Michael Patterson

Hello!

My name is Michael Patterson, and I am a music teacher and singer/songwriter based in Greater Boston, MA. I graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.A. in Voice in 2017, and I have been privately teaching singers of all ages and most disciplines. As a former member and music director of multiple professional a cappella groups and choirs, as well as a general music teacher for over three years, I also specialize in teaching vocal arranging, sight-reading, ear-training, songwriting, and music theory.

I am passionate about cultivating a collaborative environment where me and my students can work together to foster a lifelong love of learning and music. I create an individualized lesson plan for each of my students based off of their strengths, interests, and musical goals, and I help students develop optimal technique and musicianship in a safe, collaborative environment.

The Youtube video provided is an a cappella cover of a song called "Contact High," written by Allen Stone and performed by the Vineyard Sound. I am soloing, arranged the a cappella arrangement, and music directed the Vineyard Sound the Summer this performance was recorded.

I lead active, student-centered lessons that prioritize developing students' unique musical strengths while reinforcing musical fundamentals, technique, and confidence. My experiences performing in and leading various a cappella groups, choirs, and bands, as well as teaching general music at the public school level, has helped me develop a teaching technique that promotes musical growth in students of all ages and experience levels.

For vocal students, I start lessons by warming-up with vocalizes - vocal exercises that promote proper technique, posture, and stamina while developing optimal breath support and clarity in tone. We then work through a varied, individualized set of songs or pieces that develop the musical qualities necessary for the student to reach their personal musical goals. I enjoy working with artists and songs my students are interested in as much as possible!

While I was an undergraduate at the University of Connecticut, I music directed my collegiate a cappella group, the Conn-Men, for six semesters. I was also invited to join the Vineyard Sound, a professional Summer a cappella group based on Martha's Vineyard, for three Summers and music-directed for my latter two as well. These roles involved planning and leading rehearsals, arranging for both groups, scheduling gigs, and cultivating members' musicianship and confidence both individually and as a group. My positive experiences leading these groups were the catalyst to me pursuing teaching music post-grad.

After I graduated from UConn, I worked in various studios in CT for two years; I was tenor section leader and ran the children's choir at the Universalist Church of West Hartford, and I taught voice, piano, and guitar at The New Haven Academy of the Performing Arts and at Waldron's Studio 88. I also music directed musicals for two Summers at Hartford Stage, a Summer theatre program for kids. While I was living in CT and free-lancing, I also had a private studio of about 3-4 students and performed various gigs both as a solo act and as a band member of several CT-based groups.

I moved to the Greater Boston area in the Fall of 2019, and since then, I've had the privilege of teaching music full-time in several different MA districts. I worked at the Academy of the Pacific Rim, a Greater Boston-based public charter school, from 2019-2020 and taught general music to grades 5-12 there. When the pandemic hit, I knew I wanted to try a different music-teaching experience so I took on a long-term substitute position teaching general/choral music to grades 4-6 farther West in MA. Because of my love for singing and choirs, after the long-term sub position ceased I landed a position teaching general/choral music as a district-wide teacher.

I am grateful for all these past teaching experiences because I've taken so many positive lessons with me that have shaped the confident music teacher, both class-wide and privately, that I am today. I am able to approach teaching a student in many different ways because I've had experiences teaching so many different kinds of musicians, different age groups, and different musical disciplines, and I do everything I can as an educator to optimize my students' musical growth and experience.