Teaching Philosophy

At its core, I believe that effective vocal pedagogy demands concrete knowledge of physiology and acoustics. My favorite quote by famed pedagogue Barbara Doscher is: “of all musical instrument makers, the voice builder is in the greatest need for exhaustive and exact information about the instrument​ he makes, for the reason that the voice is of all musical instruments the most complicated in its method of tone production.” As a voice teacher, I have an enormous responsibility to be well-educated in regard to what constitutes healthy vocal function and the many physical coordinations needed for efficient voice use in varying styles. As of late, however, I find myself reflecting less upon the information my former teachers imparted to me and more upon the experiences I had with them in the voice studio. One in particular stands out above all the rest.

Arthur Swan was a fine tenor, a former school principal and, despite my predisposition to anxiety and over-analysis, he was the first teacher who made me believe in my abilities as a singer. I am not sure if it was his experience as a performer, educator, or simply as an octogenarian, but Arthur created a studio environment where I felt safe to take risks, not just musically, but personally. With him I learned that music making inevitably requires all of the messiness and imperfection that comes along with being human. In our lessons, I felt like he saw all of me. The study of singing requires, in my estimation, the most courage and vulnerability of all of the musical arts. Unlike any other instrument, the voice is indivisible from one’s identity. In fact, I would suggest that at its core, the voice is the most comprehensive representation of one’s entire being. It is, dare I say, one’s soul. The use of the voice requires participation from every member of one’s “committee” of self: the physical body, the subconscious, one’s emotional life and memory, the imagination, and all play a role in how one’s voice is used. Arthur intuitively understood this, and honored the totality of my experience as a human being in our lessons. The modest living room of his home on the East End of Long Island became a bastion of fully-embodied music making. He taught me that singing was more than just making beautiful sounds—it was a formative, human experience.

If the voice is the most complicated of all musical instruments, I believe that we have to accept (read: embrace) its limitations. The voice is inherently imperfect because it is the only instrument that is distinctly and uniquely human. Recently, the questions I have asked myself such as “How can I get this student to belt more efficiently?” are being supplanted by those that challenge me to find the humanity in teaching voice. How can I create a space in my studio where students feel safe and empowered to explore the breadth of their abilities? How can I ensure that my students leave feeling fully seen and heard? How can I meet my students where they are, and have them know that they are enough? In short, how can I be more of an Arthur for my students?

When I think about the most formative educational experiences in my life and the teachers that I admire most, I find myself returning to that famous quote by Marianne Williamson:

We are all meant to shine, as children do…It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

I believe that the best teachers abide by this principle; that it is my responsibility to find this essential light in myself and in my teaching in order to create a space where students can find theirs. After all, if Arthur taught me anything it is that I am not just teaching someone how to sing—I am teaching someone.

Diversity Statement

As a young, white, heterosexual, cisgender, neurotypical, able-bodied man born to an upper-middle class family on the East End of Long Island, I’m pretty sure I tick all of the privilege boxes, so to speak.

I cannot and will not pretend to be able to relate to the experiences and challenges faced by my mentors, colleagues, and students of marginalized backgrounds. I can, however, open my eyes, ears, and heart to their narratives. As an educator, I am heavily influenced by the work of, and my study with, Dr. Stephen Brookfield, whose research and work on critical thinking, adult learning, and discussion as a way of teaching are modalities that I strive to model and instill in my students.

To act as an agent of change without appropriating someone else’s struggles or unintentionally turning my actions into some sort of savior-ist behavior is perhaps the biggest challenge. I hope to create an environment where students feel safe to share and celebrate their unique perspectives and narratives. Tantamount to this is creating a learner-centered environment by providing students the opportunity to publicly and privately have their voices heard. Above all, I seek to identify and challenge my own assumptions and internal biases every time I step into the classroom. I welcome critique from my students as an opportunity to refine and adapt my pedagogy to address the needs and perspectives of each particular cohort.

View my Anti-Racist Teaching Ethos here (attr. Nicole Brewer).

Approach to lessons

Let me start by saying that I have been fortunate to work with a number of incredible teachers and mentors. I am an avid learner and I am always seeking out new information, best practices, continuing education, and mentorship. The dirty little secret about being is a voice teacher is that nobody knows it all.

I can’t tell you where your voice will be a year, six months, or even six days from now. The most important thing that I've learned is that when it comes to accomplishing technical objectives, many roads lead to Rome.

The vocal soundscape for musical theater and contemporary singing vary significantly from that of Western classical music. I was introduced to the idea of standard technique by Richard Lissemore, who coined the phrase, and Dr. Jeanne Goffi-Fynn during my graduate study at Columbia University. Most simply put, it refers to a pedagogical approach that emphasizes technical flexibility.

My primary technical responsibility is to help you line-up your voice with the most efficient vocal production as possible. It is a neutral place, a vocal home-base that you can always come back to. It also happens to be the place that is totally and authentically you. From here, any number of things are possible when you step into your character, the style of music, and your artistic instinct.

In my graduate studies, I learned that lessons are really a collaborative effort between student and teacher. We have a shared responsibility to make the magic happen in lessons. Your opinions, desires, and ideas about your voice are all an integral part of singing training. What I bring to the studio is the content information regarding singing voice production (anatomy, acoustics, and all that) and pedagogical training on effective teaching practices . What you bring to the studio is your artistic mission statement, your goals, your musical history, and an open mind.

Trust me, we're going to work on it all. But I'm most interested in honoring your unique instrument and spirit.

Who I work with

My students are professional singers and actors on and off-Broadway, recording artists and independent singer/songwriters, MFA and BFA actors, dancers who are learning how to sing, high school students preparing for college auditions, middle school students preparing for performing arts high school auditions, and avocational singers. Because of my training and background, I also work to retrain singers with vocal pathologies and disorders as part of a voice care team with some of NYC's top laryngologists and speech-language pathologists.

I will work with anybody who has a desire to develop their voice.

If you want to learn how to sing, I'm here for you. I promise to meet you where you are at and I guarantee you'll receive the same time, energy, and instruction from me whether you have four Tony Awards or whether you're fourteen.

The only demographic I do not work with is young voices between the ages of 7-13.

Voice and education research states that children can and should be singing through their voice change, but this is truly an area of specialization that not all voice teachers are proficient in. If you know a young singer who is interested in taking voice lessons, I can refer you to a specialist who not only understands children's vocal development, but who has also designed developmentally appropriate applied lesson experiences for students ages 7-13.