Joey has been an ever present teacher and mentor throughout my professional career. I met Joey when he was my University professor and straight away I was drawn to his methods. He is responsible for training me to use my voice on the stage in a full, healthy, sustainable fashion; For helping me find my confidence in my singing voice and tone; For assisting me in stripping my natural inflections from being southern in tonality to being stage ready/neutral; For developing my ability to learn a dialect by use of the International Phonetic Alphabet; For helping me to find my center via the Alexander Technique and Fitzmaurice Voicework among MANY other techniques; and for using teachings that work for the individual, as he knows that we are all different instruments that must be played accordingly. Most importantly, I'm grateful to him for pushing me to become my best artist and self. I'm proud to call him my teacher and friend.
-KJ Hippensteel, Ensemble, Joe/Josephine(u/s) Some Like It Hot Broadway, Elder Price in The Book of Mormon West End
Joey is simply the most complete singing teacher I’ve ever worked with. Technically he has an extreme sensibility in order to detect problems, he perfectly understands the particularities of each voice, being respectful and giving priority to vocal health overall. But on top of all that he has de added value of being a great musician and pianist, with an exquisite musical taste, this makes working with him even more productive. He has a vast knowledge of Musical Theatre world, so he’s ideal to work different styles, discover new repertoire and work a song from an actor’s point of view. Personally he has open my voice to registers i never thought that I had. Don’t miss the opportunity to work with him. - Xavi Flores
"Joseph Bates and I have engaged in much music making as well as working together as collaborators in performance, training and administration. We have a constant flow of exchange about music, theater, language, literature, and voice. He has been a wonderful vocal coach for me and his Fitzmaurice work always adds dimension to the musical expertise and pedagogical knowledge he brings to a lesson. His constant interest in all aspects of the arts make him one of the most rounded people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He is an extremely gentle and nurturing person as a teacher and collaborator which only makes his information more deliciously ingestible! If you combine his personality with all the vast ability he has to guide an individual or a group artistically, I would simply say that Joseph Bates is a one stop shopping experience. He really covers all the bases." Judy Blazer, A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder, Titanic on Broadway
There are people that change your life. Joey is one of them. He understood my voice perfectly. He made me realize that 99% of the time less pressure, less volume and a more sound richness is the way of solving all issues. He’s also a great musician, which enables an exhaustive repertoire work in your style. His main priority is voice health. - Joaquim Borrell
"Joey Bates knows almost everything there is to know about the voice. He brings out the best in his students through knowledge of strong vocal technique and performance. I’ve known Joey for over a decade as an instructor and a friend and continue to trust his opinion on any audition or production material I’m working on.” Nick Verina - Follies Broadway
As a musician, as a voice teacher, as a pianist, as a conductor, Joseph Bates is the most generous, clever and efficient professional I’ve ever met. Full of energy, curiosity (and also with a good sense of humour!), he always finds the shortest path to solve and help with any difficulty you might have with your voice or music. He offers an holistic and, at the same time a very precise knowledge of the voice instrument and all its environment, as well as a deep understanding of human psychology. He is a huge source of American Musical Theater - Marta Fiol
"When I first met Joey Bates...I was scared of my own voice. I held lots of pre-conceived notions about what "good" singing was, and what it meant I had to do. Joey is excellent at seeing you as an individual and unique performer. He does not have a 'one size fits all' technique, and every student I've known him to have grew immensely in the time they spent together. With him being such a wonderful pianist it was easy to build my art first with notes, then phrases, and later beautiful accompaniment alone. By helping me to break down physical (and sometimes emotional) blockages created through years of bad habits, he helped me to discover so many new colors to my instrument. I'm forever grateful to him as a teacher and more importantly, a friend. This new endeavor makes me happy for tons of reasons...but the biggest one is I get to study with Joey again! Life is good!" Ebony Blake - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Broadway, Book of Mormon (Ensemble - National Tour)
