What If – Insa – Acoustic Session
Insa
"Singing is the most personal instrument—you always carry it with you—which is why it's very important to me that my students feel they can express themselves at any time. The relationship is always professional, but also personal.“
To be perfect—that is what music and singing mean to Insa (Vocal coach and singing teacher) are.
Music has also been a part of her family for generations.
Hamburg, the city of musicals at the dawn of the new millennium. Insa attends her first musical—and what could be better suited to make a child’s eyes light up than *The Lion King*? She sits on her father’s lap, right by the aisle where the performers walk by during the show. That gives her a great view. Captivated by the show, she’s taken by surprise when little Simba, of all people, dashes right past her. "At that moment, I knew I wanted to be a part of it."
Inspired by these experiences, she began singing in the children's choir. This was followed by piano and voice lessons. Everything was in the classical tradition; there were hardly any alternatives. Later, she taught herself to play the guitar.
It was exactly at this time that she began to doubt whether a career as a musician made sense. Through her friends, she returned to her roots—and to something entirely new: pop music. Her dream of launching a career as a professional musician grows. The singer-songwriter thing was entirely her own, and by the age of 16, she was already touring Germany as a street musician in a duo. She sings and plays the guitar.
True to the motto "Experience is everything," she began performing in smaller bars; at school, she was a member of the choir, a big band, and the musical theater club at the time.
No sooner had she finished high school than she was drawn to life abroad. She spent a year working as an au pair west of London and took the opportunity to perform solo on stage and soak up new experiences. She found her stage—the world to her—in pubs and bars.
"Music is an outlet; you can express so much through it."
This period also influences her creativity. While she had previously written exclusively in German, she now begins to write in English, and new songs emerge.
"I'm sure everyone has experienced this: you hear a song that moves you so deeply that you realize you're not alone. That's what music means to me."
Although she didn’t actually want to become a teacher, she decides—inspired in part by her time as an au pair in Oldenburg—to study music education, with English as her secondary major. This choice also puts her parents’ minds at ease. But her joy outweighs any concerns—after all, despite the down-to-earth nature of the program, Insa is doing what matters most to her.
She meets Max, who is also a vocal coach at the CK Voice Academy, and joins him in the event band Heat. She still performs with the duo she’s been with since her youth. However, what started as a street music project has really taken off, and they’ve performed on stage at such renowned clubs as the Knust in Hamburg, the Tower in Bremen, and, last but not least, the Amadeus in Odenburg.
Despite everything, she returns to the United Kingdom to spend a semester abroad studying pop music. Once back here, she drops out of her teacher training program and decides to focus on her own music.
"Singing and music are my safe haven. I just don't feel as safe and comfortable anywhere else as I do on stage."
By the way: When she sang at the auditions for *The Voice*, she met some students from the CK Voice Academy and decided to take lessons with Carl Keaton. That's how she found her way to us.
She is currently studying at the British Irish Modern Music Institute in Hamburg and loves supporting her voice students online.
"I think it's pointless to make music if you're doing it out of some kind of compulsion or because of pressure. Technique is a way to create freedom—to sing the way you want to."
In her classes, she focuses particularly on the emotional level. By asking the right questions, she guides her students and thus creates a tremendous learning experience—even on a physical, muscular level.
"It's important to me that my students enjoy themselves; everything else is secondary. As long as they're having fun, I've achieved my goal. It's much easier to reach your vocal goals when you're carefree."
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