Studio

✨ The Heart of Your Voice

A Gentle Journey to Unlock Your True Voice

Come Home to Your Voice

This work invites you to let go of the physical and emotional tension that holds your voice back, so it can resonate fully through your whole body — grounded, rooted, and free.

This isn’t just for singers, actors, or public speakers — it’s for anyone who wants to feel more alive, more connected, and more at home in their own body and voice. If you long to speak and live with more honesty and share your true calling, bring all of that with you — let’s discover it together.

✨ What to Expect:
You’ll be guided through simple, empowering practices with breath, mindfulness, body alignment, and the gentle touch of sound. Whether you’re feeling excited, shy, or a bit overwhelmed, you’ll find a warm, welcoming space to let go — not by forcing anything, but by softening into it.

I offer this work in small groups or one-on-one, so you can choose what feels best for you.

In our time together, you’ll:

Release Effort: Let go of trying so hard. Let your voice flow naturally from a relaxed, supported body.
Express Gently: Follow the natural impulses you may have been holding back — without any pressure to sound a certain way.
Breathe & Imagine: See how nourishing your breath and imagination can open up your voice and your energy.
No Experience Needed: This isn’t about performing — it’s about reconnecting. All you need is a bit of curiosity.
Go at Your Own Pace: Whether in a group or privately, you’ll move gently in a safe, supportive space.
Play & Be Present: With humor and care, we’ll create an atmosphere where your voice feels at home — free to play, experiment, and just be.

Together we’ll:

Shift the focus away from fear, self-doubt, and “getting it right.” Instead, you’ll practice being present with what’s already inside you. You’ll learn to trust your voice, let go of control, and feel how healing it is to let sound rise from your body, breath, and heart — while you witness your own growth.

This is a space to reclaim your voice as an expression of your whole self — not polished or perfect, but real, alive, and fully yours.

So whether you’re naturally quiet, creatively curious, or longing to feel more grounded when you speak or sing, this work offers a joyful, embodied, and deeply freeing experience.

✨ Come home to your voice.

The heart of your voice is waiting — ready to listen?

To inquire about working together

please contact me here.

TESTIMONIALS

Lisa van der Ploeg brings a vast amount of knowledge to her teaching, not only as a master of vocal pedagogy but as a nurturer of the heart and mind. She allows singers to become their best selves, while also creating an atmosphere of serious study. Lisa is an active performer and this experience has been invaluable to her students as she guides them along their career paths.

Layna Chianakas

Voice Teacher/Mezzo-Soprano/Opera Stage Director

Lisa van der Ploeg is an outstanding singer/performer and voice teacher. She was an exceptional voice student of mine at the University of the Pacific, and was the first person I thought of when I was looking for someone to teach for me when I took my most recent sabbatical.

Lisa creates a positive, supportive and encouraging learning atmosphere in her studio. She quickly spots technical issues that need to be addressed and comes up with clear, insightful strategies to overcome those problems. She makes learning fun and is dedicated to the growth of each and every student. She is a real GEM!!!

Lynelle Wiens

Program Director and Professor of Voice, Emerita

Conservatory of Music

University of the Pacific

TESTIMONIALS

Layna Chianakas

Voice Teacher/Mezzo-Soprano/Opera Stage Director

Dr. Lynelle Wiens

Program Director and Professor of Voice, Emerita

Conservatory of Music

University of the Pacific

I had the distinct honor of witnessing Lisa's teaching, as well as her performing, at San Jose State University, for 5 years. As her collaborative pianist, I accompanied both Lisa's studio, as well as herself, in lessons and in recitals. She was a consummate professional who understood the physiology of vocal production, was fluent in the diction of several languages and was conversant with the vast vocal repertoire.

She had an amazing ability to create a calming atmosphere with every student, thus allowing them to free up their breath, as well as any body tightness. Her sense of serenity, as well as her passion for the music at hand, was infectious. I often played for her late in the afternoon, after a long day of teaching and accompanying. And I always left her lessons recharged, and enthused by her unique, customized vocalises or her interpretation of a Lied.

Listening and watching Lisa perform is a rarefied treat: her satiny, mellow mezzo voice sounds so natural, and rivets her audiences. Her sense of drama and passion - whether it be singing a Brahms' "Zigeunerlieder” in a staged production of "Elijah" - always communicates deeply. Even during voice lessons, when she would illustrate a particular phrase in a song, her timbre was breathtaking.

To top off her prodigious talent, Lisa's nurturing and upbeat personality make her a natural teacher. I witnessed so many success stories among her students - in terms of their vocal development and their stage presence: a true testament to her teaching. All of us in the School of Music and Dance were so saddened by her leaving ...

But California's loss is Indiana's gain! Lisa is a gem.

Sharon Brook

Lecturer/Staff Accompanist Emeritus

School of Music and Dance

San Jose State University

Yoga Class Testimonials

Joining Lisa's yoga and sound class is proving to be such a

wonderful and highly enjoyable experience ..

The sessions are so well structured with a real freedom quality

as people are gently guided to follow their own bodies and needs also.

I especially love the focus on the breath and sound

which often are guided in creative imaginative ways

making the experience have an enchanting quality .

Lisa is so kind and friendly with great wisdom and helps everyone feel

welcome to bring themselves just as they are .

After a session my body feels light, relieved and happy :)

Emma Rose, Bristol, UK

Lisa’s yoga class was perfect for me. It was the right amount of stretching both for my body and my mind. Her unique approaches to breath work really opened up not only my airways but my heart. Lisa’s gentle spiritual approach put me at ease and it set the tone for me for a calmer more purposeful day! I loved it! Thank you Lisa!!

Jeri Franz, Jacksonville, Illinois