Opera Voice with Elizabeth B.

*Limited Openings for students 12 and older!* 2016 Joan Frey Boytim Independent Voice Teacher Award Winner! I am a professional singer living in Grand Rapids, MI with a passion for teaching. My goal is to help my students become good musicians while sharing the joy and love of music with them. I have a Bachelor of Music from Grand Valley State University in Vocal Performance and a Master of Music from the Chicago College of Performing Arts in Voice Performance. From humble beginnings, I have maintained a busy studio since 2011. Since then, I have helped dozens of students excel and grow as singers several of whom have gone on to study music in college. I hold membership in the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Sigma Alpha Iota and Michigan School Vocal Music Association. Through these organizations, my students have the opportunity to perform and be adjudicated by other music professionals, they also have the opportunity to compete for scholarships. **** Due to time constraints and construction traffic in Grand Rapids, I do not offer lessons from your home **** ~What can you expect in our lessons?~ I strive to help my students become independent musicians as well as more confident singers. We work diligently to create healthy, well supported sounds. Whether we are working on classical music or pop music, it is all rooted in the same techniques. I emphasize proper breathing, support, posture, resonance, clarity, pure tone, power without pushing, and building vocal range. We will always start by warming up. I use exercises designed to target the specific areas I've outlined above. From there, we will work on building technical skills based on the students need and skills. My young singers (under 6th grade) will use the book "Singing Lessons for Little Singers" in their lessons. Please note: ***We will not work on songs until the student is comfortable reading basic solfege melodies.*** We will work extensively on the use of solfege until the student is comfortable reading music. This can take a month or more depending the students abilities and practice habits. After the student is comfortable with solfege and reading music, we will find repertoire that will provide appropriate challenges and opportunities for both growth and success. I always welcome input from students for styles they would like to sing. I especially love working with beginning students helping them build their technique, learn about music, and find their voice. Some of my most successful students have had no experience singing before taking voice lessons. ~What styles will we work on?~ My training has been centered in classical music but I also am an avid lover of Jazz, Musical Theater, and Singer/Song Writer, Folk, and Pop music. ~Lessons in my studio~ I have an electric keyboard, computer with printer, and a sitting area for parents to observe while their children are working and learning.