Hollis, NY Speaking Voice Lessons

eps me in a giving and learning place.

*** Lesson Details ***
With beginning students I am very laid back and patient and believe strongly that in the play of games and experiments technique will develop and manifest. As the student becomes more advanced I become more demanding as do the materials. As an acting teacher I have an advanced capacity to take students along all the way to professional and beyond. I am a member of the Actors Studio, the performing unions and studied since childhood at ACT and then all over the world including The National in London.
In Singing and Piano I can be valuable to the beginning level and will want to send them to another teacher as they progress beyond my ability.
In dance I have a wide knowledge and can teach several forms as well as history and materials. In Juilliard I specialized in historical dance of the French Court which is also known as pre-ballet. At present I am studying Tango and other ballroom forms and can teach the beginning levels as well as help choreograph for weddings or events. Of course I can also teach Ballet and many forms of Modern Dance.I adore teaching dance composition. To help a dance student make dances is very very fulfilling to me. I work with other media to inspire, using painting and painters, poetry, sound and dream, ideas and desires. All to contribute in making a dance.
In Visual Arts I can teach Abstract Painting, Installation and Performance Art. I have taught children and adults and have a way of bringing the body's expression into the act of making visual art that I and my students find very successful.

*** Studio Equipment ***
I have supplies and space. Visual Art students need to contribute to materials by finding or purchasing whatever they like and adding to the mix. My students are welcome to use what I have here and I am always adding materials. Many people throw away materials that are perfectly good for art making so keep your eyes open and you'll find all kinds of good things. Visual Art students need to book a 2 hour minimum and I will lower the price if you just let me know you need it.

*** Travel Equipment ***
just a space to work in - we can create a work space out of any space.

*** Specialties ***
In dance I teach classical ballet principles for beginners or those who are returning and want to work carefully and privately. I teach from the tradition of Alfredo Corvino's principles of relationship to organic forms and structures for sound development. I studied with Mr Corvino for years and continue to study with Ernesta Corvino.
For acting I teach a combination of classical acting technique with American sense memory and relaxation skills. I am well versed in the teachings of Lee Strasberg and then spent time in London to 'fill in the cracks' of my training with analytical skills as well as the various european influences that the Royal National embrace.
I teach creative discovery in combination with classical devices so the student can discover their own artistry while learning actual classical devices for accomplishing specific goals.

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30 minute singing lessons - Typically do 10 to 12 minutes of warmup and the rest of the time is devoted to practical application of technique to your songs, as well as, performance aspects. I also offer hour lessons.

30 minute acting lessons - Typically work on monologues or scenes that I or they provide. We can also work on sides provides for auditions for TV, film, & stage.

*** Studio Equipment ***
I use my Macbook Pro to record lessons and distribute them to students via a free Dropbox account.

*** Specialties ***
Types of Tecniques Offered
Mix/Blend
Belt (Hard Mix)
Legit (Classical)
Meisner
Method

Types of Style
Musical Theater
Classical
Pop
Rock
R&B
Jazz
Country
Heavy Metal
Film
TV
Stage/Theater

Types of Instruction Available
Individual Private Study
Group Study

nd flexibility, ease, and range in the voice. I use a method with hundreds of years of success to help the student sing what makes them the happiest, in the healthiest way possible.

I have experience teaching all styles of music. I believe that every single genre/ style is accessible to a freely singing voice, and so I use a classical technical approach to help the student sing their easiest, and their best. To find happiness, and to enjoy singing... because why do it if you don't enjoy it?

I look forward to sharing some music with you.

Elliot

fidence to achieve their goals. I empathize deeply with the challenges students may face when pursuing a life in the creative and performing arts, having worked professionally in those arena's for most of my adult life. I believe, it is the teachers job to respect each students individual process of learning.
My students have gone on to become recording artists, Broadway performers, movie actors, blues and cabaret artists and published writers.

