Singing lessons are weekly, and of 1 hour (adult) and 40 minutes (student) in duration. All lessons are held in my Tauranga singing studio.
Each singing lesson is structured, with roughly half the time spent in developing the various skills and techniques using exercises to develop and hone the singing voice. The latter part of the lesson is spent in developing the ability to sing a song successfully, attending to all the aspects covered in the first half.
My interest is in developing the solo voice of an individual regardless of any specific genre, and because of my background in theatre, performance skills rate highly in importance.
Emphasis is heavily on conveying the message and intent of each song in a meaningful way to an audience, whether it be inspirational, an expression of emotion, the relating of a story or just for sheer fun and entertainment. After all singing is an art form and students are encouraged to have the freedom to share their individual and personal interpretations of the songs they sing. Body language, facial expressions, and an occasional hand gesture is all part of the end result.
I tend not to support an academic or textbook approach, which I feel, is restricting and lacking in soul. Nor do I accept the efforts of a student who is trying to copy the style or sound of an original artist.
I work in a very positive environment – in fact I have no time at all for negativity, or criticism which is destructive or derogatory. Singers who I teach are nurtured and encouraged to develop their own unique sound and style, and I believe, feel quite safe to give this performing art form a try, and chance the results.