Burbank, CA Singing Lessons

om and Footloose, and was also the Vocal and Musical Director for their production of Once Upon A Mattress. She was the Vocal Director for productions of Into The Woods and Urinetown at Hart High School in Newhall, California. She has also lent her talents to Benefit The Leukemia Foundation, Project AIDS L.A., and The Compton Battered Women’s Shelter, as featured performer, Vocal and Musical Director.

Kris has been a professional performer since the age of 10, beginning her career in the world of sacred music. She had the privilege of being a televised singer of sacred music, in the cathedrals of St. Patrick's and St. John the Divine in New York City. Kris' live performances have included all styles of music, including Jazz, Pop, Country, Bluegrass, Broadway, Classical, and Rock. She has had an extensive career as a jingle singer, arranger, songwriter, flautist and backup vocalist, as well as having had her own weekly broadcast jazz show. Kris has appeared in several musicals, on stage and in the orchestra pit. Musical Theatre credits include: Frau Blucher (Young Frankenstein); Mother Abbess (The Sound of Music); Mrs. Beauregarde/Grandma Josephine (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory); Philia (A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum). She has also sung in the Ensembles of several other productions. She led and performed with the popular local jazz ensemble The Treblemakers, with whom she recorded a CD, It’s Not About The Coffee. Other CD credits include The Wedding Collection (Arista Records), Land of The Diamond Sun, A Wolf At My Door, The Same Road Twice (all on Melonball Records), Last Night At Europa, A Class Act, and Like Fine Wine (Canadian American/Caprice International/The Orchard). Commercial jingle credits include Barbie, Clorox, American Airlines, Keebler Cookies, Thomas' English Muffins, and many others. Original compositions used by international television and radio.

Training: BM Jazz Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. IU studies include Vocal Training with Eileen Farrell and Tim Noble; Applied Flute with Harry Houdeshel; Jazz Studies with David Baker and Dominic Spera. Ongoing vocal studies with Douglas Susu-Mago, Chicago and Los Angeles.

*** Lesson Details ***
I am pretty easygoing, because I realize that students probably have a lot of homework, jobs, children to raise, etc. I believe that music should be enjoyable as well as educational! I also know that when a student practices, it heightens their enjoyment of music because it is far more fulfilling. I can guarantee that if you work with me as hard as I work with a student, you will feel excellent about your progress and ability! I have experience teaching people on the autism spectrum and those with Down Syndrome.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Casio Privia, 88 keys. CD player, music stands. Bluetooth speaker.

*** Travel Equipment ***
N/A.

*** Specialties ***
Whole voice, patient teaching of all ages and personalities, jazz, musical theatre, classical, pop. I teach all levels of flute and voice, and beginning to intermediate piano

nd beneficial.

With piano lessons, you will learn music theory (including scales, chords, time signatures, key signatures, etc.), exercises to increase dexterity, and how to play the songs YOU want to play. I typically use the Faber curriculum for my piano students, but this may vary depending on each student's needs and interests.

*** Travel Equipment ***
I expect the student to provide a piano or working electric keyboard for us to use during the lesson.

*** Specialties ***
In voice lessons, I specialize in teaching contemporary styles- pop, blues, soul, gospel, etc.

In piano lessons, I have much experience in working with beginners, both children and adults, but will work with students up through the intermediate level.

ue comes first and foremost, because it will free you to give everything you've got in performance! We will work on breath support, tone quality and proper placement, and then sing through your repertoire to put these techniques into practice.

Piano: Learning music theory goes hand in hand with playing piano. As you play your pieces, we will also explore the fundamental concepts of music theory (basic rhythm, treble and bass clef, major and minor), giving you a well rounded approach to mastering the piano. These skills will take you a long way in your musical path!

*** Studio Equipment ***
Yamaha Upright piano

*** Travel Equipment ***
Stickers for little ones! I also bring repertoire books to share with my students.

*** Specialties ***
Classical singing technique, applicable to all styles of singing

l as Amy Heidemann (lead singer from Karmin), Stephanie is a well-coached vocalist and songwriter. She has performed for the president of Costa Rica, the ambassador & Deputy Chief of Mission of the Unites States Embassy, as well as sung back up for the Grammy award winning Latin American band Maná. She has been giving voice lessons and songwriting workshops for around 5 years since she graduated. She teaches a full range of subjects, including ear training, music theory, beginning keyboarding & accompanying skills, vocal health, vocal technique, the Alexander Technique, choreography for performance, relaxation techniques, developing proporioception/interoception as well as an emotional and energetic awareness for a better interpretation of songs and optimal vocal quality. She also gives songwriting workshops and mentors/co-writes with her students so that they are able to master their songwriting skills and develop them as artists.