*** Lesson Details ***
Voice
I am an empathetic teacher, sensitive to the students individual process of learning. My singing lessons usually start with breathing and relaxation exercises. Vocal exercise come next, then when the student is fully warmed up, we will begin to work on songs. It is important that the student be part of the process of picking material since the more they personally respond to the material the more apt they are to be engaged in their lessons and the more quickly they will learn. After three to six months they will understand the fundamentals of breathing and relaxation and its importance to proper vocal training. They will have begun the process of extending their range and will understand the principles of performance in song.
Acting
As an acting teacher and coach, I tailor my classes to the needs of each student. I utilize improvisatory and sensory techniques to help unleash spontaneity. I also encourage the students to use their personal experiences as a way to access a full range of emotions. I enjoy working with the student on script analysis, so as to discover the underlying motivations of the character the student is working on.
Creative and Lyric Writing
I use prompts as a way to get the student writing. Often, I will ask the student to write for stretches of time without editing themselves. It is important to unleash imagination before beginning the process of editing. Many times it is the unexpected that is the must compelling.

*** Studio Equipment ***
home- 10 minutes away from Manhattan with piano, seating for parents
-practice studio seating for parents

*** Travel Equipment ***
I provide a piano, cd/mp3 player and an large library of songbooks to work from. The student should bring sheet music of songs they want to work on and a recording device.

*** Specialties ***
I specialize in teaching how to sing rock, pop, musical theater, jazz, and blues without hurting the voice as well as method acting instruction.

te and survive a career in the world of performing arts.

With a kind and compassionate, yet stern and strong tone, Gabriel will work with you to develop the focus and dedication necessary to get your voice beyond what you even knew was possible.

*** Lesson Details ***
Regardless of the genre you sing, developing your voice with Gabriel's help will improve your tone, range, power and overall ability. You can expect to become a much better singer without losing any of your personal and unique traits.

His approach isn't a technical or mysterious one. It's all about re-learning the facts about how the voice functions best.

You can expect to clear away a lot of confusions regarding how the voice works and to take away the guesswork from the vocal development process.

If you want to improve your voice quickly, being guided by someone who understands how it all works and by someone who was where you are today and is now closer to where you want to be in the future is the best way to go. And Gabriel is that guy!

Gabriel's approach is quite simple, yet very effective at developing the entire voice.

"There are two basic levels that every singer must address. The first one is addressing the condition of the body and voice and the second one is addressing the functioning of the voice and body."

I - Silent Foundation

The silent foundation refers to the condition of your instrument as it is silent. If we are looking at the body as an instrument that sings, we first have to make sure that our instrument is in good condition. How healthy is your instrument? Is it well rested, well hydrated and loose? Or is it tired, dehydrated and tense? As you could guess, the condition of your instrument will have a significant impact on the quality of the sounds you make. So the first thing to be addressed is how your instrument is before it starts making sound.

II - Conditioning of Singing Behaviors

This is when we get busy. Once we have a well rested, healthy, hydrated and relaxed instrument we can start working it out. The goal is to condition our singing behaviors to be reflexive, reliable and strong. The way to do this is through a series of vocal exercises that will condition your voice to respond to the desires of your heart. Whatever it is that you want to express will be possible once your instrument is conditioned to the point where there is no gap between what you want to express and your ability to do so. Learning to sing is all about learning how to express yourself without barriers. You should be able to develop enough range, power, control and skill so that you can express your heart without feeling like you'™re incapable of achieving what you pursue. To achieve these abilities training is often necessary.

*** Specialties ***
ALL CONTEMPORARY GENRES!
Confidence Building, Warming-Up, Releasing Tension and Strain, Eliminating Stage Fright, Expanding Range, Improving Tone, Developing Vocal Power and Presence, Eliminating Doubt, Simplifying Singing, Strengthening The Voice, Improving Pitch, Building Stamina, Increasing Creativity, Performance Tips, Artist Development, Acting and Songwriting.

Once we have a good foundation any contemporary genre or style can be improved.

