Hannah L  
Instruments: Piano, Voice
Styles: Classical, Pop, Folk, Musical Theater, Opera, Showtunes

While living in Denton, Texas, I started teaching private voice and piano lessons near the end of my Master of Music studies in Vocal Performance in 2019. I was an independent contractor at three different music institutions at the time, and I taught lessons to over 30 students during the first year. Then, during the Covid pandemic, I moved to Northern Virginia and started my own private teaching business, Hannah’s Music Studio, in Fall 2020. I have taught dozens of piano and voice students of a wide array of ages and abilities all over the DMV for the past three years. Some of my favorite teaching moments have been to see my students achieve their goals, and I help students accomplish them by encouraging a regular practice schedule as well as to have patience. In college and graduate school, I took courses in vocal pedagogy, choral conducting, acting and stage direction in both the opera and musical theater departments, as well as music theory, history, ear training, and diction classes for French, German, Italian, and English. In addition, my experiences onstage in numerous opera and musical theater productions, performing solo recitals, singing within high-caliber school and professional choirs, and even playing in orchestras as a violinist developed and refined my abilities to relate to students of various talents and goals, and in turn aid their development into confident musicians.

For young beginner piano students, I keep the number of books to a minimum so lessons don’t become too overwhelming, and in order to help them stay organized. I often recommend the first Alfred All-in–One book, plus a Just the Facts music theory book which students love because there are fun games and activities at the end of each lesson. Once the student has learned enough fundamentals, I will recommend other books and provide supplemental material. For young voice students, I usually start them off with the Giant Book of Children’s Vocal Solos, which has enough songs to last the first few years of learning to sing, and the Full Voice books in order to learn solfedge and some music theory. Once we have done some of the simpler songs that teach fundamentals, we then can add supplemental pieces (classical, folk, appropriate pop). For teens and adults, both piano and voice lessons are tailored toward goals and interests. If a teenager would like to learn how to play pop chords, I start them with an appropriate book. If an adult wants to learn pieces to sing in church, I will offer my skills as a classical singer and professional church choir section leader to teach them how to sing beautiful melodies and passionate contemporary songs. For all my students, I am always on the lookout for new method books and resources that will aid their studies. I generally encourage students to perform in their first recital within the first semester or two of lessons, even to just get a taste for the stage! Through my business, Hannah’s Music Studio, I offer at least one recital per year at a local venue, such as a large church sanctuary that has a grand piano and microphone/sound system.