Faculty

Lyndia Johnson, also known as “MzLyndia,” is the founder and visionary behind Sterling Voice Coaching, an elite vocal studio trusted by Grammy winners, global touring acts and rising stars across pop, R&B, gospel, rock and musical theatre. With decades of touring, studio collaboration and artist development behind her, she has built a signature method that fuses conservatory-grade technique, gospel and R&B lineage and studio-savvy production, empowering singers to sound authentic, powerful and industry-ready.

Her approach is rare and revolutionary. A former professional opera singer and conservatory-trained artist, MzLyndia is one of the few vocal coaches to master multiple pedagogical languages, including classical, gospel and pop, in theory as well as in practice. This fusion of elite technical command, soulful stylistic insight and in-session vocal production shapes voices that are both iconic and resilient.

As chair of the USC Thornton Popular Music program, MzLyndia leads one of the most dynamic and forward-thinking college music programs in the country, shaping young artists and rewriting the playbook on how pop voices are developed, trained and branded. Her journey as a master singer and relentless researcher has led her to pioneer a distinct, honest and academically respected popular voice pedagogy that bridges industry and education. She also directs a stellar faculty of industry luminaries.  

Her work led to a seat on the Board of Governors for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and in 2004, MzLyndia was selected to develop the inaugural vocal curriculum for Grammy Camp, a groundbreaking initiative that redefined youth vocal training for the commercial music industry.

MzLyndia has led masterclasses and residencies across the U.S., Europe, China and Korea. She is a contributing editor to the Oxford Dictionary of Contemporary Music—one of the few African American vocal coaches published in its pages—and brings a legacy of excellence, innovation and representation to every room she enters.

Her clients appear on major label rosters, Broadway stages and international charts and her influence echoes through every mic they touch.