Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
Do you recommend voice lessons for my child?
No. If you have a daughter who is going to be in a pageant that has a talent division, you might want to get a vocal coach for a few lessons, but I do not recommend consistent private lessons. Children, boys AND girls, should get enough singing in their music classes at the elementary level in their school. I would recommend private lessons starting at about age 13. By that time, the student's voice has begun to mature and a voice teacher can help develop the voice range, size, tone quality, etc. better at about this age.Back to Top
At what age do you recommend piano lessons?
When a child is beginning to read well, I would recommend piano lessons. As a piano teacher, I have found that this helps them once they are away from lessons. They can read the material in their books and understand what to do. This helps them to be an independent musician faster. "Rote" teaching is fine for some things, but they will progress much faster if they can read the words and explanations in their music books.Back to Top
Why do you do so many programs?
After teaching for many years, I have found that nothing turns kids on to music like performance. Let me say emphatically I am talking about performing with excellence. Just to get on the stage and sing a song is not what I am all about. I try to teach the children that singing in public is about proving what excellence is all about. How they act, how they sing, how they look, and how they perform is a total package that demonstrates the unlimited potential children have to do great things. Even at this age, this experience teaches them a social skill about how to act in public that will make them real "standouts" in their future years at school and on into the job market as adults.Back to Top
Why do you do recorder all year with the Fourth Grade?
After teaching elementary music for many years, I have found that nothing teaches kids to read music better than playing the recorder. When they are holding a song book and singing a song, I have no idea what they are looking at or understanding about the music. When they play from a musical score on their recorder, I know instantly that they are leaning the correct note, the correct fingering and the correct counting of the note's value. This helps me know when to move on to the next level of musical learning or where to reteach and review for those needing more help. We are constantly using the recorder to play passages we sing, play rhythm exercises, or create new melodic passages. It is a multi-level thinking process that really makes kids concentrate and use all their abilities to play correctly.Back to Top