My very first audition was for the high school musical. I was wearing my voice teacher’s character shoes.
FAQ:
How long have you been a voice teacher? I began teaching in 2011 when I was selected to teach a course on vocal methods to music education majors during my graduate studies. Throughout this time I also coached basic vocal technique with seventeen conservatory students. Upon graduating, I began teaching private voice lessons at 77 Arts Academy as well as Newton Music Academy in Boston, Massachusetts. in 2017, I moved to Seattle and opened my own private studio. My students have ranged in age from seven to seventy. They currently perform with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Boston Children’s Theatre, Boston Children’s Chorus, Seattle Opera Chorus, Seattle Children’s Opera Chorus, and Seattle Symphony Chorale. They also perform in high school and local theater productions and at professional sporting events.
How long have you been singing? I began singing around the time I began talking, and never stopped. My parents placed me in piano lessons at the age of six, and I began taking voice lessons at the age of twelve. My very first audition was for the high school musical; I was wearing my voice teacher’s character shoes because I didn’t own a pair. Upon graduating high school, I received a music scholarship to Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. My voice teacher, Dr. Melanie Emelio, introduced me to the world of opera, and I fell in love. For me, opera is the furthest a human voice can go. It is the epitome of vocal expression and discipline. It requires years of training to develop and maintain a consistent, healthy sound for hours over an orchestra without any amplification. I continued my training in New York City at the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College where I had the inimitable opportunity to study with renown vocal pedagogue, Patricia McCaffrey. Her passion for teaching and her unrelenting standard of vocal technique largely shapes the methods I use to teach today. And I am still singing, still studying, still auditioning. I hold myself to the same standard to which I hold my students, constantly striving to better myself and my craft.
What styles of music do you teach? I teach classical voice technique that begins, quite simply, with a student’s speaking voice. From there, the singing voice becomes an extended form of the speaking voice thus allowing us to build a natural, unmanufactured technique that can be applied to a myriad of musical styles. However, I focus the repertoire on musical theater and classical pieces, as I feel my technique and teaching style translates best to these two genres.
Where do you teach? I typically teach out of my apartment studio in downtown Seattle. With our current climate due to COVID-19, all lessons are conducted virtually until in-person lessons have been deemed safe.
How much do you charge? Lessons cost $65/hr, $55/45min, and $45/30 min. Lessons are paid for online via PayPal or Venmo. The first lesson is a $20 trial lesson/audition so we can both decide whether we will be a good fit for each other.
Are you currently accepting new students? In April of 2020, I became a mom; combined with the onslaught of coronavirus, life has been very topsy-turvy. New students are currently accepted on an audition basis.
Feel free to send me an email if you have any further questions or fill out the lesson request form to schedule a trial lesson. I would love to meet you!
Anna Galavis 