Music Performance with Adam K.

Hello! My name is Adam, and I'm excited to be a part of the Take Lessons team. I am an Actor, Singer, Voice-Over Artist, and Teacher in New York City. Originally from the St. Louis area, I moved to NYC in 2004 to pursue a career in theatre. Along the way, I discovered a love for teaching. I have taught private lessons and classes in a variety of areas, including Acting, Accent reduction, Public speaking, Voice, Singing, Musical theatre, Dialects, Shakespeare, and more. As a working professional actor, I am very familiar with the demands of the industry and the dedication it takes to have a career in the performing arts. One of my goals as a teacher is to instill a sense of dedication in my students. And of course, as I understand the personal nature of acting & performance, my main goal is to help each student find and strengthen his/her unique & personal talents. I have been taught & inspired by many gifted teachers/performers over the years, and I always hope that I can pass along what I have learned to other students. I received my MFA in Acting from the Actors Studio/New School (NYC), and I received my BA in Theatre & Vocal Performance from McKendree University. I also have training from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC and the Old Vic Theatre in London. As a professional Actor, I am a member of Actors Equity Association. Because I have been taught a variety of techniques and styles, my teaching style combines all of those techniques. There are many ways to approach the art of performing, whether it be acting, singing, etc. And it is most effective for me as a teacher to provide you with as many techniques as I can. I look forward to meeting you and working with you! *** Lesson Details *** First and foremost, I believe in working with you to create a relaxed environment where you can learn and grow as a student and performer. Performing (acting, singing, etc.) is about taking risks and looking inside yourself to create something bigger than yourself. Because of that, I always begin each lesson with some sort of relaxation or technique to get you focused. I ask a lot of questions during lessons---some of the questions may not have one definitive answer. But I ask you these questions to get you to consider various things, think, ponder, explore, and hopefully, DISCOVER. Because all students learn in different ways, and we all have our strengths as learners and performers, my lessons are different for each individual student. But you can always count on: -Learning a variety of techniques to help you with your craft. -Beginning with relaxation and other exercises to get you released, focused, etc. -Each lesson being a building block: We build upon what we learned in the previous lesson. -Combining technical exercises (which I promise are always FUN!) with practical performance pieces (songs, monologues, etc.) Our goal together will be to unlock YOUR OWN, PERSONAL TALENTS. And then, we will work to fine-tune those talents. It is my hope that you will continue your desire to perform and share your talents with others. Also, I hope that you will develop a desire for life-long learning and that you'll eventually want to pass along your knowledge and training to others. *** Studio Equipment *** n/a *** Travel Equipment *** I provide some materials (in terms of handouts, music, scripts, etc.). I expect you to provide additional music, which will be discussed. Also, if I travel to you and our lesson requires a piano, I would expect you to provide that. Thank you! *** Specialties *** I specialize in Musical Theatre/Acting. I am a firm believer in Method Acting Techniques, including sense memory---the result of these techniques is to bring more of the performer's persona into the performance itself. Therefore, I use exercises to enhance these techniques. I believe that the final performance should be creative and expressive, yet realistic. I also specialize in Dialects/Accents----coaching clients (including Actors and Voice Over Artists) in a variety of accents/regional dialects, using an array of approaches and techniques (pitch, rhythmic variation, IPA/Phonetics, phrasing, etc.).