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Why Take Private Voice Lessons?
You probably already know that the best way to develop a strong and healthy voice is to take private voice lessons, but let's discuss the details anyway. Sure, you could save money by watching free "how to sing" videos on Youtube, but since not everyone has the same issues, the benefit of a good private voice teacher is their ability to save you time by quickly evaluating your voice and providing you with a personalized diagnosis of what to work on. Considering that practicing incorrectly can do more damage than not practicing at all, the benefit of a good private voice teacher is that they can specifically tailor vocal exercises for your voice and guide you through those exercises to help you meet your vocal goals. Fixing incorrect and harmful vocal habits can be a long and difficult journey, but a good private voice teacher can successfully guide you through the frustrations and short-term dips in confidence that often accompany this journey and help you to discover vocal ease and strength that you didn't know was possible.
Singing is unique in that your body is your instrument. When you take private voice lessons, you will not just be learning how to sing. You will train your body and your mind, push personal boundaries, overcome doubts and fears, stretch your imagination, embrace change, and experience personal growth. Learning to sing helps to build confidence and creativity that you can carry with you into all aspects of your life.
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe that a long, healthy, and happy path as a singer—at any level—is founded on a healthy vocal lifestyle. Understanding how the voice works as an instrument can be a complicated concept for young singers to grasp. As a classically-trained professional singer, voice teacher, and National Center for Voice and Speech-trained vocologist, it is my joy and conviction to take the mystery out of healthy voice production and to pass along what I have learned about vocal function, health, and preservation in order to help students become healthy, informed singers. Regardless of whether a student is planning for a career path in voice or is simply exploring a new skill, a primary goal of mine is to guide the student into self-sufficiency as a singer.
To aid in de-mystify healthy vocal technique, I often refer to videos, drawings, and a model larynx (with moving parts) in my studio. These visual and kinesthetic aids don't just show singers what their instruments look like, they also give students a tangible reference to how it functions. In lessons, I often incorporate related material, such as: the basics of the anatomy of the voice, vocal hygiene, practical vocal exercises for voice building, and how to choose effective music for a voice.
Regardless of whether a student envisions a career path in voice or is simply exploring a new skill, a primary goal of mine is to guide them into self-sufficiency as a singer. In every voice lesson, I make it a point to always explain to students why I have chosen certain vocal exercises or pieces and what those exercises/pieces will help them to accomplish. I always encourage students to voice their thoughts, experiences, discoveries, and questions during lessons so that they can feel confident in the ownership of their own vocal path, mindfully choose specific exercises to achieve specific goals, and actively create their own "toolbox" of exercises. I am careful to expose students to various vocal exercises that achieve different goal (chest-voice building, staccato, range-stretching, sustained tones, legato, etc.) and to tailor exercises to specific needs of students rather than relying on "one-size fits all" exercises.
Ultimately, it is my goal to foster a smooth transition from students having a "student" mindset to being self-sufficient artists who are comfortably in charge of their own voice and vocal health, likely going on to help shape the voices of others. I believe that my job as a teacher is not only to guide students through their vocal discoveries, but to ensure that they leave my class feeling confident in themselves and in their knowledge of their instrument.
What is the Free Introductory Lesson?
For all new students, I offer one free introductory lesson that allows me to get to know the student a little as well as their musical background and goals for taking voice lessons. This time also allows for the student to ask me any questions that they may have about my background, teaching style, or policies. After we have gotten acquainted, I will lead the student through 15-20 minutes of vocal exercises, where I will get a sense of the student's voice and skill level. If the student has any recently studied literature, I will ask the student to sing through part of that for me. (Often, singers will perform music differently than how they sing through exercises). I will then discuss with the student what I hear in his/her voice and what I believe he/she will benefit most from working on. Together we can create a plan to begin working toward the student's goals. Some topics you may discuss during or before your introductory lesson include: • Student's musical background and repertoire previously studied • What the student likes and dislikes about his/her voice • Why the student is taking lessons and what he/she hopes to get out of them • What students should expect during each lesson • Items students need to bring to lessons • Payment policy and availability of discounts for ongoing students • Studio policies such as rescheduling for missed lessons
What happens in a typical voice lesson?
I begin every lesson with vocal exercises. (The length of time spent on vocal exercises will depend on the length of the lesson.) Not only do you warm up your voice with vocal exercises—it is through vocal exercises that technique is introduced, explored, developed, and strengthened. Technique is the all-important foundation on which healthy singing is built, and it is good technique that will keep your voice healthy and strong throughout your career. These technical vocal exercises will cover things like posture, breathing, onsets and phonation, registration, tone quality, resonance, efficiency, agility, power, and projection.
