About
Hello! I teach online and in person at my studio in New York City near Times Square. I teach voice and acting to people of all ages who love to sing, who think they can't sing, or who would like to sing more athletically than they currently do. I provide additional acting (voice & speech), piano accompanying, and self-taping services for professional musical theatre students.
***Please contact me to check my availability if you do not see a time that fits with my calendar.
Discounts available for recreational singers, students, and children 6 yrs to 11 yrs.
To read reviews from parents: https://outschool.com/teachers/SD-Lewis#usKVbED4EG ***
I am a vocal coach and troubleshooter with 25+ years of experience as a private voice teacher, audition coach, music director, and piano accompanist. I enjoy providing practical, affordable and tailored lessons to aspiring athletes and artists pursuing their dreams to belt out on Broadway, let loose with karaoke, or rock out with a local band. I really enjoy troubleshooting difficult songs and helping my students who are passionately committed to their goals but who have limited time and finances for a more traditional curriculum. I welcome students who find it more difficult to learn with exercises and scales, and I welcome students who need more flexibility with their scheduling. Please contact me directly to ask for any additional information.
My main expertise is coaching professional dancers, singers, and actors to:
(1) sing a variety of styles (especially pop/rock),
(2) build a brand-specific audition book,
(3) develop a strong and flexible speaking voice,
(4) prepare sides and monologues for callbacks, and
(5) explore a storyteller mindset.
Although I work primarily with young professionals, I also enjoy serving recreational learners whose musical dreams may simply be to:
(1) learn a new song,
(2) sing karaoke with friends, or
(3) jam out alone with YouTube.
For both recreational and professional learners, I hope to instill a love and joy of singing and acting without the pressure of grades, perfection, and judges.
LESSONS FOR CHILDREN (6-18): Please refer to additional information for curriculum suggestions for children.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS: NYSTA (New York Singing Teachers' Association), NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing), Voice Foundation, VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainers Association)
PHILOSOPHY: Practical troubleshooting is the main driving force behind my lessons. As a coach, I often meditate on the following questions:
(1) How do we make sounds and communicate with speech and song?
(2) How do we convert 2D symbols (text) into a 3D body (performer) and create a 4D emotional experience (audience)?
(3) How do we use these skills to live more freely, intentionally, and expressively?
I hope to instill an appreciation for and a desire to answer these questions. As I continually train to be a useful coach, I hope the students that I meet will continually learn to be useful artists.
My main goal as a teacher is to share my knowledge and experience in a personalized way so that my students no longer need me to reach their goals, that they are able to teach themselves, and that, ultimately, they become fellow collaborators and troubleshooters.