Conversations with To’Nia Ruby Caldwell

Today we’d like to introduce you to To’Nia Ruby Caldwell.

Hi To’Nia Ruby, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
To’Nia Ruby Caldwell had a successful career as a professional musical theater performer with a degree in Vocal Performance, traveling the country and commanding stages. But when life demanded a pivot, she didn’t just change jobs—she launched a successful business built on a revolutionary concept.

The catalyst came in 2011 after her oldest son’s autism diagnosis. The demands of frequent therapy led to her losing her job. To provide for her family and remain fully present in her son’s development, [Your Name] leaned on her vocal expertise to create Ruby’s Studios.

What started as training for friends and family quickly expanded into training choirs, groups, and churches across the city. Her professional reputation grew rapidly, leading her to take on the role of Director of the Vocal Music department at Cincinnati Christian University for three years while simultaneously managing her growing studio.

Her performance career continued to thrive alongside her business, with highlights including performing in Germany, writing music for various productions, and receiving the Kennedy Arts Foundation award for Best Female Performance in the original film “The Covid Monolouges.”

The Ruby’s Studios Approach: Education First
The motto of Ruby’s Studios is simple but profound: “Your Voice is a Gift, and Your Body is the Instrument.”

“Teaching people how to sing is not my job,” she asserts, noting that most clients already have a fundamental ability. Her mission is to educate the vocalist’s mind so they understand their instrument on a cognitive level.

“Many struggle in reaching the full potential of their voice from not truly understanding the voice and its functions,” she says. By teaching clients to understand their voice’s mechanics, she helps them not only improve their range and strength, but protect their instrument for long-term use.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Some of my struggles include:

– Lack of consistency in clientele
– Juggling my schedule around my son’s therapy appointments
– Un-paying clients
– Finding an affordable location for in person clients (especially after Covid)
– securing locations and funding for recitals
– selling the idea that cognitive work needs to happen before we actually start singing

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What do you do?: I am a Vocal Trainer and former Performing artist

What do you Specialize in?: I specialize in Classical training which gives the vocalist the ability to sing whatever genre of music they desire.

What are you known for?: I’m known for my fiery personality and spunk. I bring a strong presence and energy to the stage as well as to my lessons. I’m also easy to talk to and I care about what my clients are going through.

What are you most proud of?: I’m most proud of my award from the Kennedy Arts Foundation in Washington D.C., but I’m also proud of my ability to endure. Raising a child, now two children with Autism is not for the weak. I’m often physically and mentally exhausted. There have been times where I have a waiting list for clients and times where I’m holding on to one or two clients… and as many times as I’ve considered giving up… I haven’t. It’s very difficult for people who have never raised children with special needs to understand how daunting and rigorous your schedule can be. I remember accidentally missing an appointment with a new client, and she CHEWED ME OUT! She stated how unprofessional I was and how she didn’t appreciate me wasting her time”… but at the time I was struggling with an autistic 10 year old and a newly autistic 3 year old. All I could do was apologize and offer her a free lesson… which she refused. I don’t claim to be perfect but I do the best I know how. Thankfully, many of my clients become like family and they understand my struggle and are willing work with my schedule. in return, I’m also very flexible with my clients schedules as well.

What sets you apart from others?: I have the ability to get my vocalist to understand their voices in ways that they never thought they could. I’ve had vocalist regain their range, improve their pitch, heal and rebuild their voices, discover their style; but more than anything… build their confidence. Confidence comes from education. I always want my vocalist to KNOW what their doing when they get out in public to sing… I don’t want them guessing. Guessing leads to embarrassment… and I’ve seen that happen to too MANY vocalist. I set goals from my vocalist so they can see and hear how far they’ve come. Nothing beats hearing my vocalist celebrate a great performance, or break down crying because they got the part they auditioned for. It’s a blessing to know that I contributed to that.

What sets me apart?: I REALLY CARE! The money has helped sustain me and my unique family over the years, but I really care about my clients. I sang gospel the wrong way for years and it almost destroyed my voice. I help my clients understand that the voice is irreplaceable. It’s not like a piano or a horn that’s man made and can be replaced! Once I was trained and used my gift to sing other gener’s like Gospel, R&B, jazz and soul… I felt so free as a vocalist. To walk away from a concert and still have a voice to talk to your fans, friends and family; to know that the notes you’re looking to reach are going to come out without question and without pain, and to feel the freedom of not being stuck singing one genre of music if I don’t want to… but the freedom to sing whatever I want without the fear of damaging my voice…. PRICELESS!

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Learn how to run a business first! I did not plan to run a business… but I wish I would have taken some classes first instead of learning hard knocks. There are a lot of rules, taxes, and trainings that I believe everyone should have before jumping into running a business. No matter how good you are at your skill, running the business is the hardest part. If you can’t take classes, try to get a mentor or someone who wouldn’t mind training you on the steps to opening and running a business properly.

Set goals and do your best to meet those goals. This has been difficult for me with my unique situation, but now that my boys are older… it’s become a little less stressful and more consistent. Create goals that work around your situation. You don’t have to explain to everyone about whats going on in your personal life if you plan ahead.

Customer Service is EVERYTHING! Be good to your clients and set your expectations up front. If you can see that the potential client may not be on board or maybe you’re not a good fit for them, don’t hesitate to refer them to someone who may fit their needs better. You don’t have to be nasty to be upfront… even if they aren’t being kind to you.

Set up a ACH. People will be people, but your income is important for your survival. If you have an ACH set up, you’ll have less issues getting paid.

Get Insurance! I haven’t had any major issues but it’s a good idea to cover yourself and your business. When dealing with peoples voices, you never want to put yourself in a position to be sued. You should never take vocalist who have injuries like Vocal nodules, nodes or hemorrhages. You should also ask upfront if they are on any medications that affect their lungs, mouth throat or stomachs. Ask about any resent surgeries that affect their mouth, vocal cords, lungs or diaphragm. Sometimes I feel like physician…lol… but these questions are necessary to fully understand your client. If you suspect that they having some vocal issues going on during your initial consultation, send them to a ENT before training them.

If you don’t have a degree in Voice…DO NOT TRAIN PEOPLE! The voice is one of the most sensitive muscles we have on our bodies and it is directly connected but the Respiratory system. Unless you understand the anatomy of the body, how the voice works and how to build, develop and protect the instrument… don’t do this job!! As a vocal trainer, I take the time to evaluate each client and their individual needs. Though wind instruments work primarily the same (they all need air) a trumpet, a trombone and a flute are completely different and operate completely different. Please, don’t play with people’s gifts… you could ruin their voices for a life.

Pricing:

• Vocal Training Adults 40mins $65
• Vocal Training 15 & under $60
• Professional Artist 1hr $90
• Groups (per 5 people) $150hr
• Workshops (pricing upon request)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rubysstududios.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubys_studios
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rubysstudios
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rubysstudios2876