Playful Singer LLC DBA Alisa Larsen VoiceReviews of playfulsinger.com

Alisa has created such a supportive and encouraging space for me to grow in my voice and reconnect with the joy of singing. Her warmth, insight, and ability to make you feel safe enough to let go and trust yourself are truly special. I'm learning to quiet my inner critic, embrace the process, and allow myself to be more free and authentic. I'm so grateful for her guidance and the community she has created.

Alisa Larsen's online classroom for singers is an all-encompassing experience for people who Love to Sing regardless of their level of expertise! She's an excellent teacher...articulate, upbeat and motivational with a community of supportive and friendly students. The entire curriculum is easily accessible including all her pre-recorded exercises and Zoom classes!

Alisa is a genuine breath of fresh air who gives honest and constructive guidance for development as a singer. I am forever grateful for the timing at which I am currently blessed to glean from her expertise and gift. I have been with her for five months, and her system is greatly improving my confidence in being 'seen' as well as improving my ability to express my gift and love of conveying words through song. I love the value of ALL Alisa offers, including her gracious and joyful approach in leading!

I had sung classically decades ago and hit a brick wall. I’d been a star singer in high school, got a full voice scholarship to a major university, and seemed to be on my way. But I was lost. I couldn’t see any possibility in my life for a professional future in music. I didn’t want to move to New York City to pursue opera or musical theater, I didn’t want to teach voice or choir. I was stuck, not just in singing. In my life. I married a rock’n’roll drummer and we gigged all over the place, but my voice was not suited for rock (much as I loved it) and I hurt my voice. When we divorced, I didn’t sing for over 35 years until I realized that I still really loved singing but didn’t think it was possible to sing at my age. I married a jazz pianist who encouraged me to sing with him and, little by little, with often overwhelming insecurity and self-loathing (which admittedly had always been part of my singing experience), I started singing with him. Sometimes I was paralyzed with so much fear that I thought I would faint. My husband is a world-class pianist but I was far from a world-class singer, and I needed help to become at least a decent singer. That’s when I started my search online for a teacher who understands the voice but wouldn’t judge me for my background, would help me get back my voice in some form or another, help me with exercises, and guide me to learn how to sing again. I didn’t want a traditional voice teacher, I needed someone to help me become freer in my singing and tame the wild beast in my head. It seemed impossible but I needed to at least see if someone like that was out there. I found a wide assortment of teachers online. Some were intriguing, but they didn’t feel right to me. Something about Alisa made me take a second look. She spoke from her heart with real feeling. She knew her stuff. She’d had a sort of similar experience to mine and had gone on to recreate herself to become a better singer with more joy and freedom. Her combination of professional, classical experience combined with her redirect to more heart-centered singing with her ukulele and jazz… all of that drew me to take a closer look at who she is, what she’s about, how and what she teaches, and I’ve been in her program about nine months. It’s been a remarkable journey for me, and now I sing regularly with my husband. I still have lots to learn but that’s okay, I’m getting there and enjoying the journey. Her students are all ages, levels, and styles of singing, and we sing in Zoom masterclasses. Even though it's all online, it never feels distanced. She starts each class with some vocal warmups and instructions, and we all sing the warmups with her with our mics muted. Then we can perform a song during class and she gives feedback, almost always starting with asking how it felt to the singer, if the singer was experiencing any tension or fear physically or emotionally. It’s a safe place to speak our truth, and she helps each singer through that, then has them try again. It’s inspiring to see other students sing, even though they’re afraid, see them try what she suggests and then see how the singer improved. It’s truly an honor to be part of it. When you’re the one singing, it’s your opportunity to try to shine, try to put the mental stuff aside and sing. Just sing. Because here’s the truth: we’re all afraid, even the best sounding singers. We all have issues, we all have things to work on. As with any creative endeavor, perfection is simply not possible because we’re always evolving, growing, and learning. There’s always something new to learn. It’s the beauty of the art and of life. The masterclasses are recorded and it’s so invaluable to listen to how you sounded because it almost always sounds much better than you thought it had. Revisit her coaching and your singing, then take that coaching and continue practicing the song on your own, and bring it back to the next masterclass for more coaching. She’s not only a wonderful, knowledgeable teacher, she’s kind and supportive. She has an excellent ear and can pick out what’s going on and coach you on one small point so it doesn’t get overwhelming but is just what you needed. She's funny and uncontrived. She's smart. She's creative and is always thinking of ways to improve her students' experiences. She makes it fun and safe, and she always encourages us all to keep trying, keep being brave, keep doing the work. She encourages us to look into our inner world and see how the blockages we encounter in our singing are almost always the results of other unresolved issues, and she gives us the tools to do that. Make no mistake, it’s up to us to do the work, but if you do, the rewards will come. You already know you want to sing, and this has been the right place for many singers. Give it a try. The only risk is not trying.

Alisa is so good at making one bulls-eye comment. No need for much else. She'll tell you how to sing it and send you happy on your way to practicing it. Also her routines and exercises are gold! She has such a sweet personality, and as a voice teacher myself I appreciate the combination between all of those elements. A true recipe for success

It's very exciting and inspiring to have someone like Alisa as instructor who pushes you to the farthest possible place that your voice can go. She is very patient and knows her student's needs and meets us where we are. i highly recommend her to anybody who wants to discover their power through their voice.

Alisa is a wonderful coach! She makes the instruction easy to comprehend and fun at the same time. I feel like I’m thinking more about breath and breathing since I’ve joined the classes. Every aspect of the program is judgement free. The decision to join the program was a great choice. Looking forward to seeing the results. Thank you Alisa!

Alisa Larsen is a truly gifted teacher. She has all the technical and people skills to effectively coach students of all backgrounds. Alisa is playful and kind, compassionate and intuitive, and teaches from a place that is larger than words. Her experience over the past 30 years translates seamlessly into being a fantastic voice coach. Her authenticity and commitment to lead students is a powerful combination which she leverages with ease. I sing to trust and embody the music… to receive, flow and merge with it… to express and connect. Alisa invites me to find my way marked by big and small leaps of success that keep unfolding with great fun.