top of page

About

Once Upon a Voice is a music production company where singers and songwriters develop their voices, songs, and creative projects through integrated learning and hands-on music-making. Owned, founded, and led by certified vocal coach, self-producing artist, and gender-based violence activist Marcellé, the company provides trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming instruction for learners of all ages while actively producing music alongside them. Education and production are not treated as separate processes. Skill development, songwriting, recording, and creative exploration happen together as part of the same work.

 

All learning and creation takes place inside Voicesmith, the online studio operated by Once Upon a Voice via Zoom. Voicesmith is where students and artists write songs, record vocals, build tracks, and develop projects through guided production and instruction. It is not a separate business. It is the studio environment through which Once Upon a Voice does its music production work.

 

Entry into Once Upon a Voice begins with free or paid membership, which provides access to services. All paid services include self-paced courses that run alongside live instruction rather than existing apart from it. Adults participate through Masterclass Only, Masterclass with Asynchronous Coaching, or Masterclass with Live One-On-One Coaching. Children and teens participate through group classes, weekly workshops, or private lessons. Partial need-based scholarships are available for all group instruction, and full merit-based scholarships are offered each year for youth private lessons.

 

Young children participate in play-based group classes with a caregiver, combining singing, movement, and song-based learning. Classes for children ages 0–36 months incorporate foundational American Sign Language as a form of augmentative and alternative communication to support early communication within music education. Classes for ages 3–6 begin integrating phonics-based music instruction to support early literacy through musical play. As students grow, workshops and private lessons focus on contemporary commercial music such as pop, R&B, hip hop, rock, country, and folk, while supporting individual artistic goals.

 

Classical, musical theatre, and jazz styles are also explored as technical and expressive tools rather than career paths. Students learn how these genres shaped modern music, strengthening stylistic awareness, technique, and expressive range.

 

Across all ages, singing and songwriting instruction supports musical growth while also reinforcing K–12 English Language Arts and STEM concepts. Lyric writing supports literacy and storytelling. Music production introduces concepts such as sound physics, acoustics, and digital signal flow through creative application. Rhythm and musical structure naturally support mathematical thinking through hands-on musical work.

 

Piano and music production tools are integrated into all services in age-appropriate ways. Piano supports pitch accuracy, breath coordination, and musical expression. Digital tools such as MIDI keyboards, BandLab, and Ableton Live are used within Voicesmith to support songwriting, arrangement, recording, and track development.

 

Students must be able to vocalize to participate in singing services, even if their vocalizations do not form complete words. This includes students who use AAC alongside their voice and Deaf or hard-of-hearing students who engage with phrasing, breath, and resonance in ways that honor their sensory needs. Songwriting services remain open to both speaking and nonspeaking students, including Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, with participation supported through visual composition, lyric writing, instrumental arrangement, and creative direction.

 

All students and families are invited to join The Lyric Isles, the private online community operated by Once Upon a Voice. This space allows students to connect, share progress, and exchange creative encouragement. Students ages 9–18 may share work through online shows, while adults may share works-in-progress within the community.

 

For students who choose to share finished work publicly, Once Upon a Voice provides optional guidance through its internal music publisher and record label. Voicebound supports guidance around the ownership and publishing of musical compositions, while Commonvoice supports guidance around the ownership and release of sound recordings. Participation in these pathways is optional and not required to participate in instruction.

 

Once Upon a Voice is also preparing to support scholarship recipients through a partnership with Voicelore, a nonprofit-in-development focused on addressing gender-based violence through music. As Once Upon a Voice donates its services to survivor- and ally-led projects, Voicelore will raise funds to help Once Upon a Voice scholarship recipients participate fully.

 

Whether developing skills, producing songs in Voicesmith, or choosing to share work publicly, every student is supported within a music production company built around care, access, and creative autonomy.

Ornament

Meet Our Instructor

Marcellé

Marcellé is a musician, educator, and activist based in Las Vegas. She is the owner, founder, and instructor of Once Upon a Voice, a music production company that offers trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming education for singers and songwriters. Her work honors music as a form of self-expression and communication, supporting students of all neurotypes and experiences—including those shaped by trauma or disability. As someone who is both autistic and ADHD, she understands the profound ways music can support emotional regulation, healing, and identity. Whether guiding musicians or launching advocacy initiatives like Voicelore—a nonprofit being developed to support survivors of gender-based violence through music—Marcellé centers her teaching on nervous system care, trust-building, and transformation through song.

 

The daughter of a musician who collaborated with legends such as Natalie Cole and Chaka Khan, Marcellé was immersed in music from a young age. She sang in choirs throughout her childhood, an experience that nurtured both her musical growth and her sense of belonging. Her love for music continued to deepen at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, where she studied piano and began exploring how musical expression could offer clarity, comfort, and freedom.

