Piano Lessons in Lakewood, CA

Instruments: Voice Drums

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
The voice is the most challenging musical instrument because of the many musicianship skills it take to master it. While instrumentalists enjoy the luxury of being able to articulate music using external triggers such as sticks, bows, slides, valves, and keys, improving vocal technique still requires dexterity and the development muscle memory to achieve successful navigation. All musical instruments have different intrinsic challenges derived from their various mechanical designs, however, the voice is activated internally by sending a controlled airstream to the larynx. The experience of singing is entirely physical and in addition to the moving parts of the larynx, vocal training involves learning how to manipulate the rib cage, diaphragm, throat, soft palate and lower jaw to best support the connection of breath and sound to the voice. Additionally, since the head and throat serve as resonance chambers, singers must learn how to physically develop tone quality, timbre and vocal colors using these devices. Essentially, a singer’s musical instrument is their body and each is naturally equipped with its own personal attributes.

Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
For my voice students I like to begin with Anne Peckham's The Contemporary Singer because it provides the perfect warm up regimen for all musical idioms, including pop, R&B, jazz and classical styles. Anne's book provides perfect exercises for essential breath management skills, which affect intonation and phrasing. Students studying scat singing with me will learn mostly by rote but more advanced singers will use "Scat! Vocal Improvisation Techniques" and "Blues Scatitudes." In addition, I like to use the Vocal Real Book for jazz standard repertoire and will support any song the student would like to sing including pop, rock, Latin and Broadway show tunes. FInally, if the student needs to work on rhythms and/or rhythmic feel, I use my book "Rhythmania," which is call-response rote-learning format. Beginning drummers will enjoy a 3-step rote-learning process I call "Hear it, Sing it, Play it." Simultaneously I teach the traditional rudiments using a classic book called "Stick Control" written by George Stone. Intermediate to advanced drummers interested in playing jazz music use Ted Reed's "Syncopation for the Modern Drummer, "Advanced Techniques," by Jim Chapin, "Reading in 4/4," by Louis Belleson and David Weigart's "Jazz Workshop for Bass and Drums. Pop/rock/R&B drummers will enjoy Bill Elder's A Drummer's Guide to Contemporary Grooves," Paul Cappozzoli's "Around the Drums," and "Essential Stryles for Drums and Bass by Steve Houghton & Tom Warrington. I choose all my teaching approaches and books based on the student's interest, musical goals and proficiency level.

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