Alexa: [00:00:00] Gia Morgan, welcome back to the Singing Teachers Talk podcast. It's been like four years since we did our first chat. Can you believe it? Time has flown.
Gia: Yeah, can't believe it. Feels like a year. Yeah. But things have really changed for you since then, because you have upped your life, both personal and business, over to Bali from where you were living in Jersey.
Alexa: So just to catch us all up, can you tell us what your life was like on that channel island in Jersey? What your studio was like, what your working life looked like on a week to week basis?
Gia: Yeah, I mean Jersey's lovely. We moved really because we had an opportunity. But Jersey was, a beautiful island. Everyone must go and it was busy, you know, life there. It's expensive, as is the UK, and we had to work, and if we were at home not working, it felt like you [00:01:00] should be working. So, I worked six days a week, about six hours a day, some days would be less in a studio in town, in the centre of Jersey. It's only nine miles by five, so pretty small. Worked hard, grew my studio, worked in a music school to begin with, and that was good. Needed that. Space to be creative because I am creative and it wasn't opening that pathway to me and had about 90 students when I left Jersey, I was worried that because I did a lot of group lessons. So that bumped up the students people like what 90 students, you know, all one, one to one. No, I did adult soul I did baby classes, young singers. Um, young soul and yeah, teenagers. So it was busy, busy. I loved teaching in Jersey. I don't know if you've [00:02:00] ever had this feeling, but when you've taught someone for five years and they're here coming after school, mum says, right, you've got singing again today and they've been coming since they were, I don't know, six years old or nine years old.
And I just, yeah, it got to a point where when we did leave and took the leap of faith. It was really quite transformative because you're not seeing that person every week. Some people I see on zoom still I have about 20 online students from Jersey. That I teach on the weekend, but yeah, it was just like, wow, I'm not going to see these people every week again.
I'm going to see new people. And that was quite exciting. And yeah, well, the people who've walked into my door already is quite amazing from all different Continents and countries. I'll, I'll speak about that. It was busy and I felt tired and my voice was getting tired and that work life balance. My Sunday was off.
I'm sociable [00:03:00] being so Saturday nights I'd be going out to the pub or to a party friends 30th or whatever. And I just felt on Monday tired again, but I loved teaching, but I did get that sore voice at the end of the week.
What is your ideal working life then? You say that when you were living in Jersey, it was kind of fast paced, you had to keep going.
It felt like if you had a down or stop day, it felt kind of almost like there was guilt, perhaps, involved in that, because you felt you needed to keep going because of the expense. If money wasn't a thing and the culture wasn't what it was, what would you have thought your ideal week would look like on a work life balance?
Good question, because I've kind of got that work life balance now, obviously, my studio is growing, but it would, I guess would be not having back to back students, [00:04:00] you know, I felt like a doctor, but I wanted that. People are like, do you want to break I can sit in the waiting room, you know, because they've seen me come in and out and one to the other and I said.
You know, in my head, I didn't want to break because I wanted to get home. And I think teaching is so, it's very, you can be energy efficient as a teacher, but if, if you are really passionate teacher, which I am, and I, I bet you are too, you, you don't reserve that energy at all because you just, yeah. You just want to give the best you can.
And I'm still at that point in my life that I want to give that all, you know, I've had older teachers say to me, you know, you, if you need to sit down during the lesson, you sit down, I'd sit down on the piano half the time, stand up as well. And then, you know, stand up for the whole six hours and, or teach in a very strange way, you know, like I do on zoom actually at the moment, I'm sort of this way.
Yeah. Just forgetting that balance because I was just [00:05:00] busy. And I think Bali gives you time to have a reflection. Everything's beautiful. You know, my partner said to me yesterday, and he practices a lot of meditation and yoga, and reads a lot of great books. I read my, you know, novels and sexy novels, whatever.
He's a little bit more yeah. Um, he picks what he reads. And he said, everything I look at here is beautiful. And it really is. And I think having that mind where it's open and feels good, where it doesn't always feel good for me in the UK, because I don't think it feels always good for many people. But I love the UK, by the way.
Um, yeah, it reminds me that there is more to life than working, I think is what I'm trying to say.
