Singing with Melanie A.

I have been giving voice lessons for about 15 years. I have taught from elementary school students to adults, new/fresh beginners to professionals. I am a great encourager and am eager to see you grow in your talents and abilities. I have been singing in church choirs and receiving private voice lessons since I was 6 yrs. old. With a BA in Music, I graduated from William Jessup University, emphasis in voice. From there I went on to teach at a Music Academy and then a music focused college known as "Instituto Canzion". I have received additional instruction from classes and private lessons at Musician's Institute located in Hollywood, CA and continue to gain teaching techniques from many different professors. One of my main goals as a teacher is to make sure you are constantly growing and being challenged. As a teacher I hope to provide specifically for each students need. I have experience with instructing for pop, rock, indie, country, musical theater, and contemporary christian genres. I have worked with choir pieces as well as solos and duets, and have a home recording studio. I’ve been coaching vocalists as well as doing some recording of my own. My desire is that every student would feel comfortable singing/performing in front of an audience while having fun, because that's what it's about, after all, that feeling of accomplishment after you've worked so hard. So let me help you to feel confident while performing and have a great time! *** Lesson Details *** My teaching style is somewhat laid back. I always tell my students, "You will get out of these lessons only as much as you are willing to put in." I can be strict if that helps a student, but I try to work with each individual at a pace that works best for them. I do challenge my students to reach and push themselves to what I know they are capable of. One of the first things I will do in a lesson is to set a personal goal with the student. This helps to have something to work towards. In lessons I will focus on areas like correct breathing, posture, relaxing tension, vowels, pitch, pronunciation, performance, and others. These are some of the areas that should definitely show noticeable improvement after 3-6 months. Other things like vocal physiology and ear training will be implemented as well as some sight reading. In the end it's really all about what you want to learn. I don't claim to know it all, but I am a life long learner and am continuing to better myself through further education. *** Studio Equipment *** Keyboard, Mirror, Music stand. The student would need to provide their own recording device for lessons (i.e. cell phone audio recording) *** Travel Equipment *** I have a keyboard, but I need to be informed as to whether I need to bring it or not. The student needs to provide his or her own recording device for lessons (i.e. cell phone audio recording) *** Specialties *** I mainly teach Pop, Country-pop, pop-rock, Musical theater, Christian and contemporary genres.