John H  
Instruments: Piano, Voice
Styles: Classical, Musical Theater, Opera, New Age, Avant-garde

I have a wide variety of performance experience in piano, vocal performance, and composition. I have performed in over 40 shoes in both opera and musical theatre, from Sweeney Todd to Spring Awakening, L'Incoronazione di Poppea and Trouble in Tahiti. I have also an extensive background as a choral performer (both secular and religious settings). I have taught students of all ages in music practice, theory, and foreign language in both group and individual settings. Some of my education experience includes teaching French Diction to university students for CSUN's production of "Carmen," directing a musical theatre showcase for high schoolers, and five years of private voice lessons for students ages 5-50.

I think it's important for students to learn interpretation and musicality as much as technique, regardless of their instrument. For piano, I typically start with Hannon's piano exercises, and then move on to repertoire which highlights specific technical challenges, such as crossed hands or mixed meter. In the repertoire is where I also make sure to talk about common interpretation practices, as well as techniques for how to characterize a piece of music. For voice, exercises largely depend on the student's fach (voice type). Baritones have different obstacles than sopranos, and this must be addressed in warm-ups. Repertoire provides proper challenges for students, and, as always, characterization, acting, and interpretation play an important part of any performance.