Geoffrey S  
Instruments: Voice
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Gospel, Musical Theater, Showtunes, Spirituals, Soul

My teaching experience began quite modestly while working as a singer for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. One of the dancers in our company asked if I would be interested in giving her some vocal coaching so she could feel more confident when asked to sing at auditions. Once word got out that I was giving "private lessons," I found myself running a small studio right out of my ship cabin! Shortly after I returned to New York, I was hired as a musician at a Catholic church in Hoboken, New Jersey, and it wasn't long before I was giving private lessons to several of the choir members. Eventually I would go on to form and direct a children's choir at the church, giving me the opportunity to shape the musical growth of a large number of the church's younger parishioners. So whether you're a professional singer with years of experience, a young singer just starting out, or an adult who wants to learn a new skill, I can work with you to find your best voice (and have some fun in the process)!

My teaching philosophy boils down to one simple principle: singing is an athletic endeavor. Training the voice means training the body. Just as you can't learn to throw an accurate curve ball by reading a book, you can't strengthen the muscles that lead to a healthy singing technique by simply talking about it; you've got to train your body to do it automatically. I emphasize stretching and breathing exercises that strengthen the diaphragm and allow your body to produce a free, healthy sound, and then work on focusing that sound in a way that keeps stress off the vocal cords and keeps your instrument healthy. Once your body begins to grasp these fundamentals, we'll start applying it to the music you want to sing so that you can wow them at your next big audition/recital/performance/whatever!