Alexa: And you mentioned before that you had a, an opportunity to relocate over to Bali. What was that then [00:06:00] like to make that final decision to leave such a thriving studio, seeing, you know, your 90 students a week or however frequently you saw them. So then, okay, fine. We're upsticking, we're going and it feels right.
Gia: Yeah. So we've had a business in Bali for 10 years. It's a family business. My dad started it online bamboo clothing and It was a huge sort of leap, and we knew it would be, and everyone was like, Why? You've got an amazing business.
What are you doing? Like, I know it's Bali, but are you going to be able to work there? How are you going to do it? And the reason why we did it was because, because we have this business, there was an opportunity. That's literally it. And I think we were ready to move on. We were, you know, all things costs and supermarket prices and I just, yeah, we're travelers, really.
We like to travel. So it was [00:07:00] just easier to live in Southeast Asia and, and Indonesia. But it took a lot, you know, I was very sad the last month, you know, saying bye to students, crying. I cried a lot. Um, it, yeah, it's even making me cry now. It was, it was just something we had to do and the eye opening kind of discovery of it was really great.
Some people wouldn't do it, you know, and everyone said to me, wow, like, why? I just got why all the time, and I didn't know why, I just knew it was good. I knew it was that slower pace of life, that different life, that evangelizing a business that we've kind of put to the side for maybe five years, and singing, yeah.
Alexa: So you said you were working six days a week in Jersey. What's now your working life in Bali as you continue to grow your studio and your business there? [00:08:00]
Gia: Hmm. Well, that's funny because before I moved, I said, I'm not working weekends anymore. And, uh, it hasn't really worked out like that because obviously I work weekends teaching online.
But I want to keep my weekends online because actually the other day I got a student from Singapore just show up and that was quite exciting. And I thought, well, maybe online can go into the week, but obviously not for the UK because
everyone works in an office in Jersey, lots of busy people in the week, eight till five.
So my work right now is busy on weekends and in the week I work from about 12 in the day till about 3, 4. Um, and those hours aren't full yet. So I hope to have Friday off. You know, I have , more space now. So I have more space to go, okay, I can have tomorrow off and we can go to Ubud. Like tomorrow we're going to Ubud in the car. That's great, but [00:09:00] I know, because I'm getting busy, that I might not have that opportunity to take days off. But my life's kind of changed now, I'm saying to myself, no, if you don't want to work Friday, don't work. I always think, as a Virgo, oh no, if I don't work Friday, there might be that one person who wants to book in, and they can't book in, and Friday's their only day.
I don't know if you're like that, but you just, you put your times up to, hopefully get someone in. It's uh it's balanced at the moment, but I don't know if it will be, maybe if we chat in another four years time. Would I be busy again? Maybe. But I've got the beauty around me to sort of retreat in other than teaching.
Alexa: What's been the biggest challenge for you relocating either personally or from a business point of view?
Gia: I guess when I opened the studio, the nerves, because In Bali, it's quite [00:10:00] difficult to work here as an expat. , there's lots of rules. You have to have a PMA, um, assigned business.
You have to employ Balinese people into your business depending on what you do. So if you had a restaurant and you're an expat, you need at least 20 workers or 10 workers per person. It was the nerves of going into it with the notary. I teach singing. How am I going to have, you know, 10 people as a singing teacher working for me, those sorts of things, you know, I really was kind of biting my nails by in, uh, in these meetings, hoping they wouldn't be like, well, you can't do it.
I did the research before we went. I knew that online would be my gateway to making money as soon as I came here. But I wanted a studio, you know, I like working in person and that was my vision. kind of rewriting the story of what I did in Jersey, but just in a different place. And yeah, I guess I knew I had family [00:11:00] support. You know, my dad's if I have a question, he's been to Bali many times and we have a great business partner. But yeah, if anyone's listening to this and is thinking of relocating. It's really about getting those business, you know, indemnity and everything sorted. So you know what you are doing is not going against the rules.
You know, people drive past on motorbikes. Look, oh yeah, blonde girl. Is she Australian? Where is she from? Should she be working? They're probably questioning. Do I have a keta? Am I allowed to work here? And yeah, those things you need to get sorted and just be faithful, um, to the country, I guess. I, I was very, you know, some people work here as, as, um, physicians and, and chiropractors, but you really need those licenses.
