Upper West Side Voice Lessons With Professional Teachers
We Teach Kids, Teens, and Adults How To Sing Beautifully and Enjoy Music
Classical Technique as a Foundation for All Styles
Our instructors begin every student with foundational classical technique, regardless of the style they eventually want to pursue. That includes working on breath management, vowel alignment, tone production, phrasing, and ear training. The bel canto tradition provides students with tools that transfer to every genre, from opera and musical theater to pop, country, jazz, and gospel.
In addition to vocal exercises, students learn to read music, recognize key signatures and time signatures, understand the relationship between pitch and harmony, and sight-sing with confidence. We also introduce the basics of theory, including intervals, cadences, clefs, and form.
This approach helps singers become well-rounded musicians, not just vocalists. With this musical fluency, students can prepare more effectively for auditions, rehearse with accompanists, join vocal ensembles, and adapt quickly to new material.
Age-Appropriate Pre-College Voice Lessons
Singing Instruction For Kids
Young children benefit from vocal lessons that are creative, playful, and grounded in musical structure. For beginners, we focus on pitch-matching, rhythmic movement, breathing games, and vocal exploration. We introduce note reading using simple visual materials, and we help children develop an awareness of posture, breath, and vocal tone in a way that feels natural and age-appropriate. At this stage, lessons often include folk songs, early musical theater tunes, and light classical melodies. The focus is on helping kids feel confident in their voices, while also building the listening and coordination skills they’ll use in future musical study.
Teens Are Welcome Too
Teenagers often take voice lessons for very specific reasons. Some are preparing audition cuts for school musicals or summer programs. Others want to work on their range and tone during vocal changes. Still others want to find their personal style and develop more advanced technique. Our teachers help teens navigate these goals with structured warmups, targeted exercises, and a repertoire plan that includes both classical and contemporary selections. For classical singers, this might mean exploring Italian art songs, English-language arias, or 20th-century composers. For musical theater students, we address belting technique, register blending, storytelling, and acting through song. Many teens also begin to build fluency in music theory and sight singing. We introduce solfège, interval recognition, and part-singing to help prepare students for choir, ensemble, and solo work alike.
Voice Lessons For Adults on the Upper West Side
Adult singers come to us for many reasons. Some are looking to sing with a worship group or community choir. Others are returning to music after years away. Some want to refine their pitch and range so they can sing confidently at open mic nights or karaoke events. And some want to prepare for auditions or start a band. No matter your background, we’ll tailor your voice lessons to your interests and experience level. For beginners, we start with breath and posture work, vocal exercises, and easy songs that introduce healthy technique. For more experienced students, we may dig into stylistic interpretation, projection in different registers, or audition prep materials. You’ll learn to sing with strength and flexibility, expand your musical vocabulary, and build lasting confidence in your voice.
Cross-Genre Vocal Lessons, From Classical to Contemporary
Our teaching covers a wide range of vocal styles. Some students choose to specialize, while others explore multiple genres. We offer coaching and repertoire guidance for:
Opera and Classical Singing
Classical vocal study provides one of the most rigorous and rewarding foundations for singers. Our students who study opera and classical repertoire work closely on breath control using diaphragmatic support, long phrasing, and precise onset techniques to build stamina and expression. We introduce vocalises from the Marchesi and Vaccai traditions and explore repertoire that ranges from Italian art songs to German Lieder and operatic arias. Lessons also include lyric diction in multiple languages such as Italian, French, German, and Latin. We guide students in understanding the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) for accurate pronunciation. Through resonance work and placement exercises, students develop a vibrant and focused tone that can carry in both intimate recital settings and large concert halls.
Music Theater
Musical theater demands a versatile, expressive voice and a deep connection between acting and singing. In lessons, we help students develop a healthy and sustainable belt voice, as well as a smooth mix that can shift easily between registers. We explore speech-like singing, dynamic contrast, and clear diction to deliver the emotional arc of each song. Students preparing for auditions learn how to choose age-appropriate repertoire, cut and mark sheet music, and perform with confidence in front of a panel. Vocal warmups for theater singers often focus on agility, range extension, and releasing tension in the jaw and neck. We work on storytelling and character development in tandem with vocal technique so students can deliver not just the notes, but the drama behind the music. Repertoire often includes Golden Age standards, contemporary Broadway material, and selections from college audition lists.
Jazz Standards
Singing jazz requires a different kind of vocal finesse. We focus on flexible phrasing, subtle tone control, and rhythmic nuance. Students learn to feel the swing, interpret chord changes, and experiment with improvisation, whether through scat syllables or melodic embellishment. Breath management in jazz is often about shaping a phrase with style rather than sustaining dramatic lines, so we introduce articulation exercises and lyrical interpretation techniques. We also help students build a repertoire from the Great American Songbook, including composers like Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Harold Arlen. At more advanced levels, lessons may include lead sheet reading and vocal-harmony work to prepare for small ensemble performances.
Pop, Rock and Country
Contemporary commercial singing covers a wide spectrum of vocal styles, and we work with students to develop their own sound while maintaining vocal health. Technique in this genre often includes register blending, belting, falsetto work, and the use of stylistic embellishments like riffs, growls, breathy onsets, and slides. We guide students in building stage presence, handling a microphone, and performing with emotional authenticity. Lessons are tailored to your goals. You might want to sing country ballads, front a rock band, or record a pop single. We study phrasing by ear and often analyze recorded performances to understand how popular artists shape their sound. For beginners, we focus on pitch, tone, and rhythm. For more advanced singers, we can introduce original arrangements and help develop a portfolio for recording, gigs, or auditions.
Sacred and Choral Singing
Sacred and ensemble singing requires strong musical literacy and the ability to blend with others. We help students refine their ability to sing in tune with groups, follow a conductor, and interpret choral phrasing and dynamics. Lessons include part-singing, interval training, and sight reading exercises using solfège. Depending on your background and goals, you might study traditional hymns, Anglican choral works, gospel music, or Latin masses. Students who sing in church choirs or community choruses benefit from improved tone control, diction clarity, and the ability to sing confidently in both treble and bass clefs. We also help soloists in sacred settings learn how to lead congregational music and deliver solos with reverence, clarity, and musical polish.
Upper West Side Voice Lessons With Professional Teachers
At NY Piano School, you’ll work with a voice teacher who is both an active performer and an experienced instructor. Our faculty members hold degrees from top music programs, have appeared on professional stages, and know how to guide students through the practical realities of vocal training. You will receive personalized attention each week and a long-term strategy for improving your voice. Whether you’re learning to sing a Bach cantata, preparing for a role in a high school production, or working through your favorite Stevie Nicks songs, we will help you grow with clarity and support.
Let us know your age, interests, availability, and past experience. We’ll recommend the right teacher and get you started with a trial lesson either in our Upper West Side studio, in your home, or online.