Blythe L. TakeLessons Instructor music, voice, Opera Voice, Classical Voice, Broadway Voice, Pop Voice, Beginner Piano,... A Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ

Blythe is a multi-talented musician with an extensive background of advanced study in voice, violin, and piano.  Her musical education began at the age of three with Suzuki violin study under Inna Nederezov, and at five she became the youngest student ever accepted into the studio of James Waring, now-retired violinist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.  Blythe spent the next fourteen years under Mr. Waring's tutelage acquiring a broad grasp of technique as well as chamber music, solo, and concerto repertoire for the violin.  While an undergraduate student at Westminster Choir College, she continued her violin study with Dr. Mia Wu.

Blythe studied the piano for two years with Sonia Geoffrey, after which she was accepted into the elite studio of internationally-prominent teacher and composer, Catherine Rollin.  Her repertoire included works by Bach, Mozart, Chopin, and Debussy, and she participated successfully in numerous local and state-wide piano competitions.
 
Blythe began serious vocal study in high school with Judith Premin, and ultimately decided to continue her musical education in voice performance at Westminster Choir College.  She was fortunate to be the recipient of numerous scholarships while a student at Westminster, and graduated magna cum laude in 2004 with a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance.  Following a year of study at the New England Conservatory with soprano Luretta Bybee, Blythe returned to Westminster Choir College in order to continue working with her teacher there, Ms. Margaret Cusack.  She completed her Master's degree in vocal pedagogy and performance from Westminster in 2008.  While a student at Westminster, Blythe performed the soprano roles of Ifigenia in Handel's Oreste, Amy in Mark Adamo's Little Women, and Janthe in Heinrich Marschner’s Der Vampyr.  She has coached with Daniel Beckwith, J. J. Penna, and Dalton Baldwin, and was privileged to sing in the Westminster Choir and the Westminster Symphonic Choir under Dr. Joseph Flummerfelt.  With the Westminster Choir, she recorded the album Heaven to Earth and performed in Lakmé and I Capuleti e i Montecchi at the Spoleto Festival U.S.A. in Charleston, South Carolina.  Blythe also performed Handel’s Messiah with Sir Neville Marriner and Nicholas McGegan, Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with Sir Michael Tilson Thomas and Lorin Maazel, Berlioz’ Requiem with Charles Dutoit, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Lorin Maazel.
 
Blythe is currently teaching voice, piano, and violin, and pursuing a professional career in choral singing.

Blythe's first priority is to encourage her students' enthusiasm and love of music and to help them acheive their own personal goals.  She accepts voice students ages fourteen and older because she believes that private study should begin only when the voice is sufficiently developed.  She encourages younger students to sing in choirs and study other musical instruments so they will be more prepared when they are ready to begin private lessons.  While she specializes in operatic and classical training, she teaches Broadway and pop styles as well, focusing on a free and healthy tone production as a basis for artistic expression.

Blythe accepts violin and piano students as young as five and also teaches adult beginners.  She teaches violin using the Maia Bang Violin Method by Leopold Auer, focusing on a relaxed position and integrating basic musicianship skills with violin instruction.  For more experienced students, Blythe works on improving technique and learning repertoire that is interesting and appropriate for the student.

For piano lessons, Blythe uses the Alfred Piano Series, which includes books for very young beginners through adult beginners.  She also teaches intermediate students and focuses on theory and aural skills.

classical training as a foundation for all other styles, basic musicianship skills fundamental to all musical training, my vocal training is based in opera and classical singing, but I teach all styles

Westminster Choir College - voice pedagogy and performance - 2006-2008 (not complete)
Westminster Choir College - voice performance - 2000-2004 (degree received)
Andover High School - - 1996-2000 (degree received)

music, voice, Opera Voice, Classical Voice, Broadway Voice, Pop Voice, Beginner Piano, intermediate piano, Beginner Violin, intermediate violin