And, and we know in Bali, many people don't have them, but we still go to them, but having them, [00:12:00] that was my nerves.
Alexa: Yeah. Can you tell us a little bit more about those meetings and, and what you actually had to have in place and to tell us a little bit more in detail about, was it a PAM, did you say?
Gia: Yeah. So PMA is a, basically a business license.
So we put that under our whole business and made it a creative business basically. So our online. Creative outlet became intertwined with teaching singing. So that's something, you know, if your husband came over and wanted to have a French restaurant in Bali, a restaurant and a singing teacher doesn't quite go.
So there has to be ways. That you either have to go, okay, well, I'll work for the restaurant and teach online for us creative worked because we could intertwine that music, art, media. My partner does, um, websites, media logos. So yeah, it's. They're very, the terms, we went to [00:13:00] a notary, we saw government officials, you know, it's quite hard work and lots of people do it though. It's not, it's not as scary as what I'm making it out to be, but you don't want to be, there's me on Instagram posting, you know, studio open soon and blah, blah, blah. And then, you know, I'm shut down. One person the other day, actually it was about two months ago, was a local and he, basically commented all of the immigration on my, uh, Instagram post, you know, because they know that lots of people come to Bali and work when they're not allowed, but for singing teachers, it is a job that is better to be done working in schools.
You know, if you were to move to Thailand or Bali or Cambodia or whatever, working in a school is your best bet to start on. I didn't quite need that because we had a business. Um, already to jump off, [00:14:00] but yeah, working in a school would have been what I would have done because I knew we would have moved one day from the UK.
Alexa: And are there any insurances that you had in the UK that you don't need in Bali and vice versa?
Gia: So in Bali you don't even need car insurance. So that was a tricky question that I had to ask. Because obviously there's a lot to pay for when you first move over to a new place. And I was thinking, okay, so it's not by rule that you need car insurance.
Do I need, you know, if someone fell on a, on a wire in the studio, do I really need insurance for that? And who do I talk to? Obviously was talking to a lawyer at the time. So it's not needed. Vocal massage. Yes. I think because there's a lot of expats, a lot of Australians, a lot of. Yeah, lots of people. I'll tell you the kind of people I've had in the door for me, [00:15:00] I have bought insurance, but whether it is for everything, like tripping on a wire, I don't think so. But more the medical side, yes.
Alexa: Because you did some acupuncture and laryngeal massage training before you moved, didn't you? And was that purposeful? Did you want to make sure that you could take that over to Bali or was that something that you were planning to do anyway?
Gia: Definitely was planning to do it, but we'll work really well here. Haven't done acupuncture yet. Um, I've got a friend from Udara, Bobby, who's a sound healer and vocal healer, and he's going to have some acupuncture. There's a few little red tapes. We're doing medical stuff in Bali. Which is a shame, but not for the Balinese people, is that you can't actually perform anything medical in Bali by law unless you've got a degree in Bali for medicine.
So it's funny, I was speaking to people about the acupuncture [00:16:00] and it is okay to do it because there are expat acupuncturists in Bali, but it's kind of on a little bit of a tightrope. You know, , but my, my plan is actually with acupuncture here is is to hire a Balinese and teach them the points of acupuncture for vocals and do that because I think I'm going to be busy anyway with the singing, but do that in the beginning, just so I am aware that I'm sticking to the rules, but maybe do a dry needling course.
So I am able to do it because dry needling is okay in Bali.
Alexa: What's the attitude to music education and singing in Bali?
Gia: There's lots of singing in Bali. Most schools have singing teachers, Balinese locals. Lots of people, you know, who I've had through the door so far, or online, are open to it because Bali is an open place.
People come here to meditate. People come here to [00:17:00] do retreats, yoga. So there's a massive community here, especially in the sort of Kuali and more
Kirtan and, and meditative singing. So I had a lady in the door the other day and she owns a really cool studio in Canggu. She does singing as healing and also is a really good singer.
