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BM, Anderson University, Music Education MM, University of Louisville, Voice Performance
I'm a professional singer/actress and teacher who is passionate about giving students everything they need to be a great performer. I graduated from Anderson University with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education in 2010 and went on to earn my Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Louisville in 2013. Since then I have spent my time performing with musical theatre and opera companies and teaching students of all ages. Some of my favorite roles include: Ellie May Chipley in Show Boat, Wednesday in The Addams Family Musical, Susan/Karessa in Tick, tick...BOOM! and Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical The Musical.
I have been teaching lessons since my undergraduate days and have taught private lessons on and off since then. I've spent time in the elementary music classroom as well as the middle and high school music classrooms. I have teaching experience in the areas of voice, choir, percussion, show choir, guitar, piano, music history, and musical theatre history. I've also spent time directing and choreographing various musicals and choral concerts. As a professional singer and actress, my particular specialty is incorporating classical techniques into healthy and effective musical theatre singing as well as song and audition coaching.
For beginning students within the elementary age who are interested in voice lessons, I usually focus on learning notes,rhythms,a few basic piano skills, and breathing. I will also focus on singing favorite songs and telling the story of each song. For older students, singing technique and song interpretation are what I like to focus on. I try to give my students songs that are challenging, fun, and that work with their personalities. I like each student to have about 3-5 songs at a time to work on in lessons. It is important to me that the student has a variety of songs to work on so that they do not get burnt out or bored. If a student has a particular goal or song they would like to work on, then I would of course alter any lesson to focus on the need of the student.
I am a fast paced, energetic, positive-reinforcement kind of teacher. I like lessons to be fun and productive no matter the ability level. It is my belief that EVERYONE can sing, you just have to practice. A typical lesson involves a 10-15 minute warm-up, depending on the length of the lesson. That is followed by working on the songs that a student has prepared for the week. I like to work on a variety of songs to prevent boredom and frustration if a song is proving to be difficult on a particular day. Lessons are meant to be a time of challenge but also fun and stress relieving. I want all of my students to leave their lessons feeling accomplished and ready to tackle the challenges for their next lesson.