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About
I believe that singing is fun, or at least should be. One shouldn't have artificial constraints placed upon one's voice, and should be able to sing easily through their entire vocal range without fear or insecurity.
I am passionate about helping others learn how to sing in a free, healthy, expressive manner so that they may be able to sing any style of music, sing beautifully, bless others, be totally self expressed, and have fun.
Because our whole body is our instrument, I focus on helping students understand how their voice should be produced and on becoming aware of what happens in their bodies, so that they can always be in control, sing well, and sing confidently. I do this by focusing on proper breathing and breath support, placement, and technique, which are the keys to singing well, in a healthy manner, singing beautifully, and which once mastered, enable the singer to focus on making music and communicating the message of the song, and not having to worry about upcoming high notes or vocal inconsistency. This works in any genre or style of music.
I have great success in teaching students as young as 11 and as old as their 80s. My students have performed a wide range of repertoire from classical, musical theater, contemporary Christian, folk, bluegrass, and Country and Western. I have been a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the New York Singing Teachers Association.
I am also a professional singer, having performed opera, oratorio, concert, recital and musical theater in New York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. I have soloed in many churches and sung for many weddings and funerals.
I love helping others to do something better that they love to do. It makes me happy to see them get excited as they learn and improve. I hear lot of people struggling to sing well, and as a result, they have less confidence and don't enjoy singing as much as they could. I want to help set them free. Singing is a wholistic exercise involving body, mind and spirit. Singers are vocal athletes and need to be trained carefully so that they can perform their best and sing in a healthy fashion for their whole lives if they so desire.
I had to work very hard and go through a whole series of teachers in order to learn how to sing well. It was something I was driven to do. I studied with a lot of teachers before I found the two who really taught me how to sing. I don't want my students to have to go through the same frustrations and tribulations I did to learn to sing, so I do all I can to ensure that they learn, understand and progress as quickly as possible.
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I ask what their goals are, i.e., what they want to learn, why they want to study singing, what they want to sing, and how they think they learn best.
At their first lesson I hear them sing something that they know well, and begin assessing what I think their vocal needs are.
How I proceed depends upon their interest, experience (whether they have had previous vocal or musical study, and or performance), and what I think their needs are. Generally, I explain the types of things we will be doing in lessons, begin laying the foundation for what we will be working on in their study. I explain the need for them to practice at home, the need, if possible, to record their lessons and listen to them during the week, and begin helping them to feel/hear what happens when they sing. I explain that vocal study is a partnership. I can help guide them, but they have to be full partners, thinking, exploring, experimenting, questioning, listening differently, seeking to feel what happens in their bodies as they sing.
Unless we are athletes or do cardio exercise regularly, most of us breathe in a very shallow manner. Singing requires taking in and using a lot more air than we normally do, so there is a need to learn to breathe in a slightly different maner. Therefore, initially, a lot of time is spent on that, since it is a basic foundation upon which one's singing voice is built, and breathing/breath support needs to become habitual, so that one is free to focus on other aspects of singing, music making, and communication of the message of the song when singing. I make use of simple vocalises and songs to help them free their voice, and work on breathing/breath support.
With more experienced or developed singers, we are able to begin with more advanced vocal concepts such as placement, phrasing, working on releasing any tenseness/tension in the lips, tongue, jaw, throat and abdomen, and are able to use more advanced vocalises and repertoire.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have two music degrees where I emphasized vocal performance and pedagogy, and I studied voice professionally for over 25 years, including 16 years in New York City, where I studied and coached with some of the top voice teachers, and coaches from the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera. I have also attended numerous professional vocal workshops/seminars and participated in numerous Master Classes.
I was a participant in the Aspen Summer Music Festival and an apprentice with Des Moines Metro Opera. I sang in the Dallas Opera Chorus, and performed leading roles in opera in New York City and New Jersey for 16 years.