So it's funny you get people who say I'm not good and then they come in and they are because they practice singing a lot, but not in a contemporary, I can sing Adele voice. So they haven't connected with that sort of emotional side of singing. They just connect well, yes, emotional, but haven't connected with that stylistic side.
They've connected more with like, this is my voice and I use it in yoga and I Yeah. And it was just amazing. I was like, you're really good. What you on about? But she hadn't connected through a, through a, we did a Macy Gray song. You know, she hadn't quite gone that far to be like, Oh, I can sing this song pretty well.
You [00:18:00] know?
Alexa: Yeah. And tell us about the people that you're meeting.
Gia: Yeah. So I've had Tibetans. I've had, um, A lady I saw today who actually lives in the next village, but she, um, does online lessons because there's a lot of traffic in Bali. She's from Tunisia. I've had a lady who's, from Singapore, but lives in Paris.
Yeah. Russians, a lot of Russians I teach, which is really interesting for me. I teach one Russian little girl who I taught in Bali in Jersey online, and I still teach her. And, uh, I hadn't quite noticed the language change and that's been tricky for me. I've had to make a Excel spreadsheet kind of thing because the Russians speak quite far back and quite closed mouth. And then the French sing differently. I've had a French in and the Tibetans. And I'm like, I'm so used to [00:19:00] teaching English as the first language as teaching singing and English people don't have to be like, Oh, why don't I sound like Adele? Really? Because they, they have that English accent.
So it's been quite challenging with how I pick vowels for different exercises and how I respond to someone saying, Oh, I just, why is my accent on this song? And I haven't really had that before in Jersey. I taught quite a lot of Portuguese and Polish, but I hadn't had those questions, so it's been quite eye opening to be like, right, I need to sort out. How I treat every different language, how to sing contemporary songs like Adele and Billie Eilish.
Alexa: Yeah. And what's kind of your top tip on that? Are you, have you found something that seems to get you where you want to go?
Gia: Twang has helped a lot. Like cat and, um, father, like that. [00:20:00] I think vowels. I just go straight to kind of what works best with that. Like I said earlier twang, definitely. And what else was I doing? Um, I guess working more into the lighter voice, because when we speak with our accents, we're in that kind of primal normal sound. So getting people, I'm thinking of one of my students who I just said, instead of being in speech level singing, which actually when I first taught her, I was all that because we were trying to build muscle. I was like, actually go to a different area that you're not used to go breathy. And then that started to change that, um, response to their identity. But yeah vowels, like that's what I'm on and I'm asking questions and I'm looking up on various columns and yeah, it's a sticky [00:21:00] little area, but it's something that I think I need to get for a French person, for a Russian person, for a, you know, Scandinavian person.
That would be something that would be really helpful to have on my wall, you know, but yeah, definitely for the Russians I've gone more further forward. So plosives and fricatives and that sort of thing.
Alexa: When it comes to pricing, how have you had to consider how much you charge relative to living and working in Bali compared to what you charged relative living and working in the UK?
And I know you teach some people online still, as you've said, so how has that worked for you in pricing altogether?
Gia: Yeah, that's a good question because I've, I've had a lot of conversations with people about this and local people, expats, and my pricing online has stayed the same because I think at that point I was valuing my [00:22:00] time.
And as I was leaving Jersey, I was teaching online just the last couple of days. But my pricing in Bali has actually stayed quite similar. I have knocked off, you know, 10 or 20 quid. But I was told not to reduce my price too much because Bali is ever growing and most of my clients are not locals.
So the people who I've sort of taught so far who are new to me are on holiday, are on a month's visa, are digital nomads, you know, who earn UK pay, um, or who, who charge that. But it has been really quite, I felt a bit weird about it in the beginning. Because if I compare myself to other local singing teachers in Bali, they are charging far less, but then someone reminded me and they were like, have they, do they offer what you do?
You know, no one in Bali does [00:23:00] vocal massage. I don't think. I think there's one girl here who teaches more contemporary style. And I only found that out cause she followed me yesterday on Instagram and I was like, wow. There's one Russian lady who teaches in the city, more classical. So in terms of vocal health and that sort of thing, and certificate wise, I'm sure.
