I have been working as a voice and piano teacher off and on since my last year of high school. My piano students have ranged in age from five to adult, and my voice students have ranged in age from ten to adult. Most of my piano students come to me as beginners or nearly beginners, and my style for piano lessons is traditional but with the freedom to pursue interests along the way; for example, if a student wishes to compose, or to learn a jazz piece, we will pursue their interests alongside a typical course of study including scales and the classical music repertoire.
I do not have a "typical" plan of study with voice students, as most students come to me with specific goals in mind. For instance, one teenage boy had a "gap" in his voice, as big as an octave, and he could not seem to find any of the notes between about a G above middle C and the octave above that. With work in many areas, we were able to eliminate this gap over the course of a summer. Other typical goals for my voice students have included preparing an audition repertoire for musical theater, gaining better breath support, and strengthening the head voice. At a first lesson with any student, voice or piano, I will discuss their goals for the short-term and the long term, and I've found that this has an especially strong impact on the way I will organize voice lessons with the student.
I began studying piano at age nine, and studied music mainly from the Baroque and Classical periods until college, where my repertoire grew to include music from all periods, as well as musical theater and other contemporary music when the occasion called for it. My voice study was based in the Bel Canto tradition through high school and college, but my vocal repertoire included both classical and contemporary musical theater and jazz pieces. As an actress myself, I refined my "belt" technique with influence from the Bel Canto tradition under the guidance of my teachers in high school and college. I am comfortable teaching "belt" technique in a healthy manner for those students who desire it.
My teachers at Smith College, where I got a B.A. in Music, included Monica Jakuc in piano, Kristen Carmichael-Bowers in voice, and Grant Moss in organ. While in school I taught my peers and local children in voice and piano as time permitted.
I am currently teaching both privately and at Musicalarts in Exeter, NH. To hear me accompanying singers, please see the Musical Directing page.
Please contact me if you have further questions about lessons or anything else.
