Joanna
"It's especially important to me that my students aren't afraid; I create a safe environment. Even singers who are still inexperienced find it much easier to just go ahead and sing."
When Joanna (Vocal coach and singing teacher) As she inserts the VHS tape labeled "Vacation 1999" into the VCR, her first vivid childhood memory comes to the surface. Somewhere in the Mecklenburg Lake District, a fishing trip. Joanna drags a bucket of water behind her and sings about what she’s doing: "The bucket’s hanging on the string." These are the first "recordings" of her love of singing and her talent. She’s just five years old.
Was that an exception? Not at all—she actually sings her way through childhood, commenting on everyday life with melodious words, quite naturally, without even thinking about it. "Almost like walking," she says. You just do it.
Her musical taste is shaped by Cat Stevens and the radio station NDR 2—so the sounds of the '80s echo through the house.
"Singing is like medicine for a bad mood, for feeling sad, for just about everything. It doesn't always have to be perfect; it's okay to sing off-key and goof around sometimes. Singing is very liberating."
She sings in school plays; a few years later, she becomes one of the four lead singers in the school band.
But singing hasn’t been a constant thread running through her life. She began training to become a technical product designer. After graduating, she found herself sitting in an office in Hamburg, wondering if she really wanted to spend the rest of her life sitting in an office five days a week. When asked how clear her answer was, she says—nope! The order situation wasn’t so good at the time, so she plucked up her courage and left. It was the perfect time to turn her attention back to singing.
"I felt like there was a gap—the occasional weekend performances just weren't enough."
She seized the moment. She immediately applied to the British Institute of Modern Music in Hamburg and, unsurprisingly, was accepted. There, Joanna studied pop singing—the program is called “Professional Musicianship” with a specialization in vocals—and in her second year, she explored all styles of singing, from the Bee Gees to Led Zeppelin. She clearly sees her strengths in pop, rock, and country. She is definitely versatile and very dedicated when it comes to her own voice and those of her students.
"I listen to just about everything, but Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus impress me the most." When asked what fascinates her about these singers, she begins to talk with obvious enthusiasm: "Lady Gaga just did her own thing and never let anything deter her—that strength impresses me. As a kid, I was a huge Hannah Montana fan, so Miley Cyrus has to be on this list—though the great thing about her art is that she had the courage to evolve and try out different musical styles."
She sings with great power herself, which has always been important for her to learn. The delicate notes tend to bore her over time.
Right now, Joanna plays in two bands: the acoustic band Jolane and the party cover band Harmonie.
So she brings a wealth of live performance experience to her classes, with a focus on vocal versatility. She works with the students’ songs and helps them
Work through it step by step.
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