Piano Lessons in Compton, CA

Instruments: Voice

What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
I am most proud of my performances with the New York and Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestras. My favorite performance of all was performing Leonard Bernstein's Mass in its entirety. We performed not only with the Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra, but also the Temple University Choir, the American Boy's Choir, a marching band, professional singers, and world-renowned conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. I am also proud of my college voice recitals in 2015 and 2016. Hearing the progression in my voice and learning the arias/song cycles was an experience I will always remember. These were huge accomplishments for me, as I had never performed a recital prior to these. It was amazing performing in front of friends, family, and teachers.

Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
The way I teach comes from the methods first created by Cornelius Lawrence Reid. Reid was a specialist in the style of bel canto, a way of singing to create an open and rich sound. This technique was used in the operatic world for over 800 years, and came back in the beginning of the 1900s from Reid. He wrote two books that further explained the bel canto technique: "A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology" and "Bel Canto Principles and Practices." Reid's technique was further researched and developed by Manuel Garcia II. Garcia was the first person to invent the laryngoscope, which first x-rayed the vocal chords. I learned these techniques from my high school voice teacher, Mr. Lawrence Lohman. I use this technique for my students and immediately hear a change in the sound. The student will also notice an immediate change, due to how open they will feel in the voice and the body compared to prior.

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
One of the hardest things when it comes to singing is to not overthink. Students, usually who are younger, do not understand that how they hear their voice is different than how others around them hear their voice. Even on a recording, it is still not that students true voice. It is easy to overthink and feel that they did something wrong, they cracked on a high note, they did not have enough breath support, etc. Once the student can focus primarily on opening the sound, making sure it feels comfortable, and in singing the correct segment, the overthinking will stop. This will take time, but they will overcome it!

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
I have always loved to sing. I remember wanting to perform ever since I was a child. I would write my own songs and sing them in front of friends and family. As I grew older, I found singing was a way to relax me and provide me with great joy. I found that singing, along with playing guitar and piano, was a fun way to continue with song writing. I felt it was more than just a hobby for me. Once I started voice lessons, hearing my progress further thrilled me for performing. To this day, singing and teaching others to sing is the highlight of my life.

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