When she takes the podium to conduct the Port Townsend Community Chorus this fall, you might think Sarah Moran, classically trained at the Eastman School of Music and attuned to nuances of pitch, timbre and tempo, would have no time for rank amateurs.

You would be wrong.

While some singers are better than others, no one should be barred from the joy of singing, even by a skilled choir director and voice coach, Moran says.

“Everybody has the right to be able to sing, and I think it is the worst thing in the world when someone comes and tells someone that ‘you are tone deaf’ or ‘you can’t sing,’” she said.

Another travesty is when a choir director allows someone to participate in the choir, but only to lip sync to the songs.

“Usually that person might just need a little extra guidance to stay on the right path,” Moran said. “It is so sad to me when I hear that because in a way it steals that part of a musical life they could have.”

In addition to the physical discipline she teaches to singers, Moran also attempts to instill confidence.

“I understand the things I am teaching them are outside of what they normally do,” she said. “It takes a little bit of an open mind to learn and to want to do these different things that may seem sort of strange at first.”

To get around that, Moran knows the importance of developing a relationship of trust with her students, she said.

“There is a getting-to-know-you period of time because here you are with this person you may have never met before and as a student you are having to sing for this person. Singing is really a personal kind of scary thing.”

It is important to be a friend as well as a teacher to the student, Moran said.

“You spend an hour with them every week singing and it is really nice to know for a lot of people they are singing not because they want to be musicians or because they want to be famous singers, but because they love it.”

The act of singing with a teacher can be a therapeutic experience, Moran said.

“It relaxes them. It is kind of like your own massage therapist for singing.”

When the student is at ease, it is easier to connect with the student, Moran said.

“Then there is kind of a light that comes on and then you will hear the progress that you as a voice teacher are looking for. Then, they will start to feel more confident.”

That has been the case for David Segleau, who has been studying with Moran this year.

“The statement that singing is very personal is absolutely spot on,” Segleau said. “At least personally, I tend to hold back.”

Now with professional training, Segleau said he is more apt to sing in a cappella groups where the vocalists cannot hide behind backing instruments.

“I have never taken voice lessons before, so I signed up to get both the experience and the feedback,” Segleau said.

Segleau sang in his youth for his church and school but discontinued when he became an adult, to focus on this career. When he retired and moved to Port Townsend, he rediscovered his love for singing.

“Taking the voice lessons was kind of a compliment to that. It is not just what I am singing, it is how I am singing and getting the feedback.”

Moran said she also enjoys getting feedback from her pupils.

“I think the best teachers learn from their students,” she said. “I have been teaching lessons for 20 years or so, and the more people I meet, the more situations I have to help with, the better teacher I consider myself to be. That and I consider teaching a learning process at the same time. I don’t think I am ever going to know everything there is to know.”

Raised in Appalachia

Moran grew up in Virginia near the Tennessee border, and still speaks with a drawl.

“My mother was a singer and I started to sing when I was fairly young. And then, when I was in high school, my choir director discovered I had a voice and suggested I take some lessons.”

Moran later sang in women’s ensemble groups with her mother in her hometown.

“I got to be the age where I was thinking about going to school and I had decided already by that time I had wanted to sing so I ended up going off to study music.”

Moran attended the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, consistently ranked in the top 10 music conservatories in the U.S.

Moran said her favorite part about singing is the connection she makes with her audience.

“It is being able to sing and look out and see people’s faces and the way it is making them feel. That is probably the most rewarding thing.”

While not a shy person, Moran is no stranger to nerves while on stage.

“I would say that there has never been a time where I am not a little bit nervous,” she said. “I think over time as a performer you get to the point where you expect it more. Those feelings don’t come as a surprise to you, and so you are able to handle that a little bit better as time goes by.”

It is best not to dwell on trying to achieve a perfect performance, Moran said.

“You are there to provide an entertainment whatever way it goes even if you have to improvise something, which happens. You are there for that and not to be perfect.”

Moran is well versed in many musical genres, but prefers classical music including Mozart, she said. She also enjoys singing as a soloist and with a group.

No matter the format they are in, a good singer has worked on their craft enough to be able to communicate to an audience something meaningful,” Moran said.

“It doesn’t mean you have to be a great classical singer to do this, because there are a lot of ways to sing and communicate. I think that good singing can be done in a lot of ways as long as it does something and has a purpose.”

Moran currently teaches about 25 students and will direct the Port Townsend Community Chorus this fall.

For more information about her classes send an email to enchantsinger@gmail.com or call 206-747-5126.