Lessons

Whether you are an adult looking to get back into singing or a child dreaming of a career on the stage, voice lessons can help you realize your dreams. 

At Singing Pebbles Vocal Studio, we  offer individualized lessons tailored to your unique goals and aspirations. We have the experience and flexibility to accommodate individual learning styles and skill levels. Individual voice lessons enable the teacher to meet you at your vocal level, establish your goals, and help you along your journey to vocal joy at your own pace. Some students aspire to leading roles. Other students want to be more comfortable singing in their choir rehearsal. Whatever your ambition, voice lessons will help you get there.

Lessons are currently offered in-person in Sterling, Virginia or on-line via Muzie.Live.  Effective January 1, 2023, Singing  Pebbles Vocal Studio will be offering lessons on a monthly subscription basis. For “Initial Fit Sessions” and very young students, 30 minute appointments are available.  To accommodate work schedules, Singing Pebbles offers a limited number of evening appointments. Lessons are scheduled on a weekly basis. Occasional drop in lessons are available on a first come basis for a higher  fee. For more information, please see the Studio Policies under the “Resources” tab.

Located in a cozy residential neighborhood, the Singing Pebbles Vocal Studio offers ample free on-street parking. As a home based studio, Singing Pebbles provides a more comfortable, less formal instructional setting than a store front studio. The well-lit studio is equipped with a baby grand piano, large mirror, and other equipment to enhance the learning environment. There is also an extensive library of printed music and recording available for use during lessons.

While lessons are highly individualized, there are some basic features for all lessons. Students are  expected to bring whatever materials they have been working on to  lessons. We generally begin each session with a series of vocalizations that are tailored to what the student is working on. Depending on the individual goals, lessons may include sight singing work or other music theory based exercises. The final portion of the lesson will be focused on repertoire or music based on the student’s needs. While I have a classical background, I am comfortable and experienced with teaching a wide variety of styles and genres. My primary focus is to help students learn to sing with a free, comfortable voice regardless of their style.

As we are still dealing with  the global Covid-19 pandemic, adjustments have been made to the studio space to help keep everybody healthy. In addition to observing social distancing, a high quality air purifier is being used in the studio and a window will be open to allow a constant influx of  fresh air. Lessons are  scheduled a minimum of 15  minutes apart to allow for the air to circulate and refresh between students.

In the event that there is an outbreak or uptick in local infection rates, as we have seen with the Omicron variant, all lessons will switch to virtual status until it is deemed safe to resume in person. Please see the Covid 19 policy statement under the "Resources" tab.

The Covid-19 pandemic has broadened  horizons for delivering voice lessons. It has been quite an adventure and an education in technology! Virtual/ Online lessons have opened up a world of possibilities for music lessons. Singing Pebbles Vocal Studio offers virtual lessons using Muzie.Live, a virtual  music studio. Muzie offers a high quality audio and video connection as well as interactive features such as a whiteboard, file sharing, student assignment logs, and so much more. Muzie allows for nearly simultaneous interaction between student and teacher when working on vocal exercises and music. 

To benefit from online lessons, students need a stable high speed internet connection, a computer or laptop, and wired headphones or earbuds to begin. Detailed instructions and additional optional equipment can be found under the "Resources" tab. 

At lesson time, the student will log into their individual Muzie "practice room" and click on the "Join Lesson" button at their lesson time.  

It is very straightforward but it does take little tweaking and a bit of patience the first time or two to get everything working correctly. It is worth the effort though! We can do this…together!