Grace Music Studio NY

Typically, I have a new student or their parent call me. I get a good idea of what kind of music the student wants to study or if they are an actor or business person, what their goals are, in that first phone call. We set up a lesson and whether they are just learning to sing or play for fun or they want to get a recording contract or a Broadway show, a new client or a new job, I tailor the lesson to the student's goals.

SINGING:

All singing lessons begin with vocal technique exercises (how to breathe, how to support and how to phonate) and depending on if a student needs ear training, I sometimes incorporate that as well. If a new singing student does not have their own music, I provide the extra service for them of pulling songs from my library that match the style they are interested in and I sing 3 or 4 pieces for them at their first lesson so they can choose 2 pieces that they like for us to work on. All vocal students, adults and children have the opportunity to perform twice a year at Grace Music Studio NY recitals and are also invited to sing in our annual Christmas Caroling for the elderly project. 

PIANO:

I teach beginning to intermediate piano to adults and kids. Children who are beginning piano students learn through games I have created, scales and beginning piano books; John Thompson's Teaching Little Fingers To Play and the theory book I wrote to teach beginners how to read and write music. Adult piano students can either bring whatever level books they are using or if they are beginners, any adult, beginning piano book will work. I encourage my piano students to compose original pieces as it helps them with reading the musical maps we call pieces and it widens their view of themselves as musicians. 

SPEAKING:

A student who is studying with me to work on a business presentation or acceptance speech, or interview starts with the text. We then break down the text to plan phrasing, inflection, key words, pauses and creating rapport and connection to the client/interviewer using some NLP techniques and eye contact so they are ready to win the client or job and wow their audience.

ACTING:

Beginning acting students develop their instrument with emotional exercises, physical exercises and vocal excerises and the repertoire they work on is age-appropriate monologues More advanced acting students do all that beginning students do but also practice dry readings for auditions and their monologues are usually more focused on a particular audition(s).

I encourage advanced acting students to, along with keeping up with their exercises, study method books (Meisner, Stanislovski) etc.. We can then discuss and work on their monologues through the lens of what they are learning in the book and their own sense of instinct and artistry (i.e. they may like or dislike the method they've chosen to study but can learn from that and develop their instrument to be unique.) Advanced acting students already have a highly developed emotional palette, so our focus is on creating audition material that is uniquely authentic to them and makes them stand out.

I have a Masters degree from the London College of Music and Dramatic Art (L.AMDA) in Vocal Performance and Classical Acting. I have a Masters of Music degree (MM) in Vocal Performance from Brooklyn College. I have an undergraduate Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA) from The State College of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia.

Yes, the first lesson is a one-time payment of $65 (for Singing, Piano, Acting and Business Presentations).

After the first lesson, students come once a week and can choose to pay monthly at the same rate; $65 per lesson, or they can choose to pay by semester at a discounted rate of $55 per lesson with full tuition for the semester due at the second lesson. 

There is a $5 per lesson Discount for all kids under 7 years old. I can teach kids as young as 4. 

There is also a $10 per month per student discount if two students or more from the same family sign up at the same time. 

I started Grace Music Studio NY in 1999 because I wanted to share what I had learned and continue to learn on the stage. I have a passion for helping students who think they aren't musical. I believe musieveryone's birthright - that's why I opened the studio

I have worked with all kinds of students. Opera professionals who need help with their acting. People who have always wanted to learn to sing and been told or thought they can't. Little kids and young adults who want to get into performance high schools or colleges. One student has become a star on Disney Channel.

Adults who want to sing just for fun or in a choir, or who are already singing in a choir and want help with vocal technique. 

Professional Opera singers who want coaching for an audition Professional musicians who are working on an album. 

Non-professional singers and singer-songwriters who want vocal help on their demo to break into the business. 

Business professionals who need help pitching a product or idea to clients or individuals.

One student right now is opening a web-based business and we are working on her group and individual presentation to get more clients. 

Recent College graduates who need help with how to present themselves in job interviews.

A former adult student who had anxiety and a weakened voice from asthma, took on the role of head of a committee at the school where she worked. She needed to give speaking presentations on a regular basis and was proud when a speech she gave was lauded in a local newspaper quoting "We could hear every word"!

Two current students are working on singer song-writer albums. After a student has been studying for a little while, I encourage and help them to write songs if they are interested in that.

Among my current student roster; My youngest student is 5 and my oldest student is 87. The 87 year old and I have just finished writing a new piece for her and she continues to be asked to sing at her Church.

I have worked with students who only want to sing sacred Hebrew music or are preparing for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

Other students who only want to sing Jazz or Opera or R & B or Gospel or Country. The Vocal technique I have developed works no matter what style you want to learn to sing in. 

Music is the language that includes everyone. 

One of my students came to me never having had a voice lesson and said she wanted to go to Berklee College of Music and the audition was in six months. She got in.

All students keep a notebook where they write what we do in each lesson and what to practice. The other day one of my little piano students went to draw a heart in her piano notebook.. She wrote "I love.... and then she asked how to spell my name :). That was awesome. 

Look for a teacher who can take you the whole way to your goal. Someone who has broad and varied experience and knowledge doing what you want to achieve. Once you've found a person with extensive knowledge, degrees and experience, have a lesson with the person to see if you feel comfortable with them. Music and any kind of performance lessons are very personal. You want to feel like your teacher can not only help you achieve your goal but also that you feel fully supported in the process and comfortable enough to express yourself and ask questions while you are learning. 

What do I want to get out of my lessons? What are my goals? What is my past experiece and what do I feel I need the most help with? Who are my favorite artists? What are my favorite songs or piano peices or plays? What kind of music or text do I want to study? What has my past experience been with teachers in this area and what did I learn and what was missing or not what you wanted? What kind of music or materials do I already have and what do I need to get? What is my timeline for any goals I have and do I have enough practice time to reach my goals on that timeline. What is the thing I love most about Singing or Acting or Piano or Business.