Voice Lessons in Harrisonville, NJ

Instruments: Voice

Each lesson begins with a chat while we gently stretch, breathe and prepare your body to sing. Singers are attached to their instrument and so getting your mind focused and getting comfortable in the singing space allows us to have as productive a lesson as we can. We work on vocalizes and technique next- to properly warm you up and strengthen your instrument. All of the vocalizing we do is then put to work in your repertoire, chosen by me and also including your preferences and anything you bring that you are currently working on. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

Once I feel the student has a solid understanding of these fundamentals, I move onto introducing them to repertoire that I think would help in putting these newly learned fundamentals into use as well as allowing them to expand their knowledge on other important factors of singing such as diction, pronunciation, phrasing, keeping a legato line, and possibly language skills depending on the piece. Over time I may even have them bring in pieces they may be interested in and work with them on understanding how they can incorporate these fundamentals and newly learned skills into the music that they love. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Music

For young beginning piano students, I typically start with John Thompson's Modern Course for the Piano: The First Grade Book and move up throughout the series from there. For young beginning voice students, I start with lessons on proper breath support, sight-singing, intonation exercises, and warm-ups to shape their voice. For both my piano and voice students, I establish a strong, classical foundation that is built on fundamentals to get their instrument working properly and then branch out to other genres from there. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

If a student isn't having fun learning the instrument then I am doing something wrong! Learning should be fun and a joy not a chore. I try to encourage the students to practice without being told to do so. With that comes a joy of doing it on your own and for themselves not for anyone else. Lessons in my studio are to compliment each students experiences and desires. Since teaching piano from my early college days until now, I find that students have many more interests than just music. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

It is important for both me and my student to have long-term and short-term goals. Long-term goals may have to do with technique--for voice, examples may be releasing tension or singing with proper breath support. Short term goals are more linked to repertoire and can be technical or musical. An example on the piano may be playing through a piece with a particular metronome marking. I have each of my students use a practice log so both the student and I can keep track of short-term goals. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Flute

I usually find out the student's musical preferences and try to pick songs from that style, meanwhile, introducing them to classical music or folk music and helping them pick music to work on from that genre.  I follow a similar pattern with flute lessons. Depending on the experience of the student, lessons can begin a little more slowly than with the other two instruments since wielding the instrument is largely dependent hand size and length of arms! Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Keyboard Djembe Acoustic Guitar

As a singer who has already experienced some of the traumatic effects of misuse and overuse of singing, I believe that health comes first. Anyone can learn to sing but there are so many significant factors that most teachers forget to include in their training. I believe that any one can have or learn to have talent, but the singer who has the awarness and understanding of taking care of that talent will benefit more than they can imagine. Read More