David L  
Instruments: Voice
Styles: Jazz, Pop, R&B, Electronic, Soul, Avant-garde

I have over 16 years experience in playing and performing vocal, guitar and various percussion instruments. I have been teaching music since I was 16 years old. I also have teaching experience as a TA in a university setting. I have taken parts in literally hundreds of performances ranging from concert halls to local bars and private parties. I spent three years in Japan researching music with a grant from the Japanese Government. In addition to performing music, I am also a composer and cowriter. I own my own business which provides musical services to amateur musicians such as co-writing, copyright, publishing, demo recording and marketing.

My teaching methodology is centered on each student's needs, goals and age. Textbooks can be used when requested, but are not always necessary for every musical style/genre.  Each student has different strengths and these must be assessed and reinforced in relation to the student's musical needs. I usually do this by first finding the student's range, vocal timbre, vocal production method, comfort zone and musical taste.  Students may chose whether they prefer to learn western musical notation, music theory and Jazz/pop standards.I do recommend that each student learns basic notation and music theory. This will help you communicate with other musicians, record your ideas and practice (among other things). I spend time each lesson focusing on the physical side of singing. The voice is an instrument which is more closely connected with the body than any other instrument that I know of. Breath, posture, muscle-tone and various other aspects of our bodies have a huge impact on how and what we can sing. For that reason, I highly encourage students to learn many types of warm-ups/postural exercises. Many students prefer learning warm up and vocal exersizes followed by a vocal study of a song they would like to learn. I try to encorporate your style and vocal techniques into the song so that you can make it your own. After that, we can take a look at materials and songs that I believe may be of interest to you. Feel free to pick which materials you would like to use during our lessons. After all, it is YOUR lesson! If you have performance anxiety or don't feel comfortable singing in public, I know how you feel. I highly recommend that you make mistakes in my lessons (I will too, I promise). Allowing yourself to make mistakes and exploring your voice will help your singing in ways that may surprise you. Singing is fun, so let's sing some songs and have good time together!