Age Requirements

I love teaching almost every age, but have found that it is important not to start too early. (You can never start too late!) When starting a child too early, it can cause frustrations to run high and loss of interest in the student. In the case that children are unable to succeed because they aren't quite developed enough to perform, they often give up and want nothing to do with the lessons. In the vocal realm of things, serious injury can occur to the vocal chords if they have not matured enough to train. With that being said, here are my age requirements for both piano and vocal students.

For piano students, I would prefer teaching ages 7 and up. In some cases I may take younger, but that would have to be determined at an introductory lesson. It is important for these special circumstances that the child knows how to read and is able to pay attention for at least 20 minutes.

For voice students, I would prefer to teach ages 15 and up. The voice is rarely mature enough to take the strain of vocal training until the student is about this age. In some cases, a youngster's voice may have matured quicker than others, in which case I would ask the pupil to prepare a song to perform for me in an introductory lesson. There we would also determine their range, sight reading abilities and vocal maturity. After the lesson, an assessment would be taken to see if the student would be ready for the vigorous training that takes place in my studio.

Other situations cause for some students to take both vocal and piano lessons. Whether they want to learn both or they need the piano background to further their vocal skills, I am willing to work out a specific plan for each pupil in order to accomplish their goals.

Knowing The Teacher

Hello and thank you for looking into my studio! Whether you would prefer to take piano lessons or voice lesson, I know that our time spent together will be uplifting, fun and educational.

I have enjoyed music since I was very little. I would play on my swing set singing at the top of my lungs "A Whole New World" from Aladdin, "Part of Your World" from Little Mermaid or "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast. My family and I are still big Disney fans. I started taking piano lessons when I was 5 years old and continued taking them until I was about 14 years old.

I have lived in Colorado all my life and attended Heritage High School in Littleton. I was fortunate enough to have roles in the musicals there. We performed Cinderella and Guys & Dolls during my time there and I loved it! I was also apart of a production of the Music Man that my church performed when I was 14 years old. I loved being in Show Choir and Concert Choir as well as taking private voice lessons all four years of my high school career.

After high school I attended Brigham Young University-Idaho, where I studied voice as well. My piano skills improved along with my vocal skills as I took required piano lesson classes. It was a great experience while I was there to learn about the history of music, technical skills for both voice and piano, musicality and so much more. I loved having a common passion with the other music students there. I look forward to have that same common ground with my students!

Today I am a stay at home mom by day and voice/piano teacher by evening! My son, Levi, is almost 18 months and keeps me very busy! I love the enthusiasm he has for life and learning new things. I look to him for inspiration to have the same outlook in an goal I am trying to complete. My husband, Tyson and I have been married for almost 3 years. We were high school sweethearts and my heart has always been his! He's a student at Metropolitan State College in Denver studying Physical Education. We both love to spend time with our family and enjoy a good movie, sports and any outdoor activity!

I hope as we begin our musical journey together we can learn to love music and one another.

Hope to hear from you soon!

New Student Information Sheet

STUDENT INFORMATION

Name: ___________________________ Gender: M / F

Date of Birth:____________________ Age:___________

School:_______________

Grade: _________

Favorite type of music: _______________________

Music history: _______________________________

______________________

This will be filled out at your first lesson! Feel free to print it out or I will give you a copy when you arrive.

Piano Studio Policies

Dear Piano Students and Parents,

I’m so excited to start my piano studio with you. I am confident that we will learn a great deal and have tons of fun together. Being able to play the piano has been an extraordinary blessing in my life, so I hope it will become the same for you! This letter will go over my policies and procedures to help in having a positive experience together.

First, each student will need to have an assignment book such as a simple Steno Notebook, their assigned piano books, a pencil and a small bag to hold these items. If each student has his “piano bag”, they will be prepared at each lesson with the supplies needed.

Second, lessons are a half hour long each week. Monthly tuition is $60 regardless of the number of weeks in the month. Tuition payments are due the first week of each month. If you are going to miss one of your lessons because of sickness or a conflict, please let me know. I do not give credit for missed lessons on the students’ part. However, if I have a conflict arise, I will gladly give you credit for a missed lesson that I have to cancel.

Third, each student should practice at least 15 minutes 5 times a week. Practice times will increase as students progress into higher levels. Practice is important and helps reinforce what we learn at each lesson. We will have an incentive program to encourage students to practice at home.

Fourth, your student’s assignment notebook is an important item. Because parents are not at their child’s lesson, this notebook is an important communication tool. I will write each student’s assignments for the week in this notebook as well as an occasional note to the parents. Parents need to make sure that they are checking these notebooks regularly, so they know what their child’s assignments are and any other information I might need to share with them.

Once again, I look forward to our piano experience together. Please do not hesitate to call me any time with questions or concerns.

Voice Studio Policies

Dear Vocal Students and Parents,

I am thrilled to have your interest in my vocal studio. I am confident that we will learn a great deal as well as have tons of fun together. I hope to have uplifting experiences with you as we learn and appreciate more about singing.

First, I would prefer each student bring a notebook. They will need to write their assigned pieces down each week we meet. The vocal books they bring each week will most likely change often, as we will be working on various styles of music from different books. We will have to discuss what books each specific student will need on a case by case basis. Each student needs Book 1 of “The Folk Song Sight Singing Series.” There are several levels of each book, so as each book is completed another book will need to be purchased. The books usually cost anywhere from $5.00-$7.00. If you would prefer to buy them from me, I will be willing to do that as well.

Second, lessons are 45 minutes long each week. Monthly tuition is $120 regardless of the number of weeks in a month. Tuition payments are due the first week of each month. If you are going to miss one of your lessons due to sickness or a conflict, please let me know. I do not give credit for missed lessons on the student’s part. However, if I have a conflict arise, I will gladly give you credit for a missed lesson that I have to cancel.

Third, each student should practice at least 30 minutes 5 times a week. Practice time is important in furthering the student’s vocal range, pitch and overall performance. This time should go as follows; warm-up, scales, sight reading and assigned pieces. I would like for each piece to be practiced at least once during each practice session.

Fourth, my hope is to have each student achieve their goals pertaining to their voice. I will help them in their efforts to audition for choirs, solo competitions and stage performances. As they follow the above requirements, they will surely be prepared for whatever they want to do!

Once again, I look forward to getting to know you and enjoying our vocal experience together! Please do not hesitate to call me any time with questions or concerns.