Michaela Anne Neller
Voice, Songwriting, Piano, Beginner Acoustic Guitar
Ditmas Park
Growing up in a military family, I lived as a modern day gypsy traveling the US and abroad. At the tender age of 5 I fell in love with music through the piano. I still remember how powerful it felt to hear that first minor third I played on the white keys. My older brother was taking lessons and I begged for my own. His teacher insisted I was too young and needed to wait another year, but I was determined to play so I ignored her and taught myself as much as I could by stealing my brothers instructional books. By the end of the year she ate her words and let me perform in the recital. I learned a valuable lesson from that experience that one is capable of whatever they set their minds to as long as they are determined.
As we moved every two years on account of my fathers career in the Naval Submarine Force, I picked up diverse musical influences in each place and tried as many instruments as I could. I toyed with the flute in school band and violin through orchestra and private lessons but piano was my mainstay until I became consumed with singing. I joined choirs and started private lessons in the 4th grade and sang every kind of music I could in whatever format was available to me; classical, jazz, contemporary pop, country, folk, musical theater. I pursued any opportunity I could whether it was musical theater productions, local talent shows, church choirs and I even I had the privilege of being selected for the All European Department of Defense High School jazz conference where I spent a week in northern Italy learning to sing with a big band led by renowned trombonist Jiggs Whigham. I continued studying through high school and even attended the community college my senior year in order to challenge myself by participating in their jazz choir, advanced theory and private piano and composition lessons.
For college I attended The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. It was there that I received extensive training in ear training, rhythm, theory and composition. Through private lessons I studied vocal technique and also began lessons on the acoustic guitar and began learning about bluegrass and American roots music. Towards the end of college I began to find my own musical voice through my songwriting which happens to fall more into the vein of Americana roots music. I formed a band and started playing gigs in New York, wrote and recorded a full-length album and now have toured and continue to tour throughout the US. My album and songs have received praise from notable newspapers, blogs and websites, they are played on the radio throughout the US, received an honorable mention from Telluride Bluegrass Festival Troubador Contest and will also be featured in an upcoming web series Big Country Blues.
TEACHING
Throughout my pursuits of a performance career I have been enjoying passing on my love of music to others as well. I was a music theory, rhythm and ear training tutor for my peers in college and have been teaching a diverse age group of private students since college as well. I also have been a piano teacher for grades 2nd through 8th in multiple NYC public school after-school programs.
As a result of moving every two years, I have had the privilege of experiencing many different teachers and teaching methods. I have had 24 different private teachers, 10 different band, orchestra or choir teachers, and countless other small combo, theory, rhythm or ear training professors. I feel that I have used this diversity to my students' benefit in that I have experienced firsthand, many different styles and approaches to private and group lessons and believe that there is no right or one way to approach teaching.
We all have our own methods that work for us, but we must be flexible as teachers to learn each students style of learning and what method works best for them. As a student who was always changing teachers, I was most frustrated with teachers who believed their way was right and asked me to undo all that was taught to me previously. I make a promise to myself and my students that we will work together to find the most productive and unique way for them to learn new musical skills and technique. We also work together to find repertoire that both works well in challenging a student but also is enjoyable for them to play/sing.
Original photo source © 2011 Kirk Stauffer Photography
MEL BAY VOCAL TECHNIQUE BOOK
First Lessons Voice Book/CD Set
Mel Bay Publications is publishing my introductory book on Vocal Technique with an accompanying practice CD. This book teaches the basics of vocal anatomy and technique for effortless and safe breathing and singing along with multiple exercises and songs to practice.
It is available online here or in your local music store.