. Jeff prides himself on customizing every student's lessons based on their particular preferences, goals and skill level. "It's a very personalized kind of instruction, as I never take a cookie-cutter
approach to teaching…".
Jeff's 3 promises to all students is to give them personalized lessons, be attentive to their needs and goals. and to make them feel like every lesson is worth their investment of time and money. As long as students practice regularly, they can expect to dramatically increase their clarity of playing, their chord "inventory", their musical ear and awareness and play the songs they've always wanted to learn.

After honing his craft as a songwriter and performer, Jeff created and taught songwriting and music business classes at colleges,universities, and music schools throughout the country for many years. Some of the places he taught include UCLA Extension, Santa Monica College, Pasadena City College and The Harrison School Of Music.
When asked to summarize his views on teaching and music: "Teaching and playing music always puts a smile on my face; especially when I see that the student is having fun, learning what they want to learn and feeling the passion about music that motivated me to pursue my own musical career".

As a working singer/songwriter/guitarist, Jeff is known for his memorable melodies, intelligently crafted lyrics and heartfelt vocals. His compositions have earned him over 35 awards from various national and international songwriting contests and he's a former staff songwriter for the long-standing New York City-based publisher, Bourne Music. He has also won best music video awards at 3 international film festivals.

Some of the artists that Jeff has been compared to as a guitarist and vocalist include Keb' Mo', James Taylor, Kenny Loggins, Ry Cooder, John Mayer, Bill Withers, Jim Croce, and Don Henley.

Jeff is a NJ native, but lived and performed in Los Angeles for many years, where he worked in the studio or shared the stage with well-known artists such as Dave Koz, Norman Brown, John Daversa, Hiroshima, Little Richard and N'Dea Davenport.

Jeff catalog of over 450 songs and compositions spans virtually every genre, but many of his tunes are amalgams of pop, blues, jazz, R&B, country and rock. Quite a number of Jeff's songs
have appeared in film and TV. One that Jeff is particularly proud of, is the dynamic pop ballad, "Journey Of The Heart" (co-written by Jeanne Smith), which was licensed by the N.C.A.A. (National
Collegiate Athletic Association), who deemed it "the official anthem" of their NCAA Hall Of Champions facility in Indianapolis.

Jeff has commercially released 4 CD's of his original material: The most recent of these is his 2013 release, "Blujanova" (a merging of blues, jazz and bossa nova), which was praised by platinum selling and Grammy-nominated jazz star, Dave Koz: "Jeff's voice is so clean and pure...the production is lovely...warm and inviting...I love the interesting and surprising takes on some classics too, especially 'I Feel Good'…that brought a smile to my face!".
The other CD's stretch into other genres. "Truthteller" (bluesy pop/rock and singer/songwriter material) "Me, Myself, and I" (acoustic) and "The Spin" (pop, rock, and country-tinged singer/songwriter material). All of Jeff's albums are on his label, Relevant Records. The late great John Braheny, author of the best-selling "The Craft And Business Of Songwriting (Writer's Digest Books), gave high praise to Jeff's CD, "The Spin", calling it "honest, crafty, melodic and the songs are all exceptional". Patch.com called Jeff "a consummate songwriter".

*** Lesson Details ***
At the first lesson, I will ask you to tell me what songs you want to play and artists you want to play like and I will set the table for that by providing the chords you'll need, chord and scales and exercises to enable you to play them and guidelines and tricks on how to make it happen as quickly as possible. I know a wide variety of songs in all styles and styles, including current hit songs as well as pop, rock, blues, jazz, country songs. if you have a song or artist that I don't know already, I will learn it (often on the spot) and if not right then, at the next lesson. I have taught my students to play songs by artists as varied as Taylor Swift, U2, Jason Mraz, Adele, Eric Clapton, Django Reinhardt, Doc Watson. And that's just naming a few.

