Your lessons are designed to help you develop the skills and confidence you need to successfully perform in public. I work hard to prepare your lessons and I ask my students to invest daily time working on skills studied at their lessons. Performing music requires the patient integration of multiple skills over time, however, the rewards are BIG. During your lessons you will receive instruction in skills needed to sing or play the cello as well as musical skills including rhythm, melody, harmony and style. Because there is a lot to learn, I encourage you to consider 45 or 60 minute lessons, which I offer at substantially reduced rates to make them more affordable for you. I continually update my teaching methods by attending workshops and master classes and I incorporate my knowledge of human anatomy and function, to help you perform with minimal strain. Also, I incorporate internet resources in your lessons to keep them interesting and up to date. What will your lessons be like? At your first lesson we will explore and name the parts of your instrument (voice or cello). We'll talk about what you would like to learn, set attainable goals and select songs that you will be successful learning. In subsequent lessons you will warm up with scales and exercises, using common intervals with basic rhythms to improve your technical abilities and gain musical skills and knowledge, such as hearing pitches and intervals and keeping with the beat. This will also help you learn to read music. Singers will learn to use breathing to coordinate with your vocal folds to make a beautiful tone and sing on pitch, relax your throat and tongue to create resonant chambers, shape your mouth and tongue to color the tone, and use your tongue and lips to form the words. Cellists will learn to transfer your body weight into your cello to produce a mellow tone, placing your hands and arms on the cello and bow in a relaxed and balanced manner to allow you to play smoothly and in tune and to prepare you to produce a lovely vibrato. Since cellos don't have frets, you will also learn to locate each note on the cello but just a few notes at a time - until you know them all. You will learn to use your technical skills and knowledge to create musical phrases that sound beautiful and authentic and are fun to perform and listen to. You will need to practice simple skills and phrases repeatedly until they become habit. I will lend you my kind and patient support to help you through the bumps in the road. Not sure how to practice at home? To support your practice at home you will: Receive a recording of each of your lessons to practice with; Learn simple exercises you can do at home; Learn to create and use simple backup tracks of your songs to learn to hear rhythm and harmony; Learn how to use your computer at home to get feedback for pitch, and tone quality. Nervous about performing? When you are comfortable I will provide opportunities to perform in student programs performing for friends and families. You will have opportunities to participate and perform in workshops which include performance opportunities, lectures, demonstrations and Master Classes with nationally recognized teachers and performers.