All ages/levels.  Voice, piano, guitar, bass, harmonica, sax, songwriting. Rock, blues, country, pop, R&B, jazz, metal, punk.  No opera. Whether lessons are for personal growth or you're a professional or touring vocalist and/or musician wanting to hone your skills, I can help.  Graduate of Berklee College of Music, Boston.  Twenty years full-time teacher.  Forty years part-time performer.

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What is the typical process for working with a new vocal student?

 

I listen to the student sing a verse and chorus of a song. I listen and create a custom plan of voice exercises based on what will benefit them the most. Lessons are typically half technique and half practical application. I cover posture and breathing, tone (including resonance and warmth), grit, vibrato, range, vowel modification, mic technique, etc. We work through songs section by section, incorporating stylistic choices and techniques to make the lyrics more compelling eg. putting pauses before important words and extending the first consonant.  I can also offer performance tips and guidance.

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How did you get started doing this type of work?

 

I love teaching! When others make progress, I find it very fulfilling! It’s in my nature!  Also, having grown up in a musical family, I learned to love and crave the community that making music together creates.  I strive to recreate that with my students and with own band now as an adult.

 

I started by teaching music as a volunteer for W.O. Smith School of Music, Nashville, for several years, which is a music school for underprivileged kids. After that, I was hired by Jan Williams School of Music in Brentwood where I taught full-time for about 7 years before striking it out on my own.