Mezzo-soprano, Voice And Piano Teacher

Talk with student about his or her background, why he or she wants to take lessons,the type of music he or she likes.  Explain my background and my approach.  If the student has had prior musical training, assess his or her level.  Establish goals and discuss how we will work toward them.

Degrees in voice and piano performance and music education.  Ongoing professional development study to stay current in my field.  Many years of teaching experience and professional performing experience.  See my site at www.robinlynnefrye.com for more details.

I accept voice students from age 15 and up, earlier by audition.  I accept piano students of all ages.  For students younger than 10, lessons are usually one-half hour per week.  For students 10 and older, lessons are one hour per week.  Students are charged a standard hourly rate.  Please contact me for more details.

My voice teacher is a well-known vocal pedagogue and teaching mentor based in New York City.  He also makes frequent trips to Europe to give master classes, and students come from all over the world to study with him.  The positive, supportive, and highly effective teaching atmosphere he creates in his studio and the solid understanding of the function of the voice which I learned from him inspired me to share my knowledge with others.  As I have played the piano all my life as well as singing, it was natural for me to teach piano as well, especially when asked to do so by one of my voice students.  (I accompany my voice students in their lessons, thereby saving them the additional cost of an accompanist.)  My studio has continued to thrive with students studying both voice and piano since 1992.

Piano students - ages 3 to nearly 80.  Voice students - ages 11 to nearly 80.  Professional, actively performing musicians and devoted amateurs who study for the love of music. 

For many years, I have sung duo-recitals with my husband, baritone Robert Mobsby (see his site at www.robertmobsby.com), and these are the highlight of my musical experiences.  They stretch me as an artist, and we make a point of always learning repertoire that is new to us and polishing it with our pianist, Douglas Drake, until we have explored all its musical nuances.  It is so gratifying to present these concerts to our audiences and to connect with them through the music and through spoken program notes.

It is in turn so rewarding to hear my students perform at our studio recitals, sharing what they have learned with the other students and with their family and friends.  This is the culminating annual event toward which we work all year, and the students always experience a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from performing.

Research your prospective teacher's background.  Find someone who seems like a good fit in terms of experience, style of music, and teaching philosophy.  There is no one teacher who is right for everyone, but you should know in a relatively short time if you have found someone who is right for you.

What do you want to accomplish through your lessons?  What are your musical goals?  Are you willing to put in the practice time required to progress with your lessons?  An hour a week with your teacher is meant to teach you the information you need to apply during your practice time, which is where your learning really takes off.  At each lesson, we refine what you did on your own since your last lesson, answer any questions you may have, and teach you the next steps to prepare you for another week of practice.