Lesson Feesfrom $30.00 / 30 Minutes
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About
Hi, I'm Susan. I've been teaching music for over 20 years and teaching online for 10. I teach Voice, Piano, and Guitar to people of all ages, levels, and most styles. Growing up in NYC turned me into a musical theater freak. I had the chance to see the best performers and shows all the time. After I grew up, I started traveling around the country and realized that there were so many other kinds of musical talent that wasn't being showcased on Broadway. I worked in radio and publicity in major areas all over.
Finally, I landed in Music City (Nashville, TN) and I saw an entirely different side of the music business and a completely new approach to those who wanted to be a part of it. I had already been an instructor of voice for years by this point but I hadn't seen people with such ambition to make it in the industry. Even if "making it" meant something different for all of them. I saw many of these young people spending way too much money and time struggling to move in exactly the wrong direction and investing way too much heartache chasing after dreams that couldn't possibly come true. It wasn't that they weren't good enough, talented enough, driven enough. It wasn't even that they had the wrong dreams. It was that they were going about everything in the wrong way, banging their heads against the wall, and wearing themselves out. And when the good opportunities did inevitably come their way, they were too exhausted to recognize them.
I began taking classes on the subject of mindset and what I learned changed not only my life but the lives of my students forever. They went from struggling and feeling nothing but frustration to nailing auditions (Many even made it to the "The Voice "and "American Idol" a few to the top 10) and feeling empowered even when things didn't go the way they'd hoped. Their singing hadn't changed but their ways of thinking had. Now I want to teach this to a new generation of aspiring musicians.
So, whether you want to learn to play an instrument or sing, because you love the sound of music and you want to start making your own, or whether you want to make music your life's work, I can help you with your goals. I look forward to hearing from you.
I am a very easy going teacher. That doesn't mean I don't expect my students to practice and show up. I absolutely do! But, I am nothing like my teachers were. My first piano teacher would get so angry if I slouched while playing. If I used the wrong finger it was as if I had just started banging on the piano. I appreciated her perfectionism and she was very accomplished. But I couldn't enjoy the lessons. I didn't feel comfortable enough to tell her if something felt to hard. This made me less inclined to practice and made me dread going to her studio each week.
I want my students to be open with me. If they hate a piece of music we are working on, I don't want them to suffer through it. I want them to tell me. There is always an alternative song . I sort of play off the areas they seem to feel strong socially and educationally until they know I'm their ally. Then I try to run it the way I run my life coaching business... Small goals leading into big ones.
I use Alfreds or Bastiens and I believe both have adult beginner books too. For guitar I only use Hal Leonard if I use a book at all. Sometimes adults just want to learn chords and dig right in. With Vocalists, I don't use lesson books. I have my own lesson plans. Although there are many YouTube Videos and blogs that I recommend for reading.