I always make it clear to my students at the first lesson: "There is no such thing as a stupid question". I want you to feel comfortable to stop me at any time to clarify what I am teaching you, ESPECIALLY if it is too difficult or vague. I pride myself on always being organized for your lesson and making sure that you grasp whatever it is I am teaching you. The goal is to get you to be able to play what you want as quickly as possible. This will take practice and dedication on your part, but I will do everything in my power to help you get there.

I never force anything on any of my students. but I feel it would be beneficial for you to learn to read music OR read tablature and chord diagrams. You tell me which one and we'll go in that direction. If you'd like to read music, then we can decide on a book for you. I have used Hal Leonard instructional books (with CD's! this way you can play with a backing track and get a sense of rhythm, which is very important), but I'm open to other method books you might have or like.

After 3 to 6 months, you will feel you are significantly more skilled on the guitar than you were before we started lessons. You will know more chords (and move from chord to chord), be able to do at least some basic fingerpicking and be able to read some music or tablature.

*** Specialties ***
Acoustic fingerstyle guitar (a la James Taylor, John Mayer, Eric Clapton, Keb' Mo', Jason Mraz, John Martyn, Jim Croce, etc.

Blues guitar a la Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Keb' Mo', Jorma Kaukonen, Ry Cooder, etc.

Bossa nova guitar

Songwriting (any aspect and any level; musically, lyrically, structurally, etc.)

the songs of Taylor Swift---quite a few of my younger students want to play her material, so I have about 15 songs ready to teach you and always learning more (by popular demand)

Adapting songs that are keyboard-based and creating arrangements of them for acoustic guitar. Examples include songs by Adele, songs by Elton John, Irina Menzel's huge hit song from "Frozen", John Legend's "All Of Me", Coldplay's "Viva La Vida", etc.

Recording on Garageband.
I became so skilled with Garageband that I was asked to give seminars at Apple Store locations, showcasing my recordings and how to use the program.

Voice-overs; performance, recording, etc.

h me, each lesson starts with an assessment. Then, we start with where you are at that moment and push your technique to the next level. Afterwards, I will send you an email with notes from the lesson and your homework.

My goal is cultivate your technique and discipline to take you to the next level of your performance.

*** Studio Equipment ***
-Digital piano
-Large mirror (to see your technique)
-Sound-proof practice room
-Parking

*** Travel Equipment ***
Digital piano for in-home voice lessons.

*** Specialties ***
Beginner voice for non-singers, new singers, or singers that have been out of the game for a while.

Audition prep for both film/stage acting and singing auditions. (Great results!)

e an indoor season during the winter months as well.

"Mr. Martin-Smith has been my director, coach and
mentor in productions and the classroom. His patience,
insight and his passion excites students, and makes
them feel safe and supported enough to take risks."

*Joseph H.
Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey
Pearl Theater Company
York Theater Company
Hudson Warehouse

*** Teaching Methods ***
I foster a safe, relaxed and engaging environment to explore truthful human behavior on stage.

The objective is 'the truth' to which end there is no one technique. Actors are encouraged to find their own tools and to draw from elements of different practices to discover a technique that works best for them as individuals.

I studied the methods of Constantin Stanislavski for acting with Sergei Pomerov of the Moscow Circus Theater. I am classically trained as well.

I work primarily as a guide to help navigate the way and to interpret ‘the signs.' I teach the lesson in the moment and address the challenges of both the beginner and the experienced actor.

***Classical Work***
My basic approach to classical work focuses primarily on the connection of the breath with the feeling on the word.

This is the foundation on which you can then build. From the ‘words’ to the ‘thoughts’ to entire ‘passages’ of text, as you work and explore, the richness of the playwright’s words comes to life. Your own unique emotional life is allowed to come through the text and you are able to fully embody the role.

*** Teaching Levels and Focuses ***
*Beginning Actors
-Work With Classical Text.
-Vocal Work.
-"Moment to Moment" Work.
-"Sense Memory" Work.

*Experienced Actors
-In depth Classical Text Analysis.
-Connecting to the Text.
-Audition Technique
-Monologue Coaching

some of the most competitive college programs in the nation are just a few of her clients’ many accomplishments.