Voice Lessons in Santa Clarita, CA

Instruments: Piano Voice Synthesizer Keyboard

Being a person and friend rather than a "teacher" helps establish a nice atmosphere during the lesson, although it is important to be able to show authority as needed. First and foremost the student needs to have fun at class, otherwise he/she won't work on his/her own at home. I believe it is important to play a lot in the lesson, playing along with the student, listening to tunes, or just jamming together, all of these examples help spark creativity, which is a very important part of every musician. Read More

Instruments: Voice

Being fortunate enough to have been able to study voice and perform as a singer for most of my life, it seemed a logical progression to share that experience and begin teaching. Over the past 8 years I have taught and coached both privately and in group settings as well as being a Vocal Consultant for both film and theatre around Los Angeles and New York City. I am proud to say that my students have had a vast array of musical successes. Read More

Instruments: Voice

My lessons are pretty straight forward. We begin with understanding body posture and alignment for singing. Once in good posture, I encourage breath flow while maintaining good alignment. A good exercise for breath control and release is taking a deep breath in 10 seconds, holding the expansion or suspension for 10 seconds and then releasing (NOT PUSHING) the breath in an s sound, all while maintaining a tall and expanded posture. Next, we move on to scales from the middle of the voice to the lowest notes to get the voice warmed up. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Harp Accordion Harmonica Lap Steel Guitar Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Recorder Lute Electric Violin Fiddle Double Bass Euphonium French Horn Tuba Piccolo Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Shakuhachi Oboe Bassoon English Horn Conga Latin Percussion Keyboard Electric Guitar Djembe Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Derek is most known for his association with the John Daversa Big Band. Derek has had the pleasure of meeting and performing with many of his musical heroes. He has recorded live and studio albums with Arturo Sandoval, Jon Faddis, John Fedchock, James Morrison, Greg Gisbert, Roger Ingram, Paul Stephens, Scott Englebright, Donny Dyess, the Tastee Bros, Bernard Wright, Gene Coye, Steve Reid, Kate Reid, Melvin Butler, Ed Calle, Richard Todd, Mike Brignola, Alex Norris, Dante Luciani, John Hart, Martin Bejerano, Chuck Bergeron, Rick Margitza, and appears on the Gary Lindsay album "Are We Still Dreaming" with the South Florida Jazz Orchestra. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Ukulele

I aim to create a safe and open space for students to try, make mistakes, and make progress in a supportive environment. We laugh, we consider, and we seriously make beautiful music happen, often very quickly. I like to carve each lesson for what my students need, and it has a fun, experimental element: special technical exercises for your voice, listening and repeating work-outs for breath and pitch, and even more specifics for your goals. Read More

Instruments: Voice

I am a singer/songwriter/producer. I started teaching vocals due to the high amount of inquiries for lessons by my fans and their parents. I am proud to have lived in New York and to have supported myself solely with earnings from teaching live performances and private vocal instructions. I had an original band and I established my own record label. Currently I reside in Los Angeles, California where I slowed down on gigging and devoting myself to family. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Keyboard

Each person is unique. I like to start my lessons by getting to know my students through assessing where their passion(s) lie. I know that each student progresses at their own pace. I help them set realistic goals through the development of lessons that serve as a measurement for growth. I believe in giving positive reinforcement to my students because as fun as playing the music is, I find that it can be a tough process when trying to learn. Read More