*** In Studio or Online ***
Of course it is more enjoyable if you can have lessons in person. But with modern technology, live online lessons come in a close second. I've been teaching for 40 years and I've been doing online lessons for about 7 years. I'm located in West Hills, which is a suburb of Los Angeles. If you are not local, using skype with a webcam works out surprisingly well. I have students in Sydney, London, Hong Kong and many cities throughout the US.

*** Use a Piano or a Keyboard for Practicing ***
I am not fussy if you use a keyboard but it needs to be a "weighted action" keyboard, so that it feels similar to a real piano. Ideally, you should also have a pedal and a stand if you are using an electronic keyboard.

*** Unconventional Approach ***
Each student is taught with a customized approach. You get to tell me what areas you want to focus on. Sometimes there may be a block or something that is a weakness that you need to bolster. Sometimes it is a narrow niche within music that you want to give your attention to. One way that I'm unconventional is that I actually have found that it is NOT better if you practice every day. I recommend that you build in about three days of rest per week. Just like people who work out at the gym learn that the off days are when the muscles regenerate, the same is true for your brain. This allows your subconscious mind to do its job and your progress will actually be faster, not slower. Another example of my unique approach is how I treat beginners. Even though you may not yet read music very well or at all, it doesn't mean that you can't start working concurrently on a more advanced piece. This is because READING notation is a comparatively slow process, but why should we restrict your ability to play something that you love to your rate of reading music? Usually, our FINGER TECHNIQUE develops much faster than our READING so I'm happy to guide you on one or two more difficult pieces and help spoon-feed it to you, bit by bit, "by rote."

*** Areas of Focus ***
-Finger Technique. How to play fast with ultimate control.
-Sight-Reading How to Read Music at Sight
-Rhythm Training
-Music Theory
-Interpretation
-Injury-Retraining
-Relaxation, Removing Unnecessary Tension
-Pain-Reduction
-Practice-Optimization - How to learn more in less time. -How to memorize music.
-Biomechanical Efficiency - Maximum power with minimum effort.
-Time-Management
-Improvisation and creativity development techniques
-Composition & Songwriting.
-How to create melodies for your poems and lyrics.
-How to put chords on your melodies.
-How to create “song sheets,” lead sheets and how to write music down on paper.
-How to notate your song so others can play it, without knowing how to read music!
-Chord-Reading and How to Play Lead Sheets & Fake Book
-Musical Styles and Piano Arrangements (Pop, Country, Gospel, Blues, R&B, Rock, Reggae, Hip Hop, Worship, Church, Hymns, Techno, 50s, Jazz, New Age, Folk, Broadway, Pop Ballade, etc.)
-Ear-Training (How to Play by Ear, Playing by Ear)
-Singers’ Tools
-Pitch Control Training
-Self-Accompanying
-How to Sing Harmony
-Sight-Singing (How to Hear the Notes in Your Mind)
-Self-Accompanying techniques in every style - Learn how to accompany yourself or learn how to accompany singers. (see “Musical Styles” above.)
-Audition Preparation - I will record the melody of the song for you so you can learn it.
-How to put melody to lyrics
-College Preparation
-Performance Anxiety, Stage Fright, Fear
-Releasing Emotional Obstacles to Playing Emotional Blocks, Healing Piano Trauma and Previous Performance Disasters, Piano Therapy
-Learning Disabilities including ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, Dyscalculea, Sensory Integration Disorder
-Motiviation Issues - Solving your procrastination and avoidance of your musical growth issues.
-How to Look Like You’ve Played Piano for Years (for Actors, Singers and Celebrities Who Have A Role Deadline and Need a Crash Course.)

*** Celebrity Piano Teacher ***
Over the years, I've taught many pro musicians and celebrities. These include: Vonda Shepard, David E. Kelley, Dick Gautier, Michelle Pfeiffer, Pray Harper, Peter Horton, Michael Goodrich, Brianna Haynes, Starr Parodi, Briana Evigan, Stuart Ross, Roger Burnley, Chris Hardin, Stu Simone and Ben Bram.

*** Howard's Teachers Go Back To Beethoven ***
I feel grateful that my own training included top teachers of both the “German School” and “Russian School” of piano technique. Generally, the German School teaches how to play with close-to-the-key hand placement preparation and fingering efficiency, and is known for great speed and accuracy. The Russian School teaches how to play with gravity and relaxation and is known for beautiful tone production. Each approach has its strengths and weaknesses. In my own playing and teaching, I have incorporated the good aspects of each and have discarded the bad. The result is a blueprint for biomechanical efficiency and beautiful sound, making it the best of both worlds. Please see the photo of the "piano lineage chart."

mpany that I direct and sing in as well. So I'm a performer, and a small business owner! So come see what I can offer!