FIND YOUR AUTHENTIC
CREATIVE VOICE
with
Dr. Felix
Who is Dr. Felix?
Felix Graham, ED.D.C.T., is an NYC-based musician, writer and teaching artist whose practice explores the juxtaposition of voice, gender & identity. He has had two careers as a performer: initially as a classical singer & pianist, then post-transition branching into cabaret/queer musical theatre, which included a role in Decadence, where he was the first openly trans-masculine singer to perform at the Friar’s Club.
As a teaching artist, Dr, Graham works with trans/GNC singers and gives workshops nationally on trans voice, music & identity, and creating secure musical learning spaces for marginalized communities. He is currently the artistic director of TRANScend & founder of TRANScend Choral & Community Music Foundation – a non-profit dedicated to gender-inclusive music and music education in New York City.
As a composer/director, his work examines singing as performance art, exploring the sonic & emotional shift of the western canon when performed by GNC voices/ensembles. His first large-scale composition, Stations of the Lost: A Trans Requiem, was written as a subversion of the traditional liturgical memorial, using the gnostic poetry of the gender-bending occultist Alastair Crowley – the “wickedest man on earth.” Dr. Graham is currently in residence at The Flea (NYC), where his new work, The Passion of Miss de Marco, Unemployed Stenographer, explores historic queer narratives and the role of media in our understanding of queer icons.
Services
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I specialize in gender-inclusive and science-based teaching practices to help both artists and educators learn and perform more effectively, and with less anxiety.
I work with a variety of clients, ranging from traditional learning environments to individual studios — most recently, my workshops have been featured at Carnegie Hall.
I am available to lead sessions and workshops on the following topics:
Effective/efficient learning practices in music spaces
Security & polyvagal regulatory practices in musical learning
Gender-inclusive music spaces and practices
Trans & GNC vocal pedagogy
Vocology & voice disorders in trans singing voices
Accessible music learning, including song-writing, melody creation, ear training and other aspects of music fundamentals
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As a private voice and career coach, I lead clients in reconciling voice and identity, and guide singers (and non-singers!) to reduced anxiety and increased authenticity in their voice. For more information and booking, please visit my studio website.
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My philosophy and practice of pedagogy is a direct product of my own experiences as a learner. Prior to my graduate studies, I had experienced intense frustration with my educational experiences, as the traditional lecture-readings-tests class format did not mesh well with my own learning style. My introduction to constructivist, student-centered learning environments – particularly with a focus on collaboration, rather than the traditional authoritarian, top-down method of teaching – was revelatory to me. It challenged me, forced me to rethink many of my stances on education, and sparked an intense curiosity in the idea that there might genuinely be better, more efficient ways for students to learn.
As a result, I have – and continue – to seek out and apply the ever-expanding body of scientific knowledge around learning/cognition and vocology, as well as evolving musical practice, to my teaching methods, courses and applied lessons. My pedagogical practice, whether it’s individual or group-based, is student-centered and constructivist in its approach, ideally resulting in intrinsically-motivated, curious and thoughtful learners. Practically, this plays out in different ways in my applied teaching, vs. group course work or research.
While scientific knowledge is a necessary component of any pedagogy, I am also cognizant that I am teaching an art. Lessons and courses must provide practical knowledge and skill acquisition, but that knowledge and skill-set is learned in the greater service of artistry. As such, my applied lessons and courses are purposefully structured to encourage students’ artistic growth, in addition to their academic progress. If the ultimate goal of music and artistic performance in general is to be expressive and communicate with others, then fledgling artists must be able to articulate how their knowledge and skill is transmuted into artistry. In my experience, a student-centered, constructivist approach to musical learning has been a useful and reliable method of stimulating and encouraging musicality and expression.