Opus 1 Music Studio is thrilled to welcome the talented and passionate voice teacher, Lauren, to our esteemed team of instructors. Her lifelong journey into singing began with a teacher's discovery of her beautiful singing voice. She recounted, "We used to sing ‘America the Beautiful’ over the loudspeaker. My homeroom teacher was also a music teacher, so she used to pick me and another girl to go sing for everyone. From there, I kind of loved it, and I've always sung."
Born and raised in New York, Lauren's initial foray into singing was driven by her enjoyment of the art. Her path to musical excellence began when she embraced the challenge of the New York State School of Music (NYSSMA) vocals exam, consistently achieving perfect scores. Reflecting on her NYSSMA experiences, she shared, "The NYSSMA is a bit like the ABRSM, but for the East Coast. It's more based on your performance. So you learn an art song to perform, you sing it, and they judge you on your pitch, rhythm, and then you have to sight-read. Every year, I would get a hundred."
Lauren ventured into larger musical competitions, including the New York All State and All Country competitions. At the age of 16, she performed at Carnegie Hall with a choir. Recognizing her talent, her parents supported her decision to pursue Vocal Performance education. She obtained her B.M in Vocal Performance from Long Island University and her M.M in Vocal Performance from Manhattan School of Music.
Post-education, Lauren blended her music career with mentoring and teaching, driven by peers' inquiries about her unique voice. She recalled, "When I was in my twenties, I didn't think about teaching other people. It kind of just happened. Other singers would come to me and ask me ‘How do you do that?’ And then I fell into, and fell in love with teaching."
In 2016, Lauren moved to the Bay Area and delved into music education.“I had a job where I got to go into schools and teach young kids the fundamentals of music. I loved it, and I had an easy time captivating the kids and making sure they had fun,” she said. Her experience expanded as she mentored and trained other music teachers. After a pandemic-induced hiatus, she felt a compelling urge to return to teaching. Joining Opus 1 felt like the perfect fit. "This place felt like a good opportunity, and it worked out perfectly, because I felt an intense need to get back into teaching, and it felt like Opus 1 and I needed each other. It feels like such a good fit for me. I love teaching, and it makes me a better singer," she explained.
Lauren, now enriching Opus 1 Music Studio with her wealth of experience, teaches our "My Little Mozart" and "My First Piano" group classes and will lead the "My Opus Choir" class starting in September 2023.
Lauren’s belief that everyone possesses the innate ability to sing is the heart of her teaching philosophy. She sees singing not only as hitting the right notes, but as a transformative journey fostering a deep connection with one's body as an instrument. This resonates with Opus 1 Music Studio's commitment to nurturing musical potential and cognitive development. She detailed, "Singing lights up the whole brain because you have to use your analytical side to learn rhythms, pitches, and languages. Then you combine that with your creative side to connect to what the song intentionally means, or your interpretation of it is. It's good for your development as an overall person."
Furthermore, she believes that singing, inherently collaborative, nurtures growth while teaching collaboration. She explained, "Opera is telling a story. When you're on stage, you're coordinating with all the other musicians, learning stage directions, listening to music, and being peripheral with everything that's going on. So in essence, you're a part of this bigger whole."