Voice Lessons in Sykesville, MD

Instruments: Voice

All students are different and therefore will require different methods of teaching. I plan on assessing and observing each student to see what method will work best for them. I learned the Kodaly method in school and plan on using that method for my students. As far as technique and other aspects of my teaching, I will decide that specifically once I meet my student and have an idea of how they can learn best! Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Music Keyboard

I have taught music for over 20 years; it is a profession that I love passionately. My students include adult beginners, students ages 7-17, and intermediate and advanced students of all ages. I am drawn to the possibilities teaching presents to discover music together with another person. Each musical soul is unique and that means the teaching process if full of discoveries and wonder at every lesson. While many of my students take piano for personal enjoyment, I am also an experienced college teacher. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Cello Music Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

My teaching style is informed by trauma-informed care and a student-led philosophy. This means that I take into account the frustration that learning a new instrument can entail, and use therapeutic techniques to make sure my students are regulated during these moments of frustration. I provide structure and guidance for my students, but give them opportunities for free exploration, decision making, and leadership throughout a lesson. During lessons, I like to emphasize practice techniques and thinking outside the box when approaching difficult or new musical content. Read More

Instruments: Voice

I have also performed the bass solo in Verdi’s Requiem. I am also a devoted lieder singer having performed Schubert’s Winterreise, Schumann’s Dichterliebe and Brahms’ Vier ernste Gesänge. My research interests include the application of motor learning strategies to the singing voice studio and vocal tract acoustics. My doctoral dissertation is entitled "The Application of Motor Learning Feedback in the Singing Voice Studio." https://ycp.academia.edu/ColinJohnson In addition to my doctorate, I earned a Master of Music in voice pedagogy from Shenandoah Conservatory and Bachelor of Music in voice performance from the University of Iowa. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Saxophone Bass Guitar Organ Music Keyboard

Later on, students will learn to read music in-depth--not merely replicating what's represented on the page exactly as-is, but with a broader and deeper understanding of the movements and relatativities taking place within the music, while building an ability (and feeling of mobility) to experiment with re-harmonization, substitutions, and alterations of all sorts. Especially at beginner levels, students often are flooded with an endless stream of lifeless representations, scales, formalities, technicalities, and special names, and as a result, their interest becomes stifled. "Music" comes to mean a drab exercise with an authority figure instead of the rich, profound, imaginative, vibrant, feeling, potent, and meditative social being that it can be. Read More

Instruments: Voice Saxophone Clarinet Ukulele Recorder Music

For a beginner student, I tend to use the Rubank method books there are several for specific instruments. This book is just a guide though the majority of my lessons are student based. I take into consideration their level and what they can accomplish in their own practice and dedication. For adults or advanced students I want to see where they are and what they need help or work with. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

I am very passionate about music, and I try to motivate my students towards a similar love of music of all styles and genres. In 2014, I have completed my studies at Boston University, where I completed a PhD in Musicology with a focus on jazz of the 1930s and 1940s. I have performed at such venues as the Kennedy Center, the Boston Symphony Hall, the Taylor House, and the Kreeger Museum as a solo and ensemble musician. Read More