Empty music rehearsal studio with guitars, drums, keyboard, and music stands, illuminated by sunlight through large windows

Your voice is sacred.

First Instrument is a vocal arts studio where singers & speakers become healthier vocalists through sacred vocal care, education, community, + performance.

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Our Ethos:

SACRED SOUND
 We honor the voice not only as a gift, talent, or craft but as a sacred tool for wellness, legacy, liberation, + performance

HOLISTIC WELLNESS
 Each lesson centers vocal endurance while integrating body, mind, + spirit through breathwork, nutrition, journaling, rest, + movement.

EQUITY IN PRACTICE
 Our culturally responsive curriculum develops complete artists by using strengths-based coaching to cultivate both emotional intelligence + artistic expression. Every voice is honored + heard.

The Problem (What You're Not Being Told)

Most voice training focuses on one thing: output.

  • Can you hit the note?

  • Can you sustain the phrase?

  • Can you perform?

But no one is asking:

  • Can you sustain your current technique for the next 20 years?

  • Is your nervous system regulated enough to support your sound?

  • Are you teaching and performing sacred music with cultural integrity?

  • Does your voice feel safe in your body?

  • Can you rest without feeling guilty?

This is not a technique problem. This is a stewardship problem.

Meet Shauna

The Sacred Voice Approach

First Instrument is built on one essential truth: vocal health is inseparable from emotional and nervous system health.

We don't treat the voice as a tool to be mastered. We treat it as:

  • A physiological system

  • An emotional instrument

  • A cultural and spiritual inheritance

  • A leadership and communication tool

  • An endurance practice

This is Integrative Vocal Wellness™, a framework that combines:

  • Vocal pedagogy and performance psychology

  • Music therapy–informed principles

  • Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

  • Anti-racism and cultural integrity

  • Positive psychology

  • Holistic wellness and endurance practices

Visualized through the Sacred Voice Wheel (8, 10, or 12-slice versions depending on where you are in your journey).

Who This Is For

✓ Singers becoming professional vocalists who want their voice to last
✓ Music students seeking sustainable practices, not just conservatory survival tactics
✓ Arts educators and administrators responsible for wellness in their programs
✓ Sacred music leaders and section leaders teaching with cultural integrity
✓ Multi-hyphenate artists and facilitators using voice as a leadership tool
✓ Professional vocalists (clergy, speakers, coaches) who need endurance techniques without harm

If you've ever felt like:

  • Your voice training ignored your nervous system

  • You're supposed to "push through" pain or fatigue

  • Sacred music was taught without context or respect

  • Rest feels like failure

  • You don't know how to care for your voice long-term

You're in the right place.

The Sacred Voice Pathway

We help you guide your voice

learning → practice → continuity → stewardship

No one is dropped after transformation.

  • 01 | LEARN

    COURSES + WORKSHOPS

    Reframe your relationship with voice through education and trust-building.

    Offerings: Wellness for Singers | Sacred Voice Journal Mini-Retreat | Sacred Sound, Sacred Ground | Voice as Endurance

  • 02 | PRACTICE

    TOOLS + JOURNALS

    Integrate what you've learned through daily embodiment.

    Offerings: Sacred Voice Journal™ | Affirmation Deck | Warmup Library | Vocal Rest Day Toolkit

  • 03 | BELONG

    ONGOING CONTAINERS

    Sustain your growth through community, accountability, and safety.

    Offerings: Sacred Voice Studio Pass | Sacred Voice Circles | Soothe + Sing: Voice as Liberation

  • 04 | LEAD

    ADVANCED PATHWAYS

    Carry the work forward through training and cultural stewardship.

    Offerings: First Instrument Academy™ | Section Leader Training | Train-the-Trainer Programs

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