I am a voice, piano, & acting coach for all levels & ages with 20 years experience in teaching! My passion for sharing music covers all styles & ranges!
I haven't posted a student's progress in a long time, but here is my sweet student who just finished her assignment for Spanish class. We worked on finding the perfect song she would love, transposed it to a better key for her voice, and then we practiced the language. I am so proud of her!
03/19/2022
Spring Break is almost over! Full speed ahead to Summer!
We had a busy weekend! My student completed one of his college auditions and ROCKED IT! I wish I could have been there, but there were so many other sweet students at Solo and Ensemble who needed my attention. The range of blossoming talent and the love for music in our school's is a true blessing. This weekend, I am beyond grateful and honored to be able to share music with others.
I love music composition! It is one of my favorite things to teach my students. January, we learned all about the King of Waltz, Johann Strauss Jr. Then, we applied simple concepts from a waltz to create our own. Here is one that is almost done! I am so proud of this student! It just needs an ending which we'll learn about this week!
01/28/2022
This is a great opportunity to grow with guidance from some of the best in Central Florida!
Youth Studio classes start Monday! Are you all signed up? No? Well why not!
Geared towards students grades 4-12, Studio classes will help students develop music reading skills, sing harmonies and improve both solo and ensemble singing and gain skills and confidence to be successful at advanced music opportunities including competitions and college auditions. Link in bio to sign up!
10/29/2021
It is such a pleasure to have two of my sweet students sing together in choir! Here is the concert! Cassidy sang a beautiful solo in Hollow around the 26 minute mark!
https://youtu.be/h9vRRZ4adEo
Music brings people together in the most unique and wonderful ways. I am so glad both of these souls shared their gifts through such a hard time. Looking forward to more decreased numbers to end the pandemic so I can teach in person again. Zoom is always great, but I am hopeful for a return to normal soon!
08/28/2021
100%. The voice is located between the heart and the head. Both have to be used and open to truly do the job justice.
Many think that a voice teacher's job is to show up, play some exercises, and then sing some songs - how hard can it be?
Oh-ho-ho.
If you only knew: the voice comes along with a mind, a temperament, and emotional baggage. If the voice is to be worked, the teacher must have a good grounding in establishing mental health and helping students overcome psychological obstacles as well. It's part of the job.
This is the teacher's emotional labor. And it's challenging for all of us. There is a lot of emotional labor that voice teachers do every single day. For many teachers they become overwhelmed, exhausted, or at worst, bitter from this kind of work.
This is why I don't teach a 40 hour work week. It's not the workload - it's carrying all those people's psychological states and holding that space for them throughout the week.
A teacher that is not aware of the impact that psychology has on the singing voice is working with half a human being. We bring our WHOLE SELVES to singing - or WE DON'T.
Many who cannot progress in study are limited by their mental states and thinking - NOT their innate talent or ability.
Much of what I do (beyond teaching voice) is:
1. Listening
2. Empathizing
3. Reframing
4. Cajoling
5. Cheerleading
6. Investigating
7. Assessing stressful thoughts
8. Laughing
9. Crying
10. And then teaching voice.
Voice teaching IS A KIND of rehabilitative therapy - physical AND psychological. Students who come in from previous experience tend to need to exorcise the demons of past instruction and experience. Often when difficult vocal issues 'release', the student will be awash in tears and a torrent of emotions may bubble to the surface. The voice teacher has to anticipate this.
Cornelius Reid wisely said, "Destroy the voice, destroy the psyche; restore the voice, restore the psyche."
This psychological labor has an effect on the teacher as well - especially a sympathetic one - and it is for this reason alone that I think voice teachers need to approach their workload in a similar way to a psychiatrist. For every student you need an hour of emotional recuperative time. That means the average FULL load for a teacher should probably be around 20 hours per week.
And did I mention that the voice teacher also should be under the care of a licensed therapist themselves? That goes without saying in my world.
06/23/2021
Part 1! Trip to NY for the Spencer/Cuomo Wedding!
Starting a new piece can be very overwhelming. First, remember that it's ok to make mistakes. That is a part of learning, and you grow from recognizing and correcting your mistakes. Set a goal for how far into the piece you want to play. You don't have to tackle a 6 page piece in one day or even a week. You will get there. Note your tricky spots and bring them to your lesson! That way, you can pinpoint problem areas and maximize your time in lessons. Have fun and always recognize what you've accomplished along with your goals. Best of luck and Happy Practicing!
Here is my student practicing a part of her newest piece. I'll show you when it's all done! She sounded amazing by the end of the lesson, but I want to share it when it's done!
PERFORMING ANXIETY..
A sweet student of mine asked me a question that I still find interesting because so many people ask it.
" Mrs Schroder, don't you get scared when you perform? Aren't you embarrassed?"
My answer is always, "no."
Here's the thing, I USED to get embarrassed because I let myself assume that other's would laugh at me or make me feel embarrassed. Then, over time I realized that most people are appreciative about me sharing what I love- music, dance, spoken or written word. I love to perform on stage in front of people. When I do it, I get to share a story that might be what someone needs on that day. It is fun to pretend to be someone else. It is also deeply satisfying to open my heart to feel as deeply as I can and to expose myself in that way to encourage someone to access a part of themselves that way. This includes being as silly as possible!
I do still get nervous. Most people don't know that I suffer from social anxiety and I am extremely self critical. I want to do more that just "okay". I can feel the anticipation of sharing something and not knowing how someone will receive it. But no...never embarrassed. Never scared...I don't think I let myself go there. I don't name my feelings as scared because of the rewards that come with not permitting myself to hide...myself!
I used to feel competitive, but over time I realized that I can't compare my special gift to others. It's like comparing sunsets and sunrises. All are gorgeous. All are different. I can admire all of them and love them each in their moment.
So, when you encounter a person who is going to try to share their gift...encourage them. Remind them that they have to cultivate that gift first, then share it shamelessly because someone needs to receive it. If that someone is you...remember that fear and excitement are very closely related. Naming your fear as excitement gives you more power than you might have had in the past. Don't assume you know how people will react to your performance unless you are assuming that someone, somewhere will love it.