09/13/2026
George Bier was an unassuming software engineer with a shy smile.
To this day, George is the only person that I’ve ever met who couldn’t even sing 1 correct note of Happy Birthday. His pitches were in outer space; they were so far off. He also had a slightly muffled, nasal vocal tone.
I was intrigued.
I told him point-blank, “I don’t know if I can help you, but I will do my damndest to try.”
So I did my best and came up with new vocal exercises just for him.
And, it was slow. Very slow.
But, George was committed, and he put in the practice.
As I recall, it took him about 2-3 months to learn Happy Birthday correctly.
And, he was HOOKED!
What we discovered was that he had an issue with focusing his brain on the pitches. His ears were not the problem.
After 1 year of 30-minute holistic voice lessons once per week and regular practice, he accomplished something astonishing.
He sang a difficult Cole Porter jazz standard, “I Get a Kick Out of You” for his very first recital at the West Bank School of Music.
George had a blast, sang with passion, showed off a much-improved vocal tone - and all but one note was on pitch!
Not flat, not sharp - just an alternate note - totally fine, even expected, for jazz.
I remember it clearly.
He gladly studied with me for two more years.
After 3 consistent years of working with me, he got busy with work and stopped taking lessons. I left the West Bank School of Music soon afterwards to teach from home, and we lost touch.
17 years later, I found George on Facebook.
I wondered if he had stopped singing, if he had forgotten everything I had carefully taught him, or if his vocal health had suffered in any way.
Happily, I found out that my fears were completely unfounded!
Here is George’s testimonial that he gave me in 2022:
“I had the pleasure of studying with Karen for 3 years. She took me from an off-key somewhat muffled singer to a person who often gets compliments singing karaoke and active in two choirs.
“Karen created custom singing and physical exercises based on my weaknesses. She demonstrated and exuded enthusiasm in my success and was a terrific mentor. Given that I stuck with her for 3 years indicates how much I appreciated her approach.”
~ George Bier
But the story does not end here.
In 2024, George competed in a karaoke contest on a cruise ship - and WON!
He earned an official ribbon proclaiming him as a “Karaoke Superstar” for his beautiful rendition of Bless the Broken Road, by Rascal Flatts. - a heartfelt country ballad.
AMAZING!
George remembered everything that I taught him. God bless him.
And now, everything that I taught him is in this book.