I probably am different. Yeah, I think that's the right word. So I didn't want to, you know, for example, in Bali, a singing lesson can be as little as £5 for an hour from a local, um, and I just knew I'm not, you know, that would not be work life balance. So yeah, I've knocked a few, you know, 10, 20 quid off, and for people I know, an Australian guy who's coming in on Monday, who's a music producer, He's, uh, over 60. And I said to him, look, you've lived here for 14 years. I'll do it for this price, but generally because I'm teaching online [00:24:00] and that takes up most of my weekend, I just thought, no, I'm going to stick my ground and people are booking in. I was worried in the beginning, but the fact that I'm getting bookings means that obviously I come with value and people are booking again. Yeah, but it's a tricky one and it's something that I had to think about and felt a little bit greedy in the beginning. I did, even though, you know, someone said to me the other day, look, you've done all this, you know, you offer something different, but still you feel a little bit like that.
Alexa: Yeah. And did you feel that in Jersey? Was there any sense of that emotion of greed as you put it?
Gia: Sometimes, you know, if I get sort of someone in their 70s come in and they were like, oh, I'd love to do a lesson next week, but I, you know, I can't afford it. And me being me, I say, Oh, don't worry, just do, you know, we'll do an hour and just fine. Just give me half an hour, pay me next month. You know, a lot of them were my friends, but [00:25:00] in Jersey, actually, I, I charged the same as every other singing teacher in Jersey.
And that's the same as maybe a singing teacher who's just fresh out of uni, um, and teaching their first few students.
Alexa: So how are you currently going about establishing yourself? Cause you seem to have lots of people, as you say, booking in still online, people coming through the door. How have you set yourself up and was it any different to how you set yourself up in Jersey?
Gia: Yeah, my, my little saying was, if you've done it once, you can do it again. And, uh, yeah, what happened was basically we moved into this villa and we really liked it. Prices have gone up in Bali. We had this idea that we'd be living in a villa, three bedroom villa for half, maybe even quarter of the price of what we're paying now.
And it didn't work out like that. Lots of the nice villas are are expensive and lots of the [00:26:00] nice ones that look nice on Facebook you know, full of mold and crappy. So we moved into this villa and I went up the road and I saw the studio. And it was a little clothes shop that my landlord, who's very Balinese, um, had his daughter in there. And I don't know what she was selling. Most of the time when I went past on my moped, they were sort of lying on the floor on their iPads or eating sweets. And she was, um, yeah, about 19 and she had a baby. So she didn't want to have this space anymore. And it was really easy.
The setup, because I'd done it and brought quite a lot of stuff, I had everything to put in the studio, really paid a lot of over baggage to bring my stuff over, sold a lot, gave a lot to charity, and yeah, it was much easier in terms of moving in and very smooth, the online thing, you know, getting people, I had to do a few sponsored posts.
Because I have a totally [00:27:00] different audience here, a lot of people just traveling to Bali. Like the lady I just posted on my Instagram, she's off to, um, a different country tomorrow. So she will continue her lessons online thereafter. So yeah, I was just like, I need a little bit of a something. So Google, I did all my search engines, even changed my pictures. This is a good tip for anyone if you've got pictures on. Your Google account or any pictures you post on your website, make sure the name of the picture is a word is a good word. So like voice lessons or singing lessons, I always had numbers, you know, like zero one, two, one, two on a, on a picture. And my partner who does all the SEO, he said, no, they, you need to change, even change the file name.
Um, because that is used on that is how Google works. So yeah, it, it's slow, you know, I, I would, it's slow, but it's fast. My friend [00:28:00] came to visit the other day and she was like, what? You've already got five new students. I only came two weeks ago, you know? So I think for me, because I'm looking more bank account, . But yeah, definitely the online stuff when you move to a different country has to be posting every day or making reels. I'm not really a reel person, but a real, real R E E. Yeah. Um, I'm not real. Um, I'm AI, but I had to get on that really, um, because it works. Yeah.
Alexa: So what would be your advice to the singing teacher who Might be listening to this, wanting that push to go ahead with the relocation.
You know, we can find a hundred reasons not to do something even if it's burning within us that we want to do it. So what would be your advice to that person listening now who is just waiting to make that decision?
