North Hampton, NH Singing Lessons

hree years. Steve is incredibly patient and the kids really enjoy the lessons (they work hard and laugh a lot!) . More importantly, though, Steve knows what he is doing and has great experience. He teaches technical concepts and theory while giving kids the freedom to choose songs and genres they enjoy most. Steve connects with kids and they respond to his enthusiasm by wanting to practice and wanting to progress. Steve fosters a love for all music which gets the kids excited to learn songs that might be outside of what they currently know. I would strongly recommend Steve to beginners, as well as advanced musicians.” Jennifer Kuhlman, Beverly MA

actice. They are then empowered by experiencing the connections between inspiration, work, and pleasure.
He performs, as a solo entertainer, an unusually wide ranging repertoire because of his versatility on guitar, piano, and vocals. Being an accomplished arranger with a vast library of charts also allows him to lead a ten piece orchestra as competently as a trio or quartet. He has performed extensively in New York, Chicago, Cape Cod, and Florida.

*** Lesson Details ***
I always try to make lessons as comfortable and enjoyable as possible yet challenging enough to maintain interest. I build lessons around the student's individual interests (specific songs or styles) so that he or she can learn the technical fundamentals in a relevant context.
My own curriculum is supplemented by the following:
Guitar: Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Aaron Shearer Classical Guitar Method
Piano: Alfred's Basic Piano Course , John W. Schaum Piano Course
Voice: Jeffrey Allen's Secrets of Singing, Nicola Vaccai Practical Method

*** Studio Equipment ***
Hardman baby grand acoustic piano
OptimusMD1600 electronic keyboard
Crate TX50D guitar amplifer

*** Specialties ***
- Singing lesson time is generally divided 50/50 between voice building and repertoire. I accompany vocalists on both piano and guitar, teaching the melody notes as they are sung along with the piano. Then, once the melody is learned, I often switch to the guitar with just chordal backing. The acoustic guitar is also softer than the piano and lets the singer hear their own voice better. For voice building, I use my own concepts plus approaches of famous voice teachers like Jeffrey Allen, Seth Riggs, and Anthony Frissel.
- I am very experienced performing all styles of guitar and can cater to the student's specific area of interest, whether it be rock, folk, classical, or jazz.
- With piano, I work on fundamentals of reading and technique. Learning basic harmony and chord construction starting with triads (3 note chords), the student can soon read single stave lead sheets (a form of music notation widely utilized by professional musicians) as well as the grand staff. This approach trains the ear and makes learning how to play popular songs much easier.

*** 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."

ble as well as challenging.

Lilla has preformed and recorded internationally, working with impressive artists, including Ciara, Trombone Shorty, Esperanza Spalding, Annie Lennox, and Carole King. She had produced 2 solo albums and recorded on over 100 records.

al needs and goals. Always an emphasis on FUN! My philosophy as a teacher is to give you the tools and help you develop skills with them so that you can learn and grow musically on your own! I look forward to helping you reach and achieve all your goals!

ores of Miami, he then found himself in Winchester VA.
It was at the Shenandoah Conservatory, where he studied under world renowned tenor, Michael Forest, and Grammy award winning composer and director, Robert Shafer (a student of Nadia Boulanger). While at Shenandoah, he developed a strong knowledge of classical music and form, and really began to discover his "voice" in his compositions. As well as develop an insatiable thirst for the verismo movement in opera.
He soon left Shenandoah to start pursuing performance opportunities, and wound up auditioning for the Berklee College of Music. Where he currently attends and studies voice and jazz composition.