From Miranda Bentley, actress and singer:

December 10th, 2002

I have been studying with Mark Narins for the past two years. During this time I have found Mark to be a committed and talented instructor, challenging me to discover and develop myself as a singer.

Mark is honest from the beginning about the commitment and time it takes to become a singer but he is able through an intricate understanding of the singer's instrument, as well as an inspired and creative approach to the work, to get rapid and dramatic results.

The Narins Method first isolates and strengthens the singer support system - diaphragm, larynx, and resonators. Students arc then taught to integrate all these components, resulting in a healthy and powerful voice. Mark also has an advanced understanding of head resonance, which is invaluable to his students.

Through the use of visualizations, physical movement, and the imagination, Mark teaches the importance of being able to draw on ones inner resources to help in the development of the voice.

Mark is the best kind of teacher, both demanding and nurturing. His integrity and energy is an inspiration, as well as his obvious love of music and teaching.

Mark has provided me with a guidance and clarity that continues to motivate me in all areas of my life. Studying with Mark has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had, lull of discoveries and growth. Most importantly, like all good teachers, Mark has given me the skills and desire to continue on my own.

Sincerely,

Miranda Bentley

From Dan Lee, songwriter and singer:

I went to Mark Narins because I had written the songs for a cd, and recorded them, but then realized I had to have some training to bring them up to an acceptable level.

Not only was I not a singer, I was scared to death to try to move outside a limited lower range. When I tried to go high it was thin and awful.

So I decided to do something more intuitive than just take voice lessons; I decided to get some real classical training, which to me means learning the "math" of how to sing.

Mark led me through exercises to get my "instrument" more conscious, exercises for staying on the diaphragm, keeping the alignment right, the throat open, etc. I didn't sing anything at all, I just worked on these preparatory exercises, most of the time.

And, I might add, this powerful work brought up some unexpected emotional issues as it connected my deep diaphragm and my head space. I am sure that without these lessons t would not have been able to move past these issues and begin to find my true voice. It's like learning to ride a bike or anything else, gradually the "trying to remember everything at once" problem goes away as the body learns what to do. Then is the satisfaction of moving to an entirely new level of consciousness in the singing voice, which now rests on that solid foundation.

After five months I re-recorded my CD and everyone around me is really impressed with how much better it is. It's night and day, already! And the truth is that I didn't even practice very much because I was so involved with the other aspects of production. It just worked from my going in twice a week and following the method. Now I am inspired to explore how far I can go with the next level of this training.

I believe that the Grafting of any fine musical instrument depends on not taking shortcuts in the underlying, largely invisible, architecture. Solid wood is better than veneer. The voice is no different. The foundation work Mark teaches is the solid wood that makes the end result a quality instrument.

Dan Lee