Joshua D  
Instruments: Voice
Styles: Classical, Pop, Musical Theater, Opera, Showtunes

I began teaching voice lessons in my first year at Susquehanna University. The range of students I received throughout my four years there provided me with numerous pedagogical challenges and valuable insights into the psychology of teaching one on one with students. Some of these students included singers with a strong musical theater backgrounds, young athletes wanting to be the front men of their budding rock bands, and students with vocal injuries so severe that they could do little more than speak. By overcoming individual challenges with each student, I have realized that nothing is more valuable and satisfactory than to witness, with both my eyes and ears, significant improvement in their abilities and self-esteems. 

My approach to lessons differs significantly from student to student. After initial skills and/or vocal health assessments, I choose repertoire and books for them based upon their abilities, age, and musical interests. While I think that vocalises and technical exercises are important to the learning process, I believe it is essential for students to be singing and playing music that they are passionate about at all times. In this way, they can learn to love the process of improving. I supplement lessons with vocalises, either taught to me through previous teachers or from books by pedagogues such as Vaccai, Siebel, Marchesi, etc., as I see necessary. For younger students, I spend a lot of time with them learning the basics of music theory, reading music, and developing the ear.