Meet Maryann Kyle | Vocal coach, teacher, singer and mentor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maryann Kyle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maryann, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I believed I would always function inside the walls of academia as a professor of music, but in a sense I had always been my “own business.” As a singer and teacher we’re always thinking about short and long term planning, marketing, product quality and scheduling. Post covid and after twenty three years in the academic world I decided to make a change. For me this was a big decision as I would now be responsible for finding my own health insurance, taxes, scheduling and marketing. It would require an initial financial investment and I would have to truly “ride the tiger,” an expression a dear friend quoted when he was starting his law practice each and every day. My thought process was this; I know my product and its quality. I know that I’m not averse to working hard. I have an established reputation in the arts community and I know how to network in an honest way, and I sincerely love what I do and have a passion for developing new ideas. Life can be difficult, but I knew this was a kind of difficult I could handle.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I began this career training to be a professional classical/operatic singer. However, if you’re curious and pliable the career has a way of evolving not only from your gifts, but with the changes in the creative economy. That being said, I began to as a teacher and performer explore the vocal techniques of musical theatre and commercial music. I developed a method for teaching “belt voice” style singing, which was unheard of in classical music teaching circles. I was blessed to be the vocal coach for the musical TWIST, directed by Debbie Allen in Atlanta, Georgia. The cast ranged in age from 6-60 years and many had come from Broadway and commercial music backgrounds. My task was to help a cast who were vocally struggling with the demands of a show that required athletic singing in a variety of styles from jazz to blues and gospel. This was my proving ground and I remained as vocal coach for the entire six week run of the sh0w. From there I continued to hone my craft as a singer and teacher. The most important lesson I learned in those early days was to remain curious, open and honest with my students. This allowed me to take my ego out of the center of what I was doing and truly focus on the student and the craft of teaching and singing. This is probably one of the hardest things a young teacher can do. It requires being open to meeting the student where they are on that day, learning to set aside some of your agenda items if on that day a student can’t receive it, BEING WRONG on occasion (many occasions) and lastly being willing to set down some of your hard fought “biases’ in order to evolve. I now mentor teachers from all over the world in my teaching techniques and how to thrive in the journey as a working creative. My hope is that my legacy will be not one of fame, but one of inspiring countless performers and teacher/performers to live their lives joyfully, creatively and authentically in their careers and lives.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If you’re visiting my city, Mobile Alabama, then I would say this. WE LOVE OUR CITY! Mobile has the best to offer in terms of food, entertainment, history and culture. If you’re visiting for the first time it’s helpful to know that Mobile is the birthplace of Mardi Gras. The original Mardi Gras in Mobile began in 1703, ahead of the better known New Orleans, Louisiana celebrations. To learn the history you can visit the Carnival Museum on Dauphin Street. Strolling along the Mobile Bay you can see cruise ships docking and the building of naval vessels at the Austal shipyards, along with beautiful Bayfront parks. Known as the “Port City,” the “Azalea City,” and “The City of Six Flags” This city has been home for a variety of cultures including Native American, French, Spanish and British and the architecture, culture and food are representative of that. You can’t miss walking historic Dauphine street in downtown Mobile, where some of our favorite spots for dining and drinks include the Haberdasher, The Royal Scam, Dauphins, Osmans, and Noja. Breakfast at Bob’s is a must to see all of the local favorites hanging out on a Sunday morning.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a shout out to my husband, Jay, my children, my students and colleagues and to the people who inspire me along the way! Also, to those who help keep my business moving; Joe Hernandez of JMH Media and Anna Dean, my communication specialist.

Website: maryannkyle.com

Instagram: maryannkyle

Facebook: Maryann Kyle

Youtube: @maryannkyle8419

Other: TikTok @maryannkyle1

Image Credits
Photo credit: Joe Hernandez