Singing with Catherine D.

Catherine D. has worked with musical theater and opera companies regionally and internationally. She has performed in a variety of musicals and operas, including The Music Man (Mrs. Paroo), Honk! (Henrietta), Once Upon A Mattress (Lady Rowena), Once On This Island, Miss Saigon, Aida, Singing In The Rain, Seussical the Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chess, Die Fledermaus, and Cosi Fan Tutti. Along with Janae Mariant, Catherine co-directed and starred as Jane Watson in the independent film Shirley Holmes and Jane Watson: The Murder In The Park. She has been a regular performer at the Camino Real Playhouse in San Juan Capistrano, CA where she recorded an album of songs celebrating San Juan and its history, entitled "Back to Capistrano",€ with songwriter and playwright Gary McCarver. She recently was lucky enough to see another country'€™s perspective of musical theatre while working on the brilliantly acclaimed production of Blood Brothers at the Q in Queanbeyan, Australia, just outside of the nation'€™s capitol of Canberra (hailed along with Les Miserables as the show with the most heart-stopping final 15 minutes). She is also part of a San Jose-based vocal group, The Tour, focusing on acapella, oldies, and songs with amazing harmonies. Catherine holds teaching credentials in both Theatre and Dance through California State University: Fullerton and has extensive training in voice, acting, and dance (jazz, tap, ballet, modern, salsa, samba, ballroom) through the Grande-Goodsell Institute for the Arts and Humanities. She has taught acting, singing, and dancing skills for over eight years with ages 8-adult with Children'€™s Musical Theatre of San Jose, Southern California Institute of Music, and Del Obispo Elementary School. She is so grateful to her friends, family, and angel of a voice teacher Jill Grande-Goodsell for their unending love and support. *** Lesson Details *** When we begin training together, we will begin by building a solid foundation of breathing and vocal technique and exercises for an extended period of time, for this is where the true growth of the voice lies. We want a clear, open sound that keeps your voice free of pain and strain and allows you sing safely, competently, and joyfully. When you are ready, we progress to working with longer exercises and then songs, while simultaneously continuing ongoing training to grow in vocal technique. The training is classically based, which then allows you to create any specific genre or sound, be it musical theatre, jazz, opera, or other, safely and adeptly. Singing is a skill that everyone is capable of learning, and at the same time, it definitely requires hard work and patience. You are an athlete. Just as training for a marathon will not do itself or happen overnight, singing requires persistence and consistent practice. With such, you will reap the rewards. The consistency of training allows you to have a voice that is there for you every day, independent of weather, illness, what you have eaten, or your the circumstances of the day; you will be able to trust your voice. I look forward to entering into this adventure with you. *** Studio Equipment *** separate unit attached to the house w/ f/w keyboard w/ seating for parents Small studio- best suited for singing and acting rather than dancing. *** Travel Equipment *** n/a *** Specialties *** *Teachers marked as a Student Favorite have taught a minimum of 25 lessons and have received the highest feedback rating from students. For voice, I use the Grande-Goodsell Method. It is a form of vocal technique that makes absolutely certain that your voice and airflow are being produced in a healthy manner in order to allow you to sing safely and effectively, for your entire life. It trains the voice through a classical approach that can be used to safely achieve all styles and genres of music without stress or strain and enhances breathing and overall physical and mental health. I also teach theatrical acting, jazz, samba, ballroom dancing, speaking voice and beginning to intermediate music theory.