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Where you are
Range, registration, breath, tension, habits. No judgment, just a baseline.
Private Voice Lessons
Learn how your voice actually works.
Private voice lessons for singers ages 8 and up, beginner to professional. In person in Greenville, NC and worldwide over Zoom.
What Happens in a Lesson
No mystery. No “just feel it.”
Plenty of singers have been told to support more, open taller, or sing from the diaphragm — without ever being told what any of that means.
Lessons here start from how the instrument is built, so you can repeat a result instead of hoping for it.
Book a Lesson
Everything Starts Here
Three questions shape every plan.
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Where you want to be
An audition, a role, a recording, a high note that keeps cracking, or simply singing without losing your voice by Thursday.
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How long you have
A callback in ten days and a degree recital in two years are different problems. The plan is built backwards from your deadline.
Who These Lessons Are For
Beginner to professional.
Ages 8 and up.
Musical theatre, classical, contemporary and commercial — whatever you sing and wherever you’re starting from.
Lessons are built for…
- Young singers, 8–18. Technique that respects a changing instrument. Audition prep for competitions, all-state, summer programs and college auditions.
- College & pre-professional. BFA and BM auditions, juries and recitals, repertoire that suits your voice instead of fighting it, and the stamina for a show week.
- Working performers. Eight shows a week, a belt that has to be there every night, recording sessions, and recovery from vocal fatigue.
- Adult beginners & returners. People told once that they couldn’t sing, and people who sang for years and stopped. Neither is starting from zero.
The Practical Details
How lessons work.
Where & who
- In person: Greenville, North Carolina. The exact studio address is shared when you book — standard practice for a studio teaching under-18s.
- Online: Worldwide over Zoom. Not a lesser version: Jessica taught remotely for years and built a multi‑teacher studio doing it. Bring headphones, a device that stands up, and a room you can be loud in.
- Ages: 8 and up. No upper limit, no audition to start.
- Styles: Musical theatre, classical, contemporary and commercial. Cross‑training between them is encouraged, not treated as cheating.
Booking
- Lesson length: 30 or 60 minutes, booked straight from Jessica’s calendar.
- Payment: at the lesson. Venmo preferred; cash and PayPal also accepted.
- Cancellations: 24 hours’ notice by email or phone, for any reason, or the lesson is charged in full. A missed lesson is paid before the next one is booked.
About Your Teacher
Jessica Doyle‑Mekkes
Mezzo-soprano, voice teacher, vocal coach, author and teaching professor. She coordinates the Musical Theatre BFA concentration at East Carolina University and has taught voice there since 2017.
She began in Los Angeles with recording artists, then built The Doyle Vocal Studio in Michigan from one student found on Craigslist into a multi-teacher studio seeing hundreds of singers weekly.
- Level III Certified Teacher of Somatic Voicework™
- Member, National Association of Teachers of Singing
- Member, Voice and Speech Trainers Association
- Research on sleep deprivation in college-age performers, NATS Mid-Atlantic
15+Years coaching
IIISomatic Voicework™
8+Ages taught
From the Other Side of the Table
What the person running the BFA audition is actually looking for, in under a minute each.
Before You Book
Questions Singers Actually Ask
Do I need experience to start?
No. There is no audition and no minimum standard. Plenty of people book a first lesson having never had one, and plenty book after twenty years of singing without ever being taught how it works.
Are online lessons as good as in person?
Yes, with the right setup. Jessica taught remotely long before it was standard. Use wired headphones so you hear the piano without feedback, prop your device at face height, and find a room where you can be loud.
My child wants lessons — are they too young?
Lessons start at 8. Young voices are still changing, and the work is built around that rather than pretending it isn’t happening.
I only sing musical theatre. Will I be made to sing classical?
No. Cross-training is offered because it builds a more durable instrument, not because one style is more legitimate. What you sing is your call.
I lose my voice during show weeks. Can that be fixed?
Usually. Vocal fatigue is typically a technique and load-management problem rather than a talent problem, and it is one of the most common reasons working performers get in touch.
What if I’m not sure this is right for me?
Ask before you book. Send Jessica a note about what you want to work on and you’ll get an honest answer about whether she’s the right teacher for it.
Ready When You Are
Pick a time that works. Bring a song you like, or bring nothing at all.
Start a Conversation
Jessica works with organizations, event teams and individuals to communicate clearly, build trust, and be heard. Tell her what you’re looking for — she reads every message herself.
If your request is time-sensitive, feel free to mention that below.