About
Nanette Sonneman has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Theater and a Masters of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy. Nanette Sonneman sings in a variety of styles, spanning from the forever-timeless 40`s to jazz ballads of today, musical theatre and light opera. On the piano, she plays vibrant and beautiful melodies.
Nanette offers music lessons for aspiring artists of all kinds. Piano lessons give you the opportunity to learn everything that goes into properly playing a piano. From the keys, to the pedals, to the tempo, you will learn how to bring together these sounds to create beautiful music. Students will learn the Classical Dorothy Taubmann Piano Technique; a form based on healthy movements, preventing repetitive motion injury. Sonneman Studio Piano, Voice and Drama’s piano lessons make heavy use of performance-based theory
Nanette also offers voice lessons, so you can sing with a voice you can be proud of. Here, students will learn Bel Canto vocal training, which has applications for musical theater, jazz ballads, opera, and gospel. Both singing and piano lessons are offered to students aged 4 to adult, and classes run from half an hour to a full hour.
Nanette’s performing art expertise does not end at music, however. Students at Sonneman Studio Piano, Voice and Drama can also take advantage of drama lessons, in order to act on stage with ease.
Nanette has over 25 years of experience teaching and performing. Her goal is to glorify God in all that she does, while helping others to reach their potential. Nanette and her advanced students, with their musical expertise, are available for church services, weddings, and other private events.
Nanette Sonneman would love to hear from you:
313-640-8870
Presently, Nanette Sonneman enjoys singing solos at her church in Grosse Pointe Woods, where she has another teaching studio location. She has a passion to not only entertain, but to lift up her audience and students with music and drama which inspire. In an imperfect world, we need hope, encouragement, and joy to share with others.
Learning piano, voice, or drama can build self-esteem and be a vehicle to make a difference in the world. Nanette studied piano from a young age, through college, and always sang in church and school. Her professional start was in the international Christian drama company Covenant Players, performing in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. She loves to share her talents and training, bringing joy and accomplishment to others.
Nanette's pianos students learn the classics (Bach, Mozart, Chopin) through contemporary music, and her voice students may study music theater, light opera, popular or jazz ballads of the past or present. The drama training enables any performer to reach out to an audience in a moving, communicative way. Please visit www.sonnemanstudio.com
Nanette Sonneman would love to hear from you:
313-640-8870
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
For the piano student, i conduct an interview to ascertain the readiness of very young beginners through rhythm testing and keenness to attention and focus. More mature beginner may express musical goals that may be returned to after basic building blocks of technique, theory and interpretation are established.
For the voice student, i conduct an interview where i evalutate how the student uses his or her own voice, including their range and style preference while keeping in mind the individual's goals.
After analyzing the student's abilities, I begin searching my vast repetoire for songs well-suited to establishing healthy technique in a beginner.
Week by week, music reading skills can be added to 45 minute or hour-long lessons in order for the student to build confidence as a performer. Dramatic skills are learned through small group performing classes.
Students interested in drama, may participate in a Drama workshop with other students. These workshops utilize exercises to strengthen projection, diction, gestures, character analysis, stage movement, and subtext. Scenes are learned and performed from Shakespeare to modern plays.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I started piano lessons at age 7 continuing through my Bachelor of Arts from Adrian College majoring in Music and Theatre. I also sang in school and church choirs from a very young age and performed in musical theatre throughout high school and college.
Upon graduation, I toured with the international repertory theatre company Covenant Players, performing throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
My Masters Degree in Piano Pedagogy is from Oakland University, where I was graduate assistant for their artist-in-residence, Flavio Varani, and performed chamber music My advanced studies in opera were with former New York opera singer, Carolyne Grimes Sherwood.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Students pay by month in advance and recieve a discount.
How did you get started teaching?
As a teenager, I enjoyed teaching first grade Sunday school and playing the piano to accompany my mother's childrens choirs. While performing in Tennessee with a professional theatre company Covenant Players, I was asked to stay for the summer and to create a music therapy program for a special needs summer camp. These experiences taught me patience and gave me an ability to work with all levels of students.
What types of students have you worked with?
Students ages 4 through adult, with different abilities including those who are musically-gifted, those with attention challenges and those who are autistic.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
We recently performed our program "Gypsy Minstrels" for the senior residents at Oakwood Commons.
What I enjoyed most was the spark of enjoyment from the faces of our eager audience who appreciated both the student and professional perfomances.