Julia Scannell

Julia Scannell, soprano, is a native of Plymouth, Michigan, and completed her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. Roles and partial roles at Indiana University include Giulia, Zerlina, 2nd Lady, 1st Lady, and Mercedes. She graduated with her Master of Music in Voice Performance and Literature program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in May 2024. Performances at the University of Illinois include performing as a soprano soloist with The Illinois Bach Academy, the roles of Fiordiligi and Donna Anna in Opera Scenes Class, Marcia (cover) for Met the Musical, and performing as a soloist with Concerto Urbano, the university’s premiere Baroque Ensemble. Julia is no stranger to new music and has sung in two world premiere chamber operas, starring as Maria/Opera Diva in The Sneeze by Jiwon Hahn and Jude O’Dell, and as 1st Rusalka in Rusalka, a Ukrainian Opera by Mykola Leontovych.

During the Fall of 2023, she performed the role of Donna Elvira in University of Illinois Voice Area Opera’s production of Don Giovanni, and in the spring of 2024, performed the role of Fiordiligi in Voice Area Opera's production of Cosi Fan Tutte. During the summer of 2024, she reprised the role of Donna Elvira, in Chicago Summer Opera's production of Don Giovanni.

Most recent awards include winning the Jaqueline Avent Concerto Competition during the Summer of 2023, at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, where she was an Emerging Artist, and being a Semi-Finalist in the MI Opera International Vocal Competition.  

She has sung with world-class orchestras, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra. 

She is pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with an additional cognate in Vocal Health and Science. She wants to be a singing professor at a university someday. She is a Graduate Teaching Assistant and teaches Applied Voice to non-music majors and Italian Diction. She also maintains a private voice teaching studio. For the past four semesters, she has consistently been on the List of Teachers Ranked Excellent by their students by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

Julia has over 4 years of voice teaching experience! Besides performing, teaching singers is her passion, and she hopes to share the knowledge she has gained from her training, with singers from across the country and world! 

There is a quote by American baritone Thomas Hampson that I have always loved that states: “We don’t present our voices to the audience, we resonate our souls. I find that quote to be more true as I have developed and grown more and more as an opera singer and voice teacher. Everyone’s singing voice is unique, and one of my primary goals as a voice teacher is to help students find that unique voice, that beautiful inner soul, and help it be expressed musically through singing.

          To do this, I personally view teaching singing like any good sports coach or athletic trainer would train and motivate their athletes. Singing is a highly athletic endeavor, and the voice must be strengthened and trained in a way that supports this fact. I personally believe behind every great singer, is a great coach/teacher, and I look forward to every student that wants to find their singing voice, and start, or continue their musical journey with me.  In this teaching philosophy, I will be discussing how my teaching reflects the great qualities of any great personal trainer or coach, which includes: taking into account student’s goals and background, making a highly personalized plan that helps student learn and grow the best, being adaptable to student’s needs, being a good listener, help develop discipline and focus, and fostering an environment of safety, understanding, and mutual respect.

          First, taking into account the student's goals and background. In my voice studio, before I even begin teaching singers how to sing, I want to get to know them and who they are on a personal level. I need to know a student's interests, musical background, level of musical exposure growing up, favorite music, etc. By doing this, I am not only able to tailor a vocal teaching plan to fit the musical needs of my students best but also get to know them better as people. A student’s first lesson with me starts with them discussing their musical goals and desires, and I have them fill out a questionnaire/form that helps them narrow down these goals. When I am teaching, I also want to cultivate an environment of culturally responsive teaching in my studio. I believe that student’s cultural identities are very important, and help form their musical identity as singers. It is important for me to embrace every student’s cultural and socioeconomic background, and allow that student to sing or explore music that best reflects their cultural upbringing. 

          The second important quality that guides my teaching philosophy is making a highly personalized plan that helps student’s learn and grow the best. I believe that every student learns differently and that all students have different learning styles. Having the viewpoint that there is only one way to learn singing is not something I believe. I implement this quality in lessons by being clear about practice expectations and goals students should work on for the week, developing with each student a personalized warm-up routine, using visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning in my teaching, and adjusting lesson plans and warm-ups as needed to fit student’s personal goals. I also implement elements of body awareness and body mapping, as well as Alexander Technique into my teaching, and teach skills such as theory and musicianship to help students become well-rounded singers and learners. Students taking lessons with me will clearly understand what goals are being worked on in lessons, what goals have been accomplished, and different tools and resources that help their learning style.

          The third quality that guides my teaching philosophy is adaptability to students' needs. I believe that singing is for people of all abilities, and as a teacher, I make it a goal to make lessons adaptable to students with disabilities. In the past, I have had experience teaching voice to neurodiverse students, students on the Autism Spectrum, students with physical disabilities, and students who are hard of hearing and making accessible lesson plans. I make it a personal goal of mine to meet students where they are and make the studio environment a safe place for them to advocate for their needs. Singing is for everyone.

          The following quality of any great coach that guides my teaching philosophy is developing discipline and focus in music lessons. Music and vocal technique, like any tremendous athletic pursuit, is cultivated and developed habitually, and with consistency. As a teacher, I instill in my students that they must be disciplined and focused during their lessons and in their personal practice, to become great singers. Anything worth doing takes hard work, and practice. I help implement discipline and work ethic in my studio by having students develop consistent and healthy musical habits. This includes doing weekly practice/reflection journals, doing a vocal wellness checklist every week, taking short breaks as needed in lessons, discussing with students how to effectively set short and long-term goals, create practice plans with students, and also talk about organizational tips in lessons. I also encourage students to help develop discipline by using aspects of mindfulness, and self reflection in my lessons. As well, I have a resources page with articles, podcasts, book recommendations, and more, to help my students become even more focused and interested in their music making. For me, being organized myself as a teacher, and being efficient during lessons, helps my students as a result become more focused in lessons and in practice.

          Lastly, in my teaching studio, I desire to foster an environment of safety, understanding, and mutual respect. Students should feel safe to ask questions in my studio and to make mistakes. Experimentation is welcome, hypotheses and questions should be tested, and mistakes or “happy accidents” as the beloved painter Bob Ross states, should be encouraged. I also want my studio to be a place of understanding, especially regarding mental health. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant currently, I teach many college-aged students who are dealing with the stress of being away from home for the first time, deadlines, tests, and the societal pressures that college brings. Cultivating understanding in my studio means understanding that prioritizing our mental health is more important than singing beautifully. It is essential to respect and honor that singers are humans, have feelings and deserve validation and understanding. All singers of all backgrounds are welcome and respected in my studio.