By Karen R. Nelson

“Singing is an expression of joy,” says Susan Casserly-Kosel, Director of Lundstrum’s Vocal Program and one of the five founding Casserly sisters. “An unhappy bird cannot sing,” advised her former teacher.

While Lundstrum Performing Arts specializes in the “triple threat” skills of musical theater—vocal training, drama and dance—Susan, who teaches private and group voice lessons, vocal performance and stage movement for singers, believes that voice can be an entry. As she describes it, “In musical theater our voices are an expression of very personal selves. It’s our primary tool of communication, whether it’s speech or singing.  We hear the baby’s voice crying as its first sign of life.  We sing to give words an emotional impact.”

“We sing to give words an emotional impact.”

In a recent interview, Susan and her teaching colleagues, Kathleen Bloom and Casey Rafn, shared their wisdom regarding lifelong vocal training and Lundstrum’s role as a leader in developing a young person’s voice through song.  

Casey, an award-winning pianist and vocal technique teacher at Lundstrum, said it like this, “A safe and supportive place for students to cut their teeth is essential, and the wonderful thing about Lundstrum is that it offers students many opportunities to perform. Whether it's a seasoned performer who moves you to tears, or a new student who showed tremendous courage by stepping on stage — there's room for everybody.”

A common misconception with singing is that some people can, and some people can’t. “Some people have a particular gift,” Susan says, “but singing can be learned.  Expanding your range, staying in tune (developing audiation) and singing more expressively can be taught.  

Kathleen Bloom, an experienced Lundstrum vocal teacher and singer, actor and director, echoes this, “So many young singers listen to the radio and try to emulate what they hear. Often that involves belting to ranges beyond their capability, which can actually damage a voice. Some people do have the talent to just sing. They are the exception. Most of us need a roadmap — a repertoire of vocal exercises, appropriate material and another ear and voice helping to correctly navigate.”

Training and Influential Experiences

Susan remembers that she loved singing as a kid — with her family, in choirs and with bands. Her mother, who sang, was probably Dorothy Lundstrum’s closest friend and she ran Dorothy’s secondary studio. They also worked together in Minneapolis’ famous Aqua Follies.

“I began teaching while I was a young professional at the invitation of the music teacher at Benilde-St. Margaret’s and I taught the way my teachers taught,” recalls Susan. “I had several wonderful and generous teachers. I also landed at the University of Minnesota at exactly the right time. Clifton Ware believed in me when nobody else did and he and Roy Schuessler helped me advance into opera. We worked with Wesley Balk, an influential experimenter in the Opera Studio Program and with the early Minnesota Opera. There was a group of us who would work with him every day for hours.

“I also had a wonderful church job, as do many young professional singers,” she recalled. “I worked for about 30 years at St. Olaf Church in Minneapolis where they had an excellent choir. When my husband and I decided it was time for a family — we have five kids — I pulled back from performing, and retired from St. Olaf when we decided to carry on Dorothy’s legacy by opening Lundstrum as a non-profit training program for musical theater.”

Susan gained a wealth of experience by singing with the Minnesota Opera, Opera St. Paul, in clubs across the country and other venues. She has taught Minnesota Opera residencies and for the University of Minnesota’s Summer Musical Theater Intensive and Gifted and Talented program for teens. She now shares her life-long expertise and legacy with Lundstrum students.

Passing on a Legacy of Training - Teaching for Life
“Singing is a skill that can last a lifetime,” Kathleen Bloom says. “Warming up is of utmost importance. Vocal range, flexibility, working through the break, articulation, diction and breath…there are so many things to focus on.….We need flexible, strong muscles to dance and sing so that we have longevity in our craft.”

“In training young voices, it is important to begin with correct technique and skills. The goal is to get a consistent sound over two octaves,” Susan advises. “We seek balance in the voice, training the ‘head voice’ and ‘chest voice’ to avoid what we call the ‘15-year-old train wreck.’ When you find that upper instrument, it allows the voice to have so much color and sound.”

We like to teach four essential vocal elements:
1. Freedom from tension
2. Coordinating the breath
3. Balancing the registers
4. Developing the ear
It's a system that leads to success.  Last November, three Lundstrum voice students—Sophie Dannersmith, Henrik Nordeen and Brianna-Marie Mraz—competed, placed and earned high praise at one of the region’s prestigious student competitions, the Minnesota National Association of Teachers of Singing chapter auditions. 

As Casey describes it, “Sue has developed a wonderful vocal curriculum that gives students experience in everything from classical music to the Great American Songbook to musical theater. Sue and Kathleen are very tuned in to each student's specific needs vocally and give them repertoire to satisfy artistically and further their growth.” 

Talent may be valuable, but artists must put in the time and energy. As Susan explains, “My sisters and I worked very hard to get where we are—work, work, work. The goal is to have it all come together so it’s all second nature.”

At Lundstrum, the teachers love what they do and feel compelled to give back to the craft. As artists, they know that beauty, discipline and expression are ageless qualities that leave a lasting impression on a child's spirit. “To teach kids singing you need to develop a deep trust,” explains Susan. You have to be very attuned to how students are feeling and how to address it in lessons.  When I sense that a kid is having a tough time—and teenagers right now are having a tough time—you listen, provide support and gently redirect to something positive. I have students who are my forever friends.”

Kathleen Bloom commented, “Sue is a wonderful teacher and an incredibly hard worker. She is continually researching better ways to work with musical theater singers and finding opportunities for them to shine.”

One of these opportunities is Lundstrum’s upcoming Coffee House Cabaret. Pianist Casey Rafn, who works closely with the program says, “… it is a great chance for students to experience, some for the first time, the "cabaret style"—an intimate and casual performance with a mic. Some come in with ideas of what they want to do or have a torch song or ballad that means a lot to them. There are few things better than playing piano with a singer who feels strongly about a song. It’s so important for young performers’ confidence and development to have a line in a scene, or a two-minute song to sing. It makes them tell themselves, ‘I'm important, I have something to say.’ Performing can be difficult or nerve-wracking, but it often it means the world to students.”

Coffee House Cabaret
Lundstrum’s Coffee House Cabaret is a relaxed evening and student recital that showcases vocal performances by Lundstrum students.  This year's theme is Destinations: songs about places and travel.

Saturday, February 18, 2023
7 – 8:30 p.m.
1617 North 2nd Street Minneapolis, MN, 55411