EARLY MUSIC EDUCATION
My entire life has been infused with music. My father was a violinist, and my mother a pianist. There was always music playing in our home, either on the stereo, radio, or live, as my parents frequently played duets. My father was a classical music enthusiast, and my mother mostly played from her vast array of sheet music of songs from the 20's, 30's, 40's and Broadway musical theater. My older brother exposed me to 60's/70's popular music. I learned to appreciate and love all kinds of music.
I began to study the piano at a young age and became a dedicated student in late elementary school. I always sang. With my sister. With my friends. With my mother at the piano. And I came to love accompanying myself at the piano while singing. This taught me to read music, filled countless hours of my youth, and prepared me for my chosen career. In high school, I sang in choirs and performed in lead roles in musical theater productions. After high school, I attended Northern Illinois University as a voice performance major and graduated cum laude with my Bachelor's degree in Voice Performance. Opera and classical singing became my passion and my dream. I sang with the Chicago Lyric Opera Chorus after college and performed in various other concerts and theater. I then attended USC, where I began post-graduate work and performed in "Cosi Fan Tutte" as Fiordiligi.
PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE
A list of credits showing my history as a professional in music is best viewed on my linkedin profile:
Performing can be a double-edged sword. I learned that performing for approval from others is a prison. Performing for joy and expression and exploration can be life-changing and healing. Making sound that comes from love, acceptance, and a confidence built from a voice that functions freely, and from a heart and soul that are open and vulnerable connects us to each other in powerful ways. This has become a mission for me: to help others find the freedom to express themselves authentically.
TEACHING
A Bachelor's Degree in Vocal Performance did not adequately prepare me for teaching singing. Though I had a basic understanding of my own voice after college and graduate work, I had never been taught HOW TO TEACH. Singing and TEACHING singing are vastly different disciplines. I became aware after about 6 years of teaching that because of my classical training, I did not have the adequate tools to teach other styles of singing. I found Speech Level Singing at that time and began to learn about functional voice training foundational to all styles of singing. This opened up a whole new world to me. It changed my own singing and gave me tools to learn how to listen, diagnose/assess, and prescribe tools to help others find pathways to singing freely. Study and certification in SLS, then IVA (Institute for Vocal Advancement) and Modern Vocal Training expanded my knowledge and experience. The learning is never over and there is no finish line. But, if I can help any one person discover a way to make sound that is free, makes them feel authentic, and expresses their own truth, my mission is accomplished.
TEACHING
A Bachelor's Degree in Vocal Performance did not adequately prepare me for teaching singing. Though I had a basic understanding of my own voice after college and graduate work, I had never been taught HOW TO TEACH. Singing and TEACHING singing are vastly different disciplines. I became aware after about 6 years of teaching that because of my classical training, I did not have the adequate tools to teach other styles of singing. I found Speech Level Singing at that time and began to learn about functional voice training foundational to all styles of singing. This opened up a whole new world to me. It changed my own singing and gave me tools to learn how to listen, diagnose/assess, and prescribe tools to help others find pathways to singing freely. Study and certification in SLS, then IVA (Institute for Vocal Advancement) and Modern Vocal Training expanded my knowledge and experience. The learning is never over and there is no finish line. But, if I can help any one person discover a way to make sound that is free, makes them feel authentic, and expresses their own truth, my mission is accomplished.