Before transferring to Loyola University New Orleans, Marcellé worked as a teaching assistant at a Montessori school, where she supported elementary and middle school students in environments designed to foster independence, curiosity, and meaningful communication. That experience continues to shape her trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming teaching style, particularly in her work with students who express themselves in diverse and creative ways.

 

While at Loyola, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Popular and Commercial Music with a minor in Business Administration. Her studies included pop, R&B, hip hop, rock, country, folk, jazz, musical theatre, and classical voice training. She also trained in songwriting, piano, and music production—laying the groundwork for a career that integrates technical skill with deep emotional and communicative insight.

During her graduate studies in music therapy, Marcellé provided therapeutic music experiences under the supervision of Board-Certified Music Therapists (MT-BCs), working with NICU babies, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children, and at-promise teens. She also performed for pediatric patients through the Songs for Kids Foundation, deepening her belief in music’s ability to soothe, empower, and connect. At the same time, she worked as an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapist under the supervision of Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), supporting autistic children in communication and social development. Though she ultimately stepped away from therapy-providing roles, these experiences deepened her interest in the many ways people communicate—vocally, musically, behaviorally—and continue to shape her belief that music can support not just creativity, but connection.

In addition to her work in education and therapy, Marcellé has long been an advocate for survivors of sexual violence, domestic and dating violence, and stalking. As a survivor herself, she has spoken at several events, including serving as the keynote speaker for New Orleans’ Take Back the Night March Against Sexual Violence. Alongside her mother, she co-created stopsexualassault.org, a survivor-centered educational platform that laid the foundation for Voicelore—a nonprofit currently in development to address gender-based violence through music. Her advocacy is rooted in a deep belief that survivors deserve space, autonomy, and the tools to reclaim their stories on their own terms.

That same belief in reclamation and self-expression shaped her collaboration with Grammy-winning producer Devine Evans on a sexual assault awareness project. The creative process led to profound personal reflection, revealing how both trauma and neurodivergence had shaped her vocal freedom, stage confidence, and internal narrative. This work helped her reconnect with her voice and clarify her mission as a musician, educator, and activist: to help others explore, heal, and express themselves through music in ways that honor their minds, bodies, and stories.

After stepping away from clinical roles, Marcellé returned to teaching with renewed clarity, offering private and group lessons at a local music school and through the Clark County School District. To deepen her pedagogy, she earned her Vocal Educator Toolkit (VET) certification through VocaLab, a CPD-accredited program that combines speech-language pathology principles with contemporary vocal technique. This training equipped her to help students build healthy, sustainable vocal habits tailored to their unique bodies and brains. She also studied producing in the Music Production for Women's Master Your Music Program. That training advanced her skills in arrangement, sound design, and engineering.

As an artist, Marcellé creates music that supports the body and brain as much as the heart. Her latest single, “Monster”—a raw reflection on mental health—has reached over 13,000 streams on Spotify, resonating deeply with listeners drawn to honesty and emotional clarity. She is currently developing new work at the intersection of acoustic songwriting and R&B electronic production, weaving together organic intimacy and bold, exploratory sounds. Her earlier releases, including the first songs she wrote and produced independently, were featured by outlets such as Fox, Offbeat Magazine, and My Spilt Milk, and she has performed at venues across the United States, including the House of Blues. Beyond her own artistry, she continues to write and produce for others through Writing Sessions America, a professional collective that connects her with Grammy Award–winning producers, platinum-selling songwriters, record label A&Rs, and music supervisors for television and film.

These experiences culminated in the founding of Once Upon a Voice, a music production company offering trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming education for singers and songwriters. Through its online studio, Voicesmith, Marcellé empowers students to use music not only as a creative outlet but as a way to regulate emotions, build identity, process lived experiences, and connect more deeply with themselves and others. Her teaching is rooted in both precision and compassion—holding space for technical growth while ensuring each student’s voice remains their own. In early childhood classes, music is paired with gesture and sign language to support developing communication. As students grow, she helps them strengthen their vocal and written expression while honoring their individuality. For students who choose to share their work publicly, she also offers optional guidance through Once Upon a Voice’s internal music publishing and record label pathways—Voicebound and Commonvoice—supporting ownership and music industry opportunities without making public sharing an expectation. She believes that every voice, every brain, and every story deserves space to be heard, supported, and developed with care.

Whether making her own music or guiding others to create theirs, Marcellé remains committed to one vision: a world where communication is never limited by trauma, neurotype, or disability—and where music serves as a powerful bridge to expression, connection, and self-understanding. Through her artistry, her teaching, and her advocacy, she helps people share their stories with clarity, confidence, and authenticity—honoring every voice in every form it may take.

Ornament

Meet Our Students

We refer to our students and their family members as Marcellions! Marcellions can connect in our exclusive community, The Lyic Isles. To become a Marcellion, sign up for one of our free or paid membership tiers!

Once Upon a Voice's Second Logo
bottom of page