Voice Lessons in Brooke, VA

Instruments: Piano Voice

I see myself as a facilitator, helping students discover new elements of music and music theory and building upon those to create a greater understanding of reading and playing music both for piano and voice. Often i will model by playing a song first so that the student cannot not only hear what is sounds like but observe my technique, finger changes, dynamic ranges, tempo and so on. There are many elements to performing a piece besides just playing the correct notes! Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Music Keyboard

I find the process of exploring music and finding solutions together with my students to be intensely uplifting and meaningful, since, as mentioned earlier, each musical soul is unique. While I set clear standards of excellence, I am also patient with all levels and abilities. Indeed, teaching beginners (including adults) is a special passion of mine. A typical lesson will include warm-ups, scales, arpeggios and etudes, followed by detailed work on repertory pieces. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice

I have been hosting and playing singer/songwriter showcases for 10 years. I have in that time completed and released Three full length CD's of original Music. 2008 Brother Lou "As Good As You Want" 2011 Brother Lou "The Devil in Me", and 2013 "We The People" Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Violin Viola

I choose to work step by step. Not to force them or pressure them on anything. As I mentioned above, having this balance between having fun, enyoing and learning how to be responsible and dedicated, is healthy and efficient! Important is to understand that to learn an instrument, you also need to practice, at least 30 min per day and not just only wanting to have the lesson, because the progress will be very minimal and slow, and the learning process will become very boring. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

I prefer Piano Adventurers for the series I use to teach piano at all levels. Their series is clear and has the proper scope and sequence to teach all ages. I supplement that technique book with a book for finger independence. Hanon virtuoso exercises and scale. As far as my singing method books, I use an Italian technique for singing. The book I use often time is Vaccai. Mainly I use my ears to determine what the student needs to focus on. Read More

Instruments: Voice Flute

For young children (ages 4-10), I focus primarily on building a foundation in rhythm, pitch matching, and vocal warm ups (wolf howls, lip trills, tongue trills, etc.). I also encourage young children to bring in songs they enjoy singing, and use those songs to help build their understanding of musical structure. For slightly more experienced children (those who already can read music) I teach using the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) guidelines. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

In lessons, I strive to keep the atmosphere collaborative rather than dictatorial. I encourage you, the student, to ask questions, and I believe it's imperative for you to understand why what you're learning is important. I do my best to make you feel comfortable trying new things and making mistakes. Ultimately, learning vocal technique requires a delicate balance of putting your trust in the teacher without abandoning individual thought. Knowing this, I try to engender the necessary trust inmy knowledge while collaborating with you to incorporate your own words, metaphors, thoughts, and feelings into your approach. Read More