I believe that nurturing a positive relationship with playing music is essential in music lessons.
I use humor to keep the energy in music lessons light, fun and engaging. Students will learn to sing/play piano, read music, develop a "good ear," sight-read, and learn the fundamentals of music theory while studying with me. Interested students can also learn how to write a great song- and also how to write it down!
VOICE LESSONS
Lessons focus on improving vocal technique through specific exercises and learning to sing songs with increased awareness and control. In lessons we'll work on style, tone quality, range, balancing head voice with chest voice, developing mixed voice, and ear-training.
PIANO LESSONS
I specialize in teaching beginning piano lessons for young children, ages 5 and above,
and also offer music instruction for teens and adult beginners. I am a Harmony Road certified piano teacher, and taught Harmony Road group piano classes for over 8 years. I use many elements of that curriculum in private lessons including rhythmic play, improvisation, pointing and singing notes, body movement and tapping rhythms to develop hand and finger independence.
I have been teaching both voice and piano lessons since 2007. I have enjoyed teaching music in schools, music academies ( I currently teach at Green Brooms in Santa Monica) as an adjunct professor at Tarrant County College, and independently.
LEARNING TO SING IS LEARNING TO FEEL
Check out these neat articles about how singing affects the mind and emotions on a neurological level:
http://ideas.time.com/2013/08/16/singing-changes-your-brain/
http://www.npr.org/2013/06/03/188355968/imperfect-harmony-how-chorale-singing-changes-lives
This one is interesting, more nuanced and VERY sciency**:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4585277
Email me for pricing and to schedule your first lesson!
I offer a free 15min online or phone consultation.
TESTIMONIALS
"I have been working with Lea for a few months and in that time she has done so much for me. I was very nervous when we began because, as an adult taking lessons, I felt behind and inexperienced. But Lea has been great! We have improved my breathing, my pitch, and my annunciation. But more than that, she has helped me to understand the “why” behind everything she is teaching. She has been outstanding and I couldn’t recommend her more!" - Victoria P.
"Lea was very patient and easy to work with. I've never had vocal lessons before, so i was a bit nervous coming in but I was nothing but comfortable working with Lea. She was able to give me a lot of insight and direction in moving forward with my voice." - Jason P.
"I had a little vocal training before taking lessons with Lea. She introduced me to a lot of useful vocal exercises and was very knowledgeable about the structure of the voice. Her jazz soloing knowledge and musicianship lessons were fantastic and her improv techniques are transferable to other instruments beyond the voice." - Nick W.
"We have had Ms. Lea Grant teach our kids for 2 years so far and we have loved the change she has brought in how our children view their piano lessons. She has educated them on different styles of piano music , classical , jazz, etc. She has been very encouraging and gentle in her instruction with both children. My son who came into this hating playing the piano, actually practices without prodding and enjoys playing for anybody who will listen. She was extremely adaptable during the lockdown situation and made sure we did not miss out on any instruction by moving us to zoom within a week and even sent us detailed notes on the lessons after. I could not be any more pleased with my choice in a music teacher for my children." - Jovilyn M.
"I have been working with Lea for a few months and in that time she has done so much for me. I was very nervous when we began because, as an adult taking lessons, I felt behind and inexperienced. But Lea has been great! We have improved my breathing, my pitch, and my annunciation. But more than that, she has helped me to understand the “why” behind everything she is teaching. She has been outstanding and I couldn’t recommend her more!" - Victoria P.
"Lea was very patient and easy to work with. I've never had vocal lessons before, so i was a bit nervous coming in but I was nothing but comfortable working with Lea. She was able to give me a lot of insight and direction in moving forward with my voice." - Jason P.
"I had a little vocal training before taking lessons with Lea. She introduced me to a lot of useful vocal exercises and was very knowledgeable about the structure of the voice. Her jazz soloing knowledge and musicianship lessons were fantastic and her improv techniques are transferable to other instruments beyond the voice." - Nick W.
"We have had Ms. Lea Grant teach our kids for 2 years so far and we have loved the change she has brought in how our children view their piano lessons. She has educated them on different styles of piano music , classical , jazz, etc. She has been very encouraging and gentle in her instruction with both children. My son who came into this hating playing the piano, actually practices without prodding and enjoys playing for anybody who will listen. She was extremely adaptable during the lockdown situation and made sure we did not miss out on any instruction by moving us to zoom within a week and even sent us detailed notes on the lessons after. I could not be any more pleased with my choice in a music teacher for my children." - Jovilyn M.
Read Alicia Bay L.'s review of Lea Grant on Yelp