voice lessons...

Location:  Midtown, New York, NY or Astoria, NY
Rates:  $57/hr, $35/half hr in Manhattan; $50/hr, $30 a half hr in Astoria

This is the structure of each voice lesson:

For the first 5 minutes, we do a physical wake up session (stretching out the face, jaw and spine, warming up the body to get out of everyday mode and into singing mode).

For the following 25 minutes, we do vocal exercises and warm ups to increase range, voice strength, and the student's understanding of the mechanisms of singing as they apply to their own voices (breath support, relaxation, focus, resonance, projection, etc).

For the last half hour, we work through a song that the student wants or needs to sing, whether it be for auditions, choir, school, fun, etc. We get the song to a place where it feels easy, it's not strained or out of their range, and the student is ready to perform it (with acting choices) in front of auditioners or audiences.

More info:
I ask that students bring a bottle of water, and if they want, some sort of recording device so they can practice at home. I do not require regular students to practice outside of lessons unless they want to. Singing has to come from the desire to sing, not from force; if you force the voice, you injure the voice. I also require that the students bring sheet music that they want to work on every week. I can help with titles and song choices, but it's up to the students to get the sheet music.

After a few months of weekly lessons with me, a student will have an audition book (if their goal is auditioning) of songs in their range and they will feel comfortable going to auditions and singing a 32, 16, or 8 bar cut. If the goal is fun and exploration, they will have an understanding of their instrument and be able to feel comfortable singing solo or speaking in front of other people. And, for the more advanced students, they will feel able to properly act or interpret a song with sound quality and physical choices that match acting intention. Singing lessons with me are an opening up of the body and voice to be better equipped to perform the way you know you can perform!