Why choose me as your teacher over someone else?
How my service stands out: Degrees in voice and piano performance and music education. Ongoing professional development study and involvement in national and regional professional organizations to stay current in my field. Over 25 years Manhattan-based performing experience. 25 years successful private teaching experience of students of all ages. Five years university teaching experience. Extensive knowledge of technique and level-appropriate repertoire for both singers and pianists. For singers, experience teaching college-level foreign language lyric diction, sight singing, and opera workshop give added dimension to lessons. For pianists, music theory/keyboard harmony and improvisation are included.
What I enjoy about the work I do is helping people to express themselves through music! I am dedicated to creating a positive, supportive, encouraging atmosphere for my students. They get to share what they have learned with my other students and with their family and friends during our annual studio recitals.
What is my typical process for working with a new student?
Talk with the student about his or her background, goals, the type of music he or she likes. Explain my background and my approach. If the student has had prior musical training, assess his or her level. Establish goals and discuss how we will work toward them.
What is my pricing system for lessons?
Students are charged a standard hourly rate. Please contact me for more details.
How did I get started teaching?
My voice teacher is a well-known vocal pedagogue and teaching mentor based in New York City. He also makes frequent trips to Europe to give master classes, and students come from all over the world to study with him. The positive, supportive, and highly effective teaching atmosphere he creates in his studio and the solid understanding of the function of the voice which I learned from him inspired me to share my knowledge with others.
As I have played the piano all my life as well as singing, it was natural for me to teach piano as well, especially when asked to do so by one of my voice students. (I accompany my voice students in their lessons, thereby saving them the additional cost of an accompanist.) My studio has continued to thrive with students studying both voice and piano since 1992.
What types of students have I worked with?
Piano students - ages 3 to nearly 80. Voice students - ages 11 to nearly 80. Both professional, actively performing musicians and devoted amateurs who study for the love of music.
What advice would I give a student looking to hire a teacher?
Research your prospective teacher’s background. Find someone who seems like a good fit in terms of experience, style of music, and teaching philosophy. There is no one teacher who is right for everyone, but you should know within a relatively short time if you have found someone who is right for you.
What questions should students think through before talking to a teacher about their needs?
What do you want to accomplish through your lessons? What are your musical goals? Are you willing to put in the practice time required to progress with your lessons? An hour a week with your teacher is meant to teach you the information you need to apply during your practice time, which is where your learning really takes off. At each lesson, we refine what you did on your own since your last lesson, answer any questions you may have, and teach you the next steps to prepare you for another week of practice.
What do I enjoy about being a performer and a teacher?
For many years, I have sung duo-recitals with my husband, baritone Robert Mobsby (see his site at www.robertmobsby.com), and these are the highlight of my musical experiences. They stretch me as an artist, and we make a point of always learning repertoire that is new to us and polishing it with our pianist, Douglas Drake, until we have explored all its musical nuances. It is so gratifying to present these concerts to our audiences and to connect with them through the music and through spoken program notes.
It is in turn so rewarding to hear my students perform at our studio recitals, sharing what they have learned with the other students and with their family and friends. This is the culminating annual event toward which we work all year, and the students always experience a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from performing.
The next step – how do you contact me?
Prospective students may email me at robinlynnefrye@gmail.com or call me at (910) 315-6049. Please leave a message if you get voicemail, as I have a busy schedule, but I will get back to you quickly. Thanks, and I look forward to talking with you about how we can work together toward your musical goals.
How my service stands out: Degrees in voice and piano performance and music education. Ongoing professional development study and involvement in national and regional professional organizations to stay current in my field. Over 25 years Manhattan-based performing experience. 25 years successful private teaching experience of students of all ages. Five years university teaching experience. Extensive knowledge of technique and level-appropriate repertoire for both singers and pianists. For singers, experience teaching college-level foreign language lyric diction, sight singing, and opera workshop give added dimension to lessons. For pianists, music theory/keyboard harmony and improvisation are included.
What I enjoy about the work I do is helping people to express themselves through music! I am dedicated to creating a positive, supportive, encouraging atmosphere for my students. They get to share what they have learned with my other students and with their family and friends during our annual studio recitals.
What is my typical process for working with a new student?
Talk with the student about his or her background, goals, the type of music he or she likes. Explain my background and my approach. If the student has had prior musical training, assess his or her level. Establish goals and discuss how we will work toward them.
What is my pricing system for lessons?
Students are charged a standard hourly rate. Please contact me for more details.
How did I get started teaching?
My voice teacher is a well-known vocal pedagogue and teaching mentor based in New York City. He also makes frequent trips to Europe to give master classes, and students come from all over the world to study with him. The positive, supportive, and highly effective teaching atmosphere he creates in his studio and the solid understanding of the function of the voice which I learned from him inspired me to share my knowledge with others.
As I have played the piano all my life as well as singing, it was natural for me to teach piano as well, especially when asked to do so by one of my voice students. (I accompany my voice students in their lessons, thereby saving them the additional cost of an accompanist.) My studio has continued to thrive with students studying both voice and piano since 1992.
What types of students have I worked with?
Piano students - ages 3 to nearly 80. Voice students - ages 11 to nearly 80. Both professional, actively performing musicians and devoted amateurs who study for the love of music.
What advice would I give a student looking to hire a teacher?
Research your prospective teacher’s background. Find someone who seems like a good fit in terms of experience, style of music, and teaching philosophy. There is no one teacher who is right for everyone, but you should know within a relatively short time if you have found someone who is right for you.
What questions should students think through before talking to a teacher about their needs?
What do you want to accomplish through your lessons? What are your musical goals? Are you willing to put in the practice time required to progress with your lessons? An hour a week with your teacher is meant to teach you the information you need to apply during your practice time, which is where your learning really takes off. At each lesson, we refine what you did on your own since your last lesson, answer any questions you may have, and teach you the next steps to prepare you for another week of practice.
What do I enjoy about being a performer and a teacher?
For many years, I have sung duo-recitals with my husband, baritone Robert Mobsby (see his site at www.robertmobsby.com), and these are the highlight of my musical experiences. They stretch me as an artist, and we make a point of always learning repertoire that is new to us and polishing it with our pianist, Douglas Drake, until we have explored all its musical nuances. It is so gratifying to present these concerts to our audiences and to connect with them through the music and through spoken program notes.
It is in turn so rewarding to hear my students perform at our studio recitals, sharing what they have learned with the other students and with their family and friends. This is the culminating annual event toward which we work all year, and the students always experience a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from performing.
The next step – how do you contact me?
Prospective students may email me at robinlynnefrye@gmail.com or call me at (910) 315-6049. Please leave a message if you get voicemail, as I have a busy schedule, but I will get back to you quickly. Thanks, and I look forward to talking with you about how we can work together toward your musical goals.