Heather K  
Instruments: Voice
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Blues, Folk, Opera

During my graduate work I taught voice lessons both through the department of music and through the community music program ACMS. My voice students ranged from young beginning singers just learning the basics of singing to seniors in undergrad preparing large roles. My main philosophy in teaching is to find a students real voice and to develop a healthy and natural sound. Also I think it is very important to make every lesson an enjoyable experience. I firmly believe if a student is stressed or just not enjoying the lesson than they will not sing well, so it's my job to make sure that singing is fun! In addition to my teaching expereience in music I also have worked as a daycare teacher and nanny for over two years. So I am comfortable teaching ages as low as 5 years of age.

For young children I will start with the basics of music. Laying the fondation for years to come. With young children it is important to not overtax the voice and to consider their attention span. These lesson shouldn't last more than a half hour. For beginning students I want to focus on breath, posture, pure vowels and natural consonants. Also starting to work on musicality in the pieces we choose. Most repertoire will be taken from early italian songs, art song, folk songs, or musical theatre. The students will have a strong influence on what pieces he or she sings. For intermediate students I want to really forcus on text painting and understanding the words. Also we will continue building on basic skills learned as a beginning student. I would also like to work of pieces in different languages if the student is willing.