We will then spend the rest of the lesson applying those technical aspects into your vocal literature. Additional topics that we may cover in the literature portion of your lesson may include: musicality, phrasing, vowel choice, dramatic interpretation, diction, translation, and poetic understanding of the text.
When choosing literature for lessons, I am more than happy to help you find pieces that suit your voice and also incorporate whatever technical aspects we are working to improve. One of the goals I have for each of my students, however, is that they begin to become the masters of their own voice. Part of that transition is to become comfortable choosing appropriate music for his/her own voice. I will encourage students to explore literature on their own and bring in pieces that they are interested in.
At the end of each lesson I will ask the student what the take-away for the week is and we will set up a plan for the next lesson.
What is the difference between a voice teacher and a voice coach? What should I expect from you?
A voice teacher is a technician who primarily teaches you the correct way to sing, which is also known as "technique." Technique includes things likes: posture; breathing; how to support your sound; how to produce a healthy, efficient, and clear onset; how to find clear and consistent resonance; how to increase vocal agility, power, and range; how to gracefully transition between chest and head registers. A voice coach's primary job is to help you with interpretation of text, phrasing, and other aspects of performance. In voice lessons, I give instruction both as a voice teacher and a voice coach, depending on the needs of each individual student.
What kind of singing do you teach?
While the vast majority of my training and performance experience has been in classical vocal techniques, I have some experience singing and teaching musical theater as well. I primarily work with students whose goal is to establish and improve healthy vocal techniques that can be transferred to any style of singing. In other words, I work with aspiring singers who want to know how to sing better, whether they are beginners or advanced. My students represent a wide variety of ages and musical backgrounds, and each student has his/her own individual goal that I am helping them to achieve. Auditioning for colleges? Trying to land a role in the school or community musical or opera? Trying out for All-State or Honor Choir? Want to build a stronger voice? Working to stand out in your church choir or to impress your friends at karaoke? I can help!
Should I take a 30-min. or 60-min lesson?
Most adults benefit most from weekly or bi-weekly hour-long lessons. Pre-teens and teens will ideally take weekly lessons; Younger students are encouraged to take half-hour lessons whereas older teens are encouraged to take hour lessons.
How do you handle payment?
You can pay by the lesson, by the month, or by the 4-month term. Save 5% by paying by the month. Save 10% by taking lessons by term. See details here.
Which option is best for you? Pay-per-lesson and pay-per-month options allow more flexibility and lower commitment for adults who may want more scheduling freedom due to busy schedules. Kids and teens make more progress with consistent weekly lessons, so I am offering my lowest pricing for term-based lessons that aligns with the school year.
All payment is due at the beginning of the individual lesson, month, or term, depending on your lesson payment selection. I accept cash, check, Venmo, and *Paypal payments.
*All Paypal payments will be charged an additional 2.9% + .30cents.
How does scheduling work when I pay by the month or by the term?
When choosing the "pay per month" option, students are charged a flat-rate fee per month. Most months, the student will receive 4 lessons. Some months, because of the way the weeks fall, the student will receive 5 lessons: I do not charge extra for 5-lesson months. Due to Studio Scheduled Vacations such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, the student will occasionally receive 3 lessons in a month. The 3-lesson months and the 5-lesson months balance out to an average of 4 lesson per month over the course of the year. I will communicate any Studio Scheduled Vacations/Holidays with students. The only time I will prorate tuition is during the first month of lessons and in extreme circumstances, which are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
What are Studio Scheduled Holidays
Specific dates for Studio Scheduled Vacations will be announced at the beginning of each semester. In general, I do not teach on normal school vacation days, including the following:
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Valentine's Day
Spring Break
Memorial Day
July 4th Week
Labor Day
Halloween
Thanksgiving Week
Christmas / New Years Vacation*Lessons are not rescheduled and tuition is not adjusted for Studio Scheduled Vacations. (See "How does scheduling work when I pay by the month or by the semester?" above for an explanation of how the flat-rate monthly tuition option works.)
What is your cancellation, rescheduling, and make-up policy?
I understand that life happens—people get sick, go on vacation, have unexpected family emergencies and school or work commitments. I am happy to work with complicated schedules, but communication is key! If you know of a scheduling conflict ahead of time, please let me know as soon as possible and I will do the same. Any lessons missed due to my absence will be made up. Lessons missed due to student absences will be made up if I am given at least 24 hours notice. If proper notice is not provided, makeup lessons will be rescheduled at my discretion. If a student fails to inform me ahead of time of their absence and does not show up to his/her lesson, the lesson will not be rescheduled and the student will be charged for that lesson, regardless of circumstances. If you are contagiously ill, please do not come to your lesson—call, text, or email me!