Voice Teachers Biographies
Our teachers are among the most talented in the industry. It would be our pleasure to put our extensive experience to work for you and your family!
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Rebecca Collett, BMus, MMusPiano/Voice
Soprano Rebecca Collett made her professional debut singing about the provinces of Canada on Sesame Street Canada at age 7. Since then, her musical knowledge and training has grown considerably.
Rebecca holds a Master of Music degree from The Opera Division at The University of Toronto. She completed a Bachelor of Music at The University of Western Ontario. Her studies have included performance technique, conducting, vocal pedagogy and 'the singing mind'. She has completed grade VIII piano with studies to grade X piano through the Royal Conservatory of Music Toronto. She has also studied with coaches and teachers from The Metropolitan Opera, The Curtis Institute and The Juilliard School at The Chautauqua Institute-School of Singing.
Growing up in a musical family, Rebecca was able to study piano from a young age. She was also "encouraged" by her parents to join many choirs, and eventually bands playing french horn and trumpet. Her parents "encouragement" finally resulted in Rebecca begging them for singing lessons at age 15. Rebecca's natural teaching personality led her to begin tutoring younger students on brass instruments and piano during her high-school years. She began teaching voice lessons during her undergraduate. Rebecca has experience teaching and working with diverse individuals ranging in age from 6 to 45 and including special needs populations. She has experience as a private voice and piano instructor, an instrumental music teacher and a choral/glee conductor. She is also passionate about music history. Rebecca's approach to teaching is creative and encouraging. The foundation of a student's success is through building confidence in a positive space.
Rebecca is an active performer in opera, musical theatre, concert and cabaret. Her favourite operatic/musical theatre roles include La contessa Almaviva (La nozze di Figaro), Alice Ford (Falstaff), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Paquette (Candide) and Gretel (Hansel and Gretel. Rebecca enjoys concert engagements with The Guelph Chamber Choir, York Region Young Artist Showcase, Toronto Operetta Theatre, Newman Centre, The Irish Choral Society, The Concert Opera Group and at Eglinton St. George United Church, where she is a section lead and regular soloist. This fall Rebecca will appear in The Canadian Opera Company's production of Aida in the chorus. Rebecca continues to pursue her own vocal studies with Jean MacPhail. She loves dogs of all sizes.
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Hannah Evans, BMusPiano/Early Childhood Music
Hannah has recently moved to Toronto from England to live and work in Canada. She graduated in music from Sheffield University, UK in 2008 and has also recently completed her Masters in Psychology of Music.
Hannah began to play the piano at age 8 and has also learned flute and violin as well as trying many other instruments along the way! She loves to sing and has always been involved with many choirs both in and out of school. As well as performing, she has also accompanied musicals, graded exams, choirs and ballet classes. She has a varied teaching experience having taught beginners and returning students as well as running music classes for young children.
Sheloves teaching piano, to any student of any age, and makes her lessons fun and exciting bringing games and activities into the learning process in order to encourage and motivate young children’s playing.
In addition to Hannah's piano teaching she has also had experience in vocal coaching and working with vocalists. She is currently coaching a youth vocal group at her local church and works with them on a regular basis. She has taught young children voice in the past whilst teaching them piano and through the music and movement classes she runs also introduces basic musicality and rhythms through song to young children. She has a considerable amount of experience working with and accompanying vocal students at the university level during her time spent studying for her degree in music at university. Hannah is a keen vocalist herself, performing in Toronto with the Cantabile Chamber Singers and singing her way through her music and movement classes!
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Stephenie McNeil, BMus, BEd
Piano/Ukulele/Guitar/Voice
Stephenie
graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree, specializing in Music
Education from Queen’s University in 2009. Her teaching experiences
there led her to complete a Bachelor of Education degree at St. Francis
Xavier University in Antigonish, NS where she completed her teaching
practicum in general music and elementary classrooms in Halifax, NS.
Having recently moved to Toronto she now enjoys teaching music in a
variety of settings including large group ukulele classes with
elementary students and private piano and theory lessons.
Stephenie
has taught in a variety of styles including RCM, pop and jazz as well
as composition and improvisation techniques. She has much experience
with lesson planning and adapting lessons to suit the needs and
learning styles of all her students, including both students who are
gifted and with special needs. Her lessons are motivating, always fresh
with new activities and individualized to students' musical goals.
Stephenie always strives to create an encouraging and open learning
environment where students can play and learn at their best.In
addition to teaching piano, Stephenie has accompanied musicals,
concerts, choirs and individual performers. She continues to expand her
own musical knowledge through practicing secondary instruments, the
guitar and organ, as well as learning to play new instruments such as
the violin, and engaging in recording projects with other musicians.
Stephenie has taught vocal techniques/singing to
choirs at the elementary school level and also in general music classes
for grades 1-6 while in her music teaching placements. She focuses on a
range of warm ups, proper posture, breathing and vowel formation to get
a good sound. These can all be practiced through a range of exercises
and by using them in repertoire. Depending on the student's interests,
Stephenie can teach sight-singing and solfege as well. She
focuses on appropriate songs for each students vocal range and
interests,
addressing any other areas as they come up (pitch-matching, projection
etc...) In addition, Stephenie teaches beginner guitar focusing on
technique, scales, tab and chord reading and basic music knowledge.
Once that is masted, pop songs can be learned with ease!
