Welcome & Thank you for visiting!
What can you expect from me as your teacher?
For anyone considering piano or voice lessons, thank you for visiting my site and consulting my services. As an active member of professional musical organizations including The National Music Teachers Association and The National Association of Teachers of Singing, I pledge to make your experience constructive and rewarding. I work very hard to make sure that each student’s needs are met individually and reasonable goals are set to the abilities of that student. I aim to make sure you have fun making music while providing a safe environment for you to explore your creativity. I have a zero-tolerance policy for put downs and comparisons. I strongly view taking lessons as an opportunity to build confidence and discover additional enjoyment in life.
During the week, I research and select music literature that is challenging and fun, locate appropriate competitions and scholarships for advanced students, find summer programs and write letters of recommendation for those requesting them. For voice students, I also make copies of accompaniments onto CD for your practice. For any students planning to audition for music programs, I will guide your repertoire choices and research programs that fit your needs.
Private lessons
Piano Lessons
I teach children ages 6 years through adult. I select teaching materials based on experience and interests, however the focus remains the same. The lesson is usually divided into three parts: theory/ear training, technique/scales, and assigned repertoire. For students who have not studied before, I spend a great deal of time working on rhythm so the transition to note-reading is not as challenging. For younger students, I employ singing and games to keep their attention, so don't be surprised if your child start singing songs as well!
Voice Lessons
Voice lessons are available for anyone over the age of 11. Technique will play a large part of your lesson. I am here to help you develop your own voice and its abilities -- not to imitate someone else. Three primary areas will be addressed in every lesson:
Posture and Body awareness
Low breathing
Healthy, supported phonation
A lesson will begin with a discussion of body awareness, a technical warm-up that addresses your individual needs, and singing through your pieces. Sight singing and ear training will also be part of the warm up. I encourage all of my students to learn songs in Italian, German or French and to maintain a healthy balance of varied repertoire. I will sometimes ask that you learn some songs that you have never heard before -- you will feel so accomplished after you have created a piece from scratch!
Theory Tutoring
For any students who express interest and plan to further their musical knowledge.
Location
Lessons are conducted in my home studio, located in the Nashboro neighborhood off Murfreesboro Rd. and Bell Rd.
FAQ's:
My child is under 6 years old, what can I do to help them develop musically? For any children birth to age 7, I suggest The Music Playhouse. The Music Playhouse materials are designed to stimulate young minds. They include a wide variety of musical scales, rhythms, instruments and styles. This broad exposure to many types of music helps lay the foundation to better understand and interpret many kinds of music.
I am younger than 13 and want to take voice lessons, why can't I? Just like the rest of your body, your vocal cords are still growing. Because they are changing, your range will not be complete and you may strain for notes. This could eventually develop bad habits. Also, young vocal cords are not yet ready to handle the constant breath pressure that you would develop in lessons. You could begin pushing your sound and eventually develop a myriad of problems including breathiness, loss of range, or an 'old' sound. I highly suggest that you take piano lessons and work on your ear training so that you will have skills ready to apply when you begin taking voice lessons.
Do you teach homeschoolers? Yes.
Can you play the accompaniments to my songs? Yes.
What styles of music do you teach? My strength is classical repertoire, but I enjoy working in other genres. For singers, I also assign musical theater and occasionally some pop repertoire. All voice students will be expected to study art song.
Do I get to pick out all of my own music? I think it is very important that you participate in selecting repertoire. However, if it is too advanced or not appropriate to the habits that we are working to establish, I reserve the right to say no. I want every student to feel that they have something to express in their music, so I will try my hardest to find something comparable to what you requested.
Can I take lessons every other week? Please notify me of your situation and we can discuss options. I generally reserve this option for adults who have a busy work schedule. Consistency is the key to progress!
