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EDUCATION

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• Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) Degree from Stony Brook University, NY, USA (2019)​

• Master of Musical Arts (MA) Degree from The Jazz Vocal Performance Program at Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, NY, USA (2014)

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree from Pop and Jazz Department of National Music Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria (1996 )

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Disciplines and Instructors

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• Voice and Performance - JD Walter, Charenne Wade, Dee Daniels, and Brenda Harris; 

• Jazz Harmony - David Berkman;

• Arranging and Composition - Michael Mossman, Ray Anderson;

• Improvisation - Ray Anderson, Antonio Hart and David Berkman;

• Piano - Jeb Patton;

• Jazz History - Howard Brofsky;

• Musicianship -  Perry Goldstein.

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Teaching Experience

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 2008 - 2012  

• Adjunct Voice Lecturer at Contemporary Music Performance Department of LaSalle College of the Arts, Singapore;

• Private voice teacher at United World College, German International School, Saint Joseph Institution International, Singapore.

• Private practice.

2014 - 2017

• Voice teacher at Gold Coast Art Center (GCAC) at Great Neck, Long Island, New York, USA.

• Voice teacher at Music, Art & Dance School of Douglaston, New York, USA.

• Private practice.

2017 - 2019​

• Teaching Assistant and Jazz Ensembles Instructor at Stony Brook University, Long Island, New York, USA.

• Voice teacher at Gold Coast Art Center (GCAC) at Great Neck, Long Island, New York, USA.  

 

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INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS

 

Current location - Singapore

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Lessons rates:

SGD 100 per 60 mins

SGD 80 per 45 mins

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Inquiries on bookings or more information about the voice lessons: info@mayanova.com 

 

Online lessons rates:

SGD 90 per 60mins 

SGD 70 per 45mins

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Online voice lessons are available via Zoom and FaceTime.

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Course of Studies 

 

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BEGINNERS / INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS

 

Vocal Technique and Vocal Health

 

- Breath Support / Management - The Quiet Breath (Bel Canto technique),

- Resonance / Placement for Jazz or Pop Vocal,

- Vocal Registers - Connecting the vocal registers,

- Extending the Vocal Range,

- Keeping low larynx and an open throat,

- Articulation - Vowels - Forming the vowels in American English,

- Phrasing for jazz and pop music styles,

- Using different tone colors for jazz or pop music,

- Vocal Health.

 

Jazz Repertoire topics

 

- Learning popular jazz standards - The Great American Songbook,

- Song form and choosing the right key,

- Storytelling a.k.a Learning the Lyrics,

- Knowing how to listen to the jazz greats and finding different versions of a tune,

- Melody and Harmony,

- The Blues,

- Rhythm Exercises for swing feel - The triplet in eight notes, quarter notes, half notes,

- Making the lyrics swing,

- Phrasing and para-phrasing (second choruses with lyrics), backward or forward phrasing, phrasing "over the bar",

- Writing your own charts,

- Songwriting and arranging (for advanced students)

 

Pop Repertoire topics

 

- Choosing your songs.

- Song form and choosing the right key.

- Storytelling a.k.a. Learning the Lyrics.

- Style - tone color, riffs and embellishments. 

- Listening to different vocalists and learning from them.

- Melody and harmony - pentatonic and blues scale (for advanced students.)

- Songwriting and arranging (for advanced students.)

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ADVANCED JAZZ STUDENTS

 

- Vocal Improvisation - Scat!

- Rhythm - The triplet in eight notes, quarter notes, half notes, 16 notes, and practicing with a metronome.

- Knowing the melody...but really knowing the melody!

- Learning the harmonic language of a tune by singing: roots and outlining chord changes, basic patterns over the chord changes: 1231, 1235, 1345, etc., scales corresponding to the chords, creating guide lines, the 2-5-1 harmonic structure.

- The Blues Form and Rhythm Changes!

- Playing basic piano for singers!

- Transcriptions and their importance in hearing the jazz language!

- Songwriting.

- Arranging.

 

 

CHILDREN AGED  5 - 12 

 

- Posture and breathing for singing.

- Introducing basic warm up scales.

- Learning to sing the vowels.

- Working on popular children’s songs from Musicals, Disney movies or the current Pop repertoire. 

- Basic ear-training and music theory.

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