Gia: Yeah. Start online and do it, you know, have, [00:29:00] keep a few people have that flow, that income still coming in.
So you don't, you know, if, if you don't have that idea of being online, when you move somewhere with any business, I think same with my partner's you will think, well, how am I going to make money? How am I going to do this? You know, but when you're thinking of moving to a place. And Bali is the island of gods. There's so many rich traditions here. You know, there's a beautiful life that can be lived if that's what you want to do. And you, you need that little bit of work still there. So you've got it. You know, that was really important for me. If I hadn't pushed online to my students. I think I would be worrying right now, you know, and just do it.
That's my advice. I'm I'd say I'm not a brave person in like a big wave if a tsunami came, I'd be very freaked out compared to probably my partner who would be like, chill, it's fine. We'll go and [00:30:00] find, somewhere to be rescued or whatever, or climb a building. But I'm brave in terms of. If I want something, I'll do it. And I think, uh, that's the Virgo in me, but we must, we must follow our heart and have that little bit on the side that keeps us going until you find that studio or yeah, online's a blessing, actually.
Alexa: Yeah, it's been able to kind of keep you. connected to people that you've helped for ages, as you said in the beginning, you're seeing these people every day in Jersey, and then you make that brave leap to go and do this thing that's in your heart. And you still get to do what you love and build it in another place.
Gia: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Lots of people work online here. It's a huge, it's a huge thing. And these people are living amazing lives, you know, they're earning good money. I don't know what they're doing online. A lot of digital nomads, uh, doing website design and, and they're, yeah, [00:31:00] like life is sweet on the other side.
I think we don't quite see that in the UK and now we're here. It's really, it's quite easy to live like this, but people think it's, you know, 19 hour flight. But it's invigorating when you are here. So if you're listening and you really do want to move somewhere, then you should give it a go.
Alexa: Yeah. Would you do anything differently?
Gia: Hmm. It's probably more personal, actually. But not being like, oh, well I'd love to see you for another, you know, five lessons if you, you know. I think that's where, when you're in a different country, whereas in Jersey, I would be more like that. Because I was on solid ground and had lived there for a long time.
But in terms of moving here, definitely not. I will probably think of something tonight. But I think. There's no regrets.
Alexa: So if we get you back on the podcast in four years time, [00:32:00] 2029, what would you like to manifest for that right now? What would we be chatting about? What's your vision that you are striving to achieve there in Bali?
Gia: Community, I think, because there's so many people traveling here. Um, community. I'm setting up a choir in March an adult soul choir and a young soul choir. In Changu and hoping to do one in Semenyak is just a real better community with voice and voice education in Bali, I think I yeah, I hope in four years time I'm kind of like, got maybe thousands of people in Bali who've, um, who sing every week, expats.
You know, elderly Australian people younger sort of travelers who've moved here and made families all together. And I guess keeping my, my whole [00:33:00] work and life similar, but not being over, overworked in 2029. I think there's. space for other things like a family and maybe more dogs and yeah, but definitely community.
That just came into mind straight away and hopefully I'll be Balinese speaking by then. So I might be, I'll have to get on to that then as well. Yeah, I'm learning Balinese. So we've got a teacher who comes to the house every Wednesday and. Yeah, maybe even teaching in Balinese would be a huge, um, success for me.
So I could teach more in schools if they want me for workshops. Yeah. But hopefully just growing and enjoying life, you know, not taking things too seriously, but enjoying teaching.
Alexa: Yeah. Yeah. Well, we're so happy for you that you've. made your move and you're, you're loving what you're doing over there and loving the life that [00:34:00] you're creating.
So congratulations, Gia, on that move and relocation and what you're setting up. It's really great to see. Where can we follow you and get to see all of this growth happening in Bali with what you're doing?
Gia: I've got a website which I update regularly, but probably Instagram is quite good at Bali Holistic Voice Studio.
And that's a good place. I am, like I told you earlier, posting a little bit more so people find me. Yeah, I'd say Instagram's the place.
Alexa: . Brilliant. We'll see you over there, Gia. Thank you so much for keeping us company today.
Gia: Oh, thank you. Great to see you.