Piano with Sasha H.

Originally a San Diego native. I moved to New York when I was 18 to attend the Manhattan School of Music. I had the wonderful opportunity of being able to perform, and audition all around the city. My last year of school I sang as resident young artist with the DiCapo Opera. After graduating with my Bachelor of Music from MSM in 2010, I moved to Philadelphia to attend the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts, where I performed in many of their shows and concerts. After settling nicely into Philadelphia, I am now working and performing as a musician in the Philadelphia Area. I love all types of music from opera to rock to folk, but my specialty is definitely opera and classical voice. I've had the privilege of being able to perform, and travel all across Europe, and the United States. I've also been very lucky to win awards from many competitions, such as the Metropolitan Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Birmingham Opera. As a teacher it is my job to impart all that I know to my students. If I don't have the answer to something then I will make sure we discover it together. *** Lesson Details *** Voice Lessons: My philosophy is quite simple, singing should always be comfortable and natural for the vocalist. I truly believe anyone can learn to sing beautifully when given the proper tools to access their full potential. It is my job to provide you with those tools. What will we work on exactly? For a beginner I believe the two most important things to be learned are 1. Breath control and support, and 2. Confidence in your voice. Then slowly we may be able to work on vocal technique. But you will find once you learn how to breath properly and feel comfortable in your body, a lot of your natural technique will already be there. I firmly believe all vocalists should be able to read music, if you do not know how to read music then that is something we will spend more emphasis on in our preliminary lessons. I like to work off of Paul Hindemith's Elementary Training for Musicians Singing is like playing any other instrument you must work hard and practice frequently, other than that I don't see myself as a very strict teacher. Lessons should be fun, and a place where my students feel comfortable. It is also important to remember you benefit more greatly the more effort you put into practicing. The lesson itself is divided into two parts, half of the time will be spent on vocalizing and technique. The second half will be spent on repertoire and music theory. Piano Lessons: For my piano students I like to focus on the traditional method of learning music theory alongside learning to play the piano. I don't teach the Suzuki method, however I will teach students how to use their ears to recognize pitches, intervals, and chords. I enjoy working with children, and I like to use music games to make the learning process more fun. For my older or more advanced students I like focus more on learning the proper style and expression for the various genres and composers. *** Studio Equipment *** Lessons will be in the living room where the upright piano is located. Seating available for parents. Parking is available across the street. *** Specialties *** I specialize in classical voice, opera, broadway, show tunes, cabaret songs.