Jason Werkman School of Music

VOICE • ARTISTRY • MASTERY • MUSICAL SELF-DISCOVERY

I have had the extraordinary privilege of serving as a professional Voice Teacher since 2000, and throughout these many years I can honestly say that I have discovered scarcely anything more gratifying, invigorating, or intrinsically rewarding than witnessing a student gradually transform the latent possibilities of their instrument into something confident, expressive, disciplined, and genuinely extraordinary.

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There is an almost indescribable satisfaction in watching a vocalist evolve, not merely in the mechanical acquisition of vocal technique, but in the gradual emergence of confidence, artistic identity, emotional authenticity, musical intelligence, and an increasingly profound command of their own instrument. I have had the pleasure of working with students of extraordinarily diverse ages, backgrounds, abilities, aspirations, and experience levels, and I remain perpetually fascinated by the individual journey each singer undertakes toward mastery.

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I am a professional vocalist, recording artist, touring musician, and formally educated vocal performer, possessing a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance. My pedagogical foundation has been substantially informed by the principles and methodologies of Speech Level Singing and contemporary vocal technique, through my studies with Tom McKinney, Brett Manning, Seth Riggs, and Leah Dyer. I continue to study, refine, investigate, and expand my understanding of the human voice because I firmly believe that a serious teacher must remain an eternal student.

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My professional life is not confined to the teaching studio. I actively perform with rock bands, record professionally, and am signed with a record label as a recording artist. I am also a professional touring musician, with an extensive touring schedule that includes an upcoming nationwide tours.

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Yet despite the perpetual peregrinations, logistical complications, and occasionally gloriously chaotic existence inherent to a professional musician's life, I have deliberately maintained my teaching practice.

 

Why?

Because I love teaching.

I believe profoundly in the importance of transmitting knowledge, experience, perspective, and opportunity to the next generation of musicians. There is something deeply meaningful—indeed, almost karmically imperative, about taking what one has learned through years of triumphs, mistakes, experimentation, discipline, performance, study, and professional experience, and utilizing that accumulated knowledge to help another artist progress farther and faster than they might have been able to progress alone.

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And perhaps most importantly, I derive tremendous inspiration from students who possess the genuine desire to grow.

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Their ambition becomes contagious.

Their progress becomes motivating.

Their willingness to confront weaknesses, transcend limitations, develop discipline, and continually pursue greater artistic excellence reminds me why I chose this profession in the first place.

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THE SERIOUS SINGER

There is, however, one fundamental prerequisite for working with me:

You must actually want to become better.

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My approach is particularly well suited to the vocalist who possesses a serious aspiration toward professional-level singing and who is prepared to approach that aspiration with the seriousness, discipline, perseverance, and definiteness of purpose that such an undertaking necessitates.

Becoming a professional singer is, in many respects, analogous to becoming a professional athlete. Talent may provide an initial advantage, but talent without discipline is an extraordinarily unreliable foundation upon which to construct a career.

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Professional vocal development requires consistency, deliberate practice, resilience, patience, intelligent repetition, physical awareness, musical curiosity, and an almost unreasonable willingness to continue improving.

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Accordingly, I will expect my dedicated students to practice specific exercises approximately 5–7 days per week for 30–45 minutes per day.

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I am not interested in perfection.

I am interested in progress.

You do not need to be perfect when you walk through the door. You do, however, need to be willing to work.

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If you possess the dedication, perseverance, passion, and genuine desire to pursue professional singing, I can provide you with the technical framework, knowledge, mentorship, accountability, and practical experience necessary to move substantially closer to that objective.

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BEYOND VOCAL TECHNIQUE

My mentorship extends considerably beyond the mere mechanics of producing an impressive vocal sound.

A truly compelling artist is not simply someone who can sing high notes, execute technically demanding passages, or produce an aesthetically pleasing tone.

A compelling artist possesses something to say.

Consequently, when I mentor an artist, we work not only upon developing consistent, efficient, powerful, and sustainable vocal production, but also upon the far more elusive question of artistic identity.

We explore how to connect emotionally and authentically with the material being performed; how to communicate the emotional architecture of a song; how to write lyrics that originate from genuine experience rather than generic abstraction; and how to transform personal history, vulnerability, triumph, disappointment, desire, adversity, and imagination into music capable of establishing an authentic connection between performer and audience.

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We examine questions such as:

Who are you as an artist?

What do you actually have to say?

What distinguishes your voice, perspective, aesthetic, and emotional vocabulary from everyone else's?

Which songs, genres, arrangements, and stylistic environments genuinely illuminate who you are?

 

And perhaps most importantly:

How do you continue evolving without losing the essential individuality that makes you worth listening to in the first place?

This is the distinction between merely singing songs and becoming an artist.

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COMPLETE ARTIST MENTORSHIP

My objective is therefore not merely to make you a better vocalist.

It is to help you become a more complete artist.

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I can help you develop vocal technique; cultivate efficient and consistent vocal production; discover and refine your artistic identity; develop emotional connection and interpretive ability; write songs and lyrics with greater authenticity; identify material and stylistic directions appropriate to your individual artistic identity; prepare for recording; approach recording sessions intelligently and economically; develop confidence and stage presence; prepare yourself for live performance; and acquire the practical knowledge necessary to navigate the extraordinarily multifaceted journey from aspiring vocalist to functioning professional artist.

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In essence, I provide mentorship encompassing musical education, vocal development, artistic self-discovery, songwriting, performance, recording, confidence, stagecraft, and continued creative evolution.

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The ultimate objective is not merely that you become someone who can sing.

It is that you become someone who knows why they sing, what they have to say, and how to make an audience care.

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REMOTE LESSONS — EVEN FROM THE ROAD

Although my professional touring obligations periodically carry me far beyond Houston, I remain available for remote instruction.

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My touring setup allows me to maintain a remarkably sophisticated teaching environment while traveling. With reliable high-speed connectivity, including Starlink on the tour bus, and professional-quality streaming platforms, geographical distance does not have to become an impediment to continued vocal development.

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In other words, the tour bus may be somewhere halfway across the country, but the vocal lesson can still happen.

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When I am physically in Houston, students who prefer face-to-face instruction may also contact me to arrange an in-person lesson. I respond most quickly to text messages.

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YOUR NEXT CHAPTER BEGINS HERE

If you are genuinely motivated, willing to work, and determined to discover how far your voice and artistry can ultimately take you, I would be delighted to help you undertake that journey.

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• Believe in yourself.

• Develop the discipline to substantiate that belief through action.

• Continue learning.

• Continue evolving.

• Continue becoming.

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And remember: progress does not require perfection—only persistence.

If you possess the desire to become a professional singer and the willingness to do the work necessary to reach that objective, then let us begin.

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Seize the moment. Find your voice. Discover your artistry. And let's rock.

— Jason Werkman

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For voice lessons and inquiries:
Call or text: (713) 703-2223

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My music is available on major streaming platforms.

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Spotify Link:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2wVy38CAwCWt9w4lx9a2yY?si=ZXp4T2gTTW6vNwHb-xX_fA

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YouTube link for Somdai Given (band I sing lead for and will be heading on tour with starting in November):

https://youtube.com/@somdaigiven?si=z3_mXWrhEGbQJAhg

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