CLINT CARTER 

Bio 

 

Clint Carter proudly tells everyone he meets that he’s from Ohio, or “The heart of it all” as he likes to say.  Having grown up in Columbus, Clint discovered his love for singing at a young age and began performing professionally in theater and music at the age of 12. Clint pursued a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in musical theater at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. Balancing a full class schedule with rehearsals and performances, Clint found time to build up a private vocal studio and quickly discovered his passion and natural ability to teach voice.  He’s helped many students achieve their goals and continues to do so. 

After graduating college, he made the move to New York City to pursue a performance career.  He has been fortunate enough to perform across the country in national tours, regional theater productions, numerous shows in NYC, and a reality singing competition on the CW network.

Clint began teaching in New York in 2009. Since then, he has built his NY based studio from the ground up, one student at a time.   CarterVocals continues to grow, with over 100 students having passed through its’ doors and upwards of 25 regular weekly students working and thriving as singers and performers at all levels. Clint teaches out of Ripley Grier Studios located in midtown Manhattan.  He continues to learn and discover new techniques to ensure students achieve their goals.

 

Training 

 

Clint began taking voice privately at the age of 12 with Columbus, Ohio native, and classical vocalist, Mark Baker.  From early on in his studies, Mark engrained in Clint an appreciation for classical music.  Mark always made a point in his teachings to say “If you can sing classical music, you can sing anything.”  To this day, Clint firmly believes in this theory.   Clint continued his voice lessons with Mark until he attended Otterbein University.

At Otterbein, Clint studied voice with tenor, David Price.  David was an expert in vocal pedagogy and helped Clint grasp a better understanding of the voice and how it functions.  In acting and movement classes, Clint studied Linklater Technique under Kimberly White, which was continually studied throughout his 4 years in college, and made a major impact on his studies and now, his teachings.  As well, Clint studied musical theater performance with Dr. Dennis Davenport.  Through Dennis, Clint discovered that a song is much more than a melody line.  How the music is composed can inform how to sing a song. 

Clint has over 25 yrs of performance experience and continues to perform here in New York City and around the country.   

 

Philosophy and Approach 

 

Clint believes "if you can sing classical music you can sing anything." Classical / bel canto voice training is what most respected voice teachers apply when teaching. Diaphragmatic breathing, jaw release, rounded vowels, and a raised soft palate are only some of the many techniques of classical training. Breathing is essential when it comes to singing and even speaking. The breath is what fuels the voice.  Without full and proper breath support, the voice and larynx will not relax and function as a healthy quality sound.

Along with classical voice training, Clint incorporates Linklater Technique.  Kristin Linklater, who was a voice professor at Columbia University, developed the voice method.  This technique uses specific exercises to relax the body and allow for a more natural breath and sound.  If any part of the body holds tension, especially the neck, shoulders, belly and jaw, the voice will sound tight and not genuine. Linklater also helps initiate vibrations in the body and resonators, which can in turn allow the sound to be placed more forward and out of the throat. 

Clint likes to cater his lessons to each individual student.  He knows each student is different and each student has different levels of experience.  He keeps students focused and on the right track by setting goals and making sure they achieve them, but also strives to make a lesson fun and enjoyable.