singing life. But the voice alone does not make a singer! I feel Dr. LaFond understands this better than most other teachers since he is also a singer himself. His holistic, almost spiritual approach to the complexity of singing has given me immense strength and again, understanding. Add to that the kindest, most humble and generous personality and you have the amazing vocal pedagogue that Dr. LaFond is. My gratitude to him is great.”  

Zachary Wilder, tenor

He takes you through each process step by step and presents each concept in an uncomplicated and practical light, in turn putting the power back into the hand of the student to be able to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of his own instrument and how to move forward. Additionally, his knowledge of the demands and pitfalls of various repertoires proves invaluable! (He is also a tenor-whisperer)

Kent Tischer, tenor

JR is one of the best voice teachers I have worked with. Not only is he a genuinely lovely human being, who is by turns demanding and encouraging without any abuse, but he is one of the only teachers I have ever worked with whose scientific knowledge of the voice I feel I can trust.

Rachel Antman, mezzo-soprano

Thanks to Ron, I experienced a significant vocal breakthrough a few years ago.  Specifically, Ron determined that I was really a mezzo instead of a soprano (I had been a soprano for many years).  This breakthrough completely changed my singing experience.  I’m now learning how to sing with my full, real voice, and it’s extremely rewarding.