Maria S’s love of the arts, innate gifts, and years of training have led her to perform leading and supporting roles in dozens of musicals and operas over the past 20 years. Some of those include: Meet Me In St. Louis, Guys and Dolls, The Last Five Years, Les Misérables, South Pacific, The King and I, The Sound of Music, She Loves Me, The Wizard of Oz, L'Elisir d'amore, and H.M.S. Pinafore. Maria has also performed in NATS master classes and as a soprano soloist in Schubert's Mass in G Major, Rutter’s Requiem, Haydn’s Missa in tempore belli, and The Messiah.
As a pianist, Maria specializes in lecture recitals; her favorites are unknown composers such as John Field, women composers of the Classical and Romantic eras, American Romantic, and Bach. Maria also writes, arranges, and produces music for artists, commercials, television, and film through her music production company, YM Productions. Maria has trained with masterful teachers such as Dr. Tamara Watson Harper, Adriana Zabala, Valerie Walters, Leah Partridge, David Watkins, Dr. Natalie de Rosa, Paul Shaw, Gregory Alan Williams, The Stella Adler School of Acting, and The Upright Citizens Brigade.
Maria’s passion for the arts has bloomed beyond performing to sharing this love with budding musicians. For over fifteen years, she has been teaching private voice, piano, guitar, ukulele, acting, and theory lessons to students of all ages, styles, and levels...even to children as young as three years old! Some of Maria’s students have prepared with her for All-State Chorus, GMEA, Governor Honors, Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music exams (ABRSM), the Royal Conservatory of Music exams (RCM), and college admission auditions.
Maria is often hired as a vocal coach on recording sessions, as well as to consult and train actors or professional singers on film sets for roles. Many of Maria’s students have gone on to study music and acting at San Francisco Conservatory, UCLA, NYU, and Yale, to name a few. Her students have also been cast and featured in Broadway and touring productions such as Hamlet, The Lion King, Waitress, Oklahoma!, and Wicked. Maria’s students have also been cast and featured in television and film productions such as Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, Baby Driver, The Hunger Games, Mindhunter, and the Madea franchise.
In Maria’s own words: “I love teaching because I love being a part of people’s journey of learning music. I love seeing people struggle, grow, learn to think outside the box, reach goals short and long, and find a way to express themselves in ways you can’t with words. Music has a way of making us never feel alone and always understood. There is nothing better -- no award, big bonus, etc -- more valuable than seeing a student start with ‘Old McDonald’ and play it with so much pride, then getting to guide and watch them grow into using music as a form of self-expression.”
When she’s not working, you might find Maria hiking the Amicalola Falls State Park, exploring new cities, or building homes with Habitat with Humanity.
OUR MISSION:
The mission of the Stewart Music Studio is to create well-rounded, educated musicians who will always have a lifelong passion for the art no matter their long-term goals. We strive for our students to be:
- Lifelong learners who develop successful learning habits.
- Creative and critical thinkers who will become effective communicators.
- Responsible and respectful members of society who respect other cultures.
- Able to set short-term and long-term goals and be able to see them through to their success.
OUR TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:
It is of the utmost importance that our students are well-educated in their chosen instrument; they must know and understand music and music-making. Students who can “play” an instrument are a dime a dozen, but students who understand the music they are playing are often hard to find. Our music studio teaches students to know music thoroughly, not just to “play.” We desire our students to comprehend elements of the score, use their bodies effectively to make a good sound, and interpret music creatively and according to historical performance practices across all genres of music. Thus, we give students a purposeful education in technique, quality literature, performance, artistry, music theory, and music history.
Although students differ in ability and development, we maintain high expectations for our students. We expect attention and respect in lessons, faithful and diligent practice, careful adherence to instructions, and an “I’ll-do-my-best” attitude. If students meet these expectations on a regular basis, then they will excel to the best of their abilities. It is our joy to help students master their music, to do the best they can, and to strive for and achieve excellence.
Lastly, we want students to enjoy and appreciate their instrument, music, and music-making. We as teachers know we are very influential in making this happen. Students develop enjoyment of music by understanding, experiencing success, being exposed to good and varied genres, and receiving instruction from a teacher who is enthusiastic and encouraging. It is our goal to provide all of these opportunities for students and as a result their lives will be enriched as they enjoy their instrument.
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