Pennsylvania

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Ellie Escher

Emmaus and Lehigh Valley, PA Phone: 973-615-1692
Email: EllieEscher@yahoo.com

Expertise/Specialty:	Teaching all singers to find their true voice in a fun and supportive environment.
Musical Styles Taught:	Classical, Musical Theatre, Pop
Education:	BA Music Scripps College, Claremont, C.A. MM Vocal Performance and Pedagogy Westminster Choir College, Princeton, NJ
Memberships/Affiliations:	Member National Association of Teachers of Singing

I believe each voice student has individual needs and talents and it's my goal to create a singer who has good vocal technique, musicianship and performance artistry. After discussing a new student's goals for taking voice lessons, we work together to find what approach to singing will work best. All of my students work through the basics of correct vocal technique which include posture, breathing, phonation, resonance and articulation. My approach to achieving better technique varies with each student and is usually a combination of learning the physiology of the voice and using imagery and kinesthetics to induce physical responses. I expose students to varied repertoire that serves as a starting point for technical and musical growth. Additionally, I use the international phonetic alphabet to help students learn to sing in any language quickly and correctly. During lessons, we also discuss the characteristics of effective practice. To advance their artistry and technique, members of my studio are offered workshops on yoga, Alexander Technique and acting.I bring a supportive and enthusiastic energy to each lesson, and when a student brings a commitment to learn - success is the result.

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Christie Harrington

Media, PA
New York, NY
West Orange, NJ
Website: www.christievoice.com Phone: 201-207-6286
Email: harngton@gmail.com

Expertise/Specialty:	Singing Teacher for 40+ years: Voice Building and Repairing
Musical Styles Taught:	Classical, Sacred, Musical Theatre
Education:	BA-Vocal Performance, Music History, MM-Vocal Performance
Memberships/Affiliations:	National Association of Teachers of Singing

Christie has been teaching voice for over forty years. She actively performed for thirty-eight years. She teaches individuals as well as groups. She has conducted college and church choirs. She has taught courses in Vocal Pedagogy and teaches courses in Diction for both Singers and Actors. To greater understand how body functioning can improve the voice and reduce tension, Christie studies and teaches "Body Work." Believing that communication of dramatic ideas is at the core of any successful performance, she has also studied acting, movement and performance enhancement techniques.

Each singer is a unique individual. The sound they make and the ideas they communicate are as unique as they are. My job is to help a singer find "their voice" through exercises that accommodate aural, visual, and kinesthetic learning styles. These exercises lead to healthy singing and reduce tension, improve breath management, strengthen the voice, and increase range. I am a proponent of the use of body work to improve mind/body connections. I embrace a wide range of quality repertoire in many languages and styles. I encourage and assist in my student's selection of a variety of appropriate arias and songs: sacred, secular, and popular. I believe that for a singer to reach their highest potential they must feel safe, secure, and valued. The best performances come from knowing what you do well, while continuing to strengthen weaknesses.

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Melissa Perry

Philadelphia, PA
Website: http://www.melissaperrysoprano.com Phone: 267-241-6710
Email: melisma@earthlink.net

Expertise/Specialty:	Creating a solid foundation, giving direction to new college graduates, retraining advanced singers who feel stuck, children.
Musical Styles Taught:	Classical, Musical Theatre, Pop, Rock
Education:	B.M. Westminster Choir College, M.M. Temple University, Professional Study with Maestro Vittorio Rosetta of Italy
Memberships/Affiliations:	NATS, AGMA

I love working with students of all ages and all levels, from beginners to professionals. My students have won major competitions, scholarships, entered leading conservatories, sung in major opera houses and on Broadway. I teach a voice technique that is oriented towards breath support and resonance discovered through pronunciation. I have taught for 15 years. During the last 4 years, I have done extensive studies with master voice teacher, Maestro Vittorio Rosetta, of Italy. This Italian based training is helpful to any singer as a solid foundation and for vocal longevity. I am good at articulating clear understanding of voice production and I am a strong advocate of students understanding and maintaining vocal health. I have also developed a technique using Pilates based ideas that link dance and voice technique together, thus taking the mystery out of singing for dancers and giving a practical knowledge that they can rely on. My students are all performing! Their main comments are "Now I sing with so much more ease" and "Can it really be this simple?" The answer is yes it can and should be simple. When the technique is simple and you can rely on it, you'll sing with a heart full of joy!

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