Voice lessons are available to students of all ages.

All students are encouraged to participate in the fall semester studio master class and spring semester studio benefit recital.

The curriculum descriptions below are simply a guide to help you envision what sorts of things you or your child will study in lessons; they are not assigned rigidly to each age group.  Students may begin lessons at any age and at any point in their musical development, with or without previous music experience.  The curriculum is tailored to each student’s individual needs.

Beginning Voice
Grades 1 through 5 (approximately ages 6 to 10)

Voice lessons for young children should provide a healthy foundation from which more complex physical and emotional tasks can be built later in life.  Age-appropriate repertoire for children in crucial, because children’s bodies are different than adults’, and we should not ask a child’s voice to perform with the same power as an adult’s.  Lessons focus on fun exploration of a range of musical styles and the full range of vocal sounds available to us as humans. 

Typical song choices:
Disney songs for children
Pre-classical music from the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Voice Series
Rounds to be sung with the teacher or other studio members
Church or religious solos, if desired

Other topics covered in lessons:
Body position
Breathing
Basic ear training, such as matching pitch and hearing notes of chords
Identifying notes on the staff
Reading simple rhythms
Emotion in singing

High School Prep
Grades 6 through 8 (approximately ages 11 to 13)

If students in this age group have some musical experience- from private music lessons on any instrument or participation in the school band or chorus- then they are generally ready to move into intermediate vocal repertoire and to learn to read more complicated music notation.  Middle-school-aged children have begun to develop a kinesthetic sense, so the lessons can include some work on the physical concepts of singing that may not have been available to them as younger children.  At this age many students are auditioning for their first school musical, and so it is a great time to instill healthy vocal habits through voice lessons.

Typical song choices:
Classical music from The Twenty-Four Italian Arias and The First Book series
Folk and spiritual song arrangements requiring musical independence from the student
Musical theater songs from anthologies
Church or religious solos, if desired
Contemporary commercial music (student must supply sheet music and a backing track for use in the lesson)

Other topics covered in lessons:
Body position
Breathing
Articulation
Audition preparation
Sight singing
Reading intermediate rhythms
Identifying notes on the keyboard and playing simple song melodies
Emotion in singing

Audition opportunities:
NATS Art Song Festival (April)
NATS Musical Theater Song Festival (November)

College Prep
Grades 9 through 12

Taking voice lessons during high school is a wonderful way to prepare to study music in college.  Whether a student wants to major or minor in music, sing in college choral groups, or perform original compositions at coffee houses, reliable voice technique is a must.  Voice lessons during high school will prepare students for the more rigorous demands of college and pre-professional music performance. 

Typical song choices:
Classical music from The Twenty-Four Italian Arias, The Second Book series, and French, German, and Spanish anthologies
Folk and spiritual song arrangements requiring musical independence from the student
Musical theater songs from anthologies, with a focus on post-1960 shows
Church or religious solos, if desired
Contemporary commercial music (student must supply sheet music and a backing track for use in the lesson)

Other topics covered in lessons:
Body position
Breathing
Articulation
Foreign language diction
Audition preparation
Intermediate to advanced sight singing
Reading advanced rhythms
Playing the vocal line of the song on the piano
Emotion in singing
College/career counseling

Audition opportunities:
NATS Art Song Festival (April)
NATS Musical Theater Song Festival (November)
NHMEA Classical All-State (November)
NHMEA Jazz All-State (October)

Pre-Professional
Students in or recently graduated from a college music department

Most students majoring in voice in college already have the basic musicianship skills necessary to learn their own music, so unless the student exhibits a specific need for sight reading or piano skills, I do not require specific work on these elements.  Repertoire will be art song, arias from opera and oratorio, and sacred music, in all of the major singing languages (Italian, German, French, Spanish, Latin, and English). 

Students in a college music program will have a voice teacher at their college.  I serve as an interim teacher during summer and winter term breaks.  Lessons can focus on preparing a role for the next semester’s opera, polishing music for degree-required recitals, providing a view that contrasts the student’s college teacher, or simply staying in shape in between semesters.

Avocational
Adult students of any skill level, from beginning to advanced

I have worked with adult students since the beginning of my teaching career.  Some adult students have no prior music experience, singing or otherwise, while others have sung in choirs for years or have played an instrument for most of their lives.  I find out what the student’s goals are and we work towards those goals.  For some the goal may be as simple as making their voice match the pitch played on the piano, and for others the goal may be to audition for professional theater groups or to book gigs.  A third group just wants to learn more about singing because they have so much fun doing it; for those students, the goal may be to perform a solo for the first time at a studio class or a recital.

Curriculum for adult students varies greatly depending on the goals and experience of the student.  Sight singing and basic music reading skills are generally incorporated.  Most students will also read and discuss a book on body alignment.  Repertoire includes music from anthologies of classical, folk, jazz, and musical theater anthologies.  Contemporary commercial music (rock, pop, funk, etc.) songs may be learned, but the student must provide sheet music and a backing track for use in the lesson.