Voice Lessons in Fort Ritchie, DC

Instruments: Piano Voice Saxophone Flute Recorder Piccolo Music Keyboard

My materials and methods differ depending on the pupil's age/ability. For a young 11 year old beginner, homework assignments will begin with the instrument itself, and then eventually Book One of any method book desired. Popular practice dictates good results with books like Yamaha and Standard of Excellence. For middle-level ability (middle school / early high school), the Rubank series is perfect. Finally, with middle and above levels; solos, ensemble work, duets, and additional etude books will be used. Read More

Instruments: Voice

Also I do shows of my own usually on weekend evenings and nights so would need that availability and my only other conflicting time would be Sunday mornings for church mass I cantor occasionally at masses and Saturday mornings every now and then usually around holidays there are pancake breakfasts, Committee meetings,festivals events, and fish fries that I provide a performance as entertainment for. I also am working on some of my own musical projections and creations that require some of my attention. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Music Keyboard

I find the process of exploring music and finding solutions together with my students to be intensely uplifting and meaningful, since, as mentioned earlier, each musical soul is unique. While I set clear standards of excellence, I am also patient with all levels and abilities. Indeed, teaching beginners (including adults) is a special passion of mine. A typical lesson will include warm-ups, scales, arpeggios and etudes, followed by detailed work on repertory pieces. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Bass Guitar Synthesizer Accordion Harmonica Lap Steel Guitar Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion

As far as books go, I prefer the Hal Leonard method, especially for beginner musicians. I combine visual, audio and kinesthetic learning methods to tailor to anyone's needs. After the basics are taught or they're already learned, I assess the student's level and teach the student what they wish to learn to the best of my ability. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

Melissa started teaching during her senior year of college when she took her first vocal pedagogy course. Teaching has been an important part of her schedule ever since. Over the years, she has taught privately, through various community schools, through several national companies, and she served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Illinois State University for two years. Thus, she has experience teaching all ages and skill levels. Her students have ranged from beginners to university music majors, from age 3 to age 72. Read More

Instruments: Voice Music

There are many different methods and styles to teach voice, but there are some basic fundamentals to good vocal technique and so for me its always important to start with a few basic warm ups, which normally includes simple vocal exercises such as scales and/or arpeggios, as well as working on good breathing. Its important for me to know what the student is interested and what they want to get out of the lessons, and specifically what repertoire they would like to work on, and from there we can work on a plan moving forward. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

I see myself as a facilitator, helping students discover new elements of music and music theory and building upon those to create a greater understanding of reading and playing music both for piano and voice. Often i will model by playing a song first so that the student cannot not only hear what is sounds like but observe my technique, finger changes, dynamic ranges, tempo and so on. There are many elements to performing a piece besides just playing the correct notes! Read More