We love to bring our inclusive and affirming training programs to academic institutions, professional organizations, theaters, medical and therapy practices, even corporate and office settings.
“How did I not know this before?!”
We know you strive to live and work within your values, to create an inclusive space for all. We also know this work confronts long-held beliefs and practices within voice education, singing, acting, casting, etc. Curious, compassionate, and courageous discourse is our specialty. We will never bring judgment into your space, but we will also never shy away from difficult topics and hard questions.
Inclusive best practices for private voice studios and academic programs.
Language, terminology, and awkward questions related to gender and voice transition.
Gender and voice as it pertains to perception, interrupting our implicit biases, and techniques for changing gender presentation in voice.
The PIRA Scale, a system to decouple vocal quality and traits from the person making sounds. We can explore tools within this system for speaking voice/acting, singing, or all of the above.
Medical transition related to voice including hormone therapy, body-shaping garments, and more.
Transformational Teaching, an approach to teaching voice that incorporates explicit consent to process resistances and emotions and dig underneath limiting beliefs in educational settings.
History of transgender vocal artists and their unique contributions to the music industry.
*Fees listed are general starting rates. We will create a custom proposal for your project.
Liz Jackson Hearns (she/they)
Liz has an extensive history as a disruptive educator, researcher, and author. She began developing innovative curricula as a college music student and cross-training as a multi-stylistic singer, sound engineer, cognitive researcher, community facilitator, and entrepreneur. Over twenty years later, Liz is now the owner of The Voice Lab, Inc. where their team specializes in gender-affirming, intersectional, and transformational voice teaching.
Liz and the TVL team create courageous learning spaces where awkward questions are welcome and trans experiences are prioritized and centered. They specialize in facilitating discussions that deconstruct historical gender roles and stereotypes within the singing industry and beyond, focused on each individual’s process and finessing the line between destructive comfort and productive discomfort.
Liz is available for workshops, classes, panel discussions, master classes, press interviews, podcasts, and trainings. Her work is best suited for fellow voice practitioners, program directors, and leaders.
Liz’s Publications and Appearances
Author, One Weird Trick: A User’s Guide to Transgender Voice
Co-Author, The Singing Teacher’s Guide to Transgender Voices
(2025) Oxford Handbook of Singing
2023 Winston Churchill Trust Report on support trans singers in the voice studio
2023 Full Voice Podcast
2023 NATS InterNos
2022 NATS National Conference
2022 Voice Foundation Symposium
2021 Sounds of the World Podcast
2020 Full Voice Podcast
2020 VocalFri Podcast
2020 NATS National Conference
2019 Voice Foundation Symposium
2019 Chicago Magazine
2019 Chicago Tribune
2018 Voyage Magazine
2018 NATS National Conference
2017 NATS Chat
2016 Voice Foundation Symposium
2015-16 Windy City Times (1) (2) (3)