The Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) Vocal Pedagogy Institute recently honored Melissa Cross with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The award, presented annually to honor a legendary figure in voice pedagogy, recognizes the lifetime contributions of pioneering voice teachers.

A classically trained singer turned extreme vocals coach, Cross developed the “Zen of Screaming” training program to help heavy metal artists. The program was one of the first of its kind, helping singers learn to use vocal distortions in a sustainable way that empowers them to perform without fears of vocal injury. Over the course of her career, she has helped thousands of singers and teachers and over 250 internationally recognized recording artists including Anthrax, Megadeath, Brandi Carlile, Courtney Love, Maroon 5, Greta Van Fleet, Halestorm, Lamb of God and many others. She has presented at the National Association of Teachers of Singing National Conference, Voice Foundation Annual Symposium, and for many other professional voice associations and universities. Cross was joined by Garrett Russell, lead singer of Silent Planet, who provided live demos and talked with participants about Cross’ impact on his career.

Previous honorees include Dr. Robert Sataloff (2017), professor Mary Saunders-Barton (2018), Dr. Ingo Titze (2019), professor Lynn Helding (2022), professor Peggy Baroody (2023) and professor Kenneth Bozeman (2024).

Visit CCMInstitute.com to learn more about the institute’s offerings.