Voice Lessons in Blue Island, IL

Instruments: Piano Voice

I typically use the Faber method books for my piano students, as I feel they are pedagogically sound and have supplemental material to support both beginner and intermediate levels. For those students who are more advanced, I tend to select classical repertoire that matches or challenges individual techniques and abilities. My voice students spend their lessons working on vocalises and sight singing, and then we work on repertoire ranging from folk songs, art songs, and musical theater. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Bass Guitar

Philosophy on Music- There is imitation and creation, but to truly create one must first learn the established forms before one can break them. Eventually through discipline to these forms, one will see these forms not as absolutes governors, but instead a variety of tools that aid us in our artistic expression and enjoyment. Philosophy as an Educator- To be an effective educator I believe that one must not only create a curriculum and pay attention to the individual needs of their students, but one must also provide an environment that fosters growth. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Music

Music is for everyone and I want lessons to always be a safe space, and a fun space. There is no one right pace for people to learn, whatever works best for you! We can achieve this by setting S.M.A.R.T goals, as well as potential benchmarks to rate progress by. I like to approach each lesson with empathy, humor, and curiosity. I think there is much we can learn from ourselves and each other, so I like to keep my teaching focused, exciting, but also attentive to each persons needs and what goals we are trying to achieve in a given day. Read More

Instruments: Voice

I break up lessons into three parts - warmups/breathing exercises, learning a song, and acting the song. Warmups prepare the voice to sing without any strain. I also implement vocal exercises during warmups where we work on range and quality. During the first lesson with the student, I get to know what they want to work towards in terms of repertoire and suggest a few pieces. We will typically add one or two songs per week in order to build a solid repertoire. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

I began teaching when I was in middle school when I got the opportunity to assistant direct theater workshops in my town. I was hooked and for my Girl Scout Gold Award in high school, I ran a theater company for children of social service recipients. In college, I tutored struggling music theory and piano students and felt it was the perfect way to use my enthusiasm for music in a positive way beyond teaching. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

I am a graduate of Lawrence University with a BA in Music (Piano) and German. I've played piano for almost 20 years, but in college performed more with voice. In college as a BA candidate I was able to take a variety of lessons, including classical piano (my major), jazz piano, classical voice, and jazz voice. One of my favorite projects in college included a recital comprised of all the types of music I love playing and learning about such as a solo piano piece, a few piano duets, a piecewhere I sang and accompanied myself, a vocal jazz small group, and a few others. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

For beginning piano students, I select a method book that will be best for the individual student. Once the student has progressed to have a grasp of the fundamentals, I will begin to introduce solo repertoire appropriate for a recital performance. For voice students, I use the bel canto style of singing. Students will learn proper technique through vocal exercises and solo repertoire. We will focus on breathing, intonation, vowel formation, and posture among many other things. Read More