Ashley - BAH Teacher #3432

Name: Ashley (Full name will be provided upon registration)

Age: 24

Gender: female

I have a Master of Music in Voice Performance and Literature and a Bachelor of Music with Honours in Voice Performance, both from Western University. Throughout both degrees, I was enrolled in performance classes such as vocal repertoire, opera workshop, and acting for singers, as well as music theory, music history, musicianship (dictation, sight singing, and keyboard harmony), vocal pedagogy, studio pedagogy, diction classes. Not only did these classes help shape me as an opera singer, but furthered my abilities as a musician as a whole, and provided me with the tools on how to pass down everything I have learned to others. I have studied voice privately from the age seven up until now. I began my musical journey in a choral setting, studying with the Hamilton Children's Choir for 10 years. Singing in a choir fostered my love for performing and the sense of community and friendship ensemble singing can give. It provided me with many professional performance opportunities such as travelling on tours to South Korea, France, The Bahamas, and the United States. It was through the Hamilton Children's Choir that I found both my love for classical singing and my love for opera. I met my private vocal teacher through the organization as the choir had a vocal coach come in and begin one on one sessions with the singers. I then began studying classical music with her and enrolled in private vocal lessons. Through the Hamilton's Children's Choir, I was given the opportunity to be a member of and the music director of the children's chorus in a production of Carmen at the Boris Brott Fetsival. This was my first time working alongside professional opera singers and it was in that moment that I knew I wanted to be one. I have dedicated the last six years of my schooling to becoming an opera singer. In addition to a University education, I have also received education in summer opera training programs such as Opera Nuova, which took place in Alberta in May-July of 2022. There I worked with voice teachers, voice coaches, directors, conductors, acting teachers, dance teachers, and film and voice over teachers. I also studied and performed an operatic role. This Summer, I will be travelling to Halifax to take part in another opera training program called the Halifax Summer Opera Festival. While I have a love and passion for opera, my love and passion for music and performing has stemmed from musical theatre. In high school I was heavily involved in musical theatre, performing in three shows in three years. I also found a passion for jazz music as I was a soloist for the jazz ensemble. For piano, I hold a Grade six level. While piano is not my primary instrument, I found an appreciation and love for the instrument in my undergraduate degree. Learning the piano has increased my overall musicianship significantly and teaching piano is one of the most rewarding aspects of my life currently.

Recipient of the Geritol Follies Bursary Award from the Hamilton Community Foundation (2022), Recipient of the David Davis Memorial Fund from the Hamilton Community Foundation (2022), Recipient of the Chaney-Ensign Bursary Award from the Hamilton Community Foundation (2022), Recipient of the Western Graduate Research Scholarship (September 2022), Recipient of the London Music Scholarship Foundation Award (September 2021), Recipient of the Western Graduate Research Scholarship (September 2021), Recipient of the Archie E. Cunningham Memorial Continuing Entrance Award (2020), Recipient of the Archie E. Cunningham Memorial Continuing Entrance Award (2019), University of Western Ontario Dean’s Honour List (2019), Recipient of the Archie E. Cunningham Memorial Continuing Entrance Award (2018), Recipient of The Willena Evans Scholarship in Music (2018), University of Western Ontario Dean’s Honour List (2018), Recipient of the London Music Scholarship Foundation Endowment Entrance Award (2017), Recipient of the Jean and Victor Redekopp Scholarship in Music (2017), Recipient of The Western Scholarship of Excellence (2017), University of Western Ontario Dean’s Honour List (2017)

As stated in my education section, in addition to my University schooling, I have participated in Summer opera training programs and large choral tours. Not mentioned prior was that I was a very active member in the choral community at Western, singing in St.Cecilia Singers (an all -women's choir), Les Choristers (an all-women's choir), and Western Singers (a senior mixed choir). I was a member of the choir council, serving as a choir president and in grad school, sat on the society of graduate students government, as well as the society of graduate students in music government. I was also an active member of the opera program as I auditioned for and was accepted into the Western Opera four times. I performed in two opera galas and two fully staged operas, including my most recent role as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel in November 2022. While I have received an immense amount of education, it is the memories and people that I have met that have stuck with me the most. One experience that has stuck with me the most as a singer was when I travelled to South Korea. Obviously there was a large language barrier as we did not understand the language of the choirs we were meeting and singing with and they did not understand ours well either. However, when we sang together with them and in front of them, the gap disappeared. Music connected us together and gave us a way to understand one another and I cannot thing of another thing as beautiful as that. It is experiences like those that have shaped me into the person I am today and instilled such a love for sharing music. I I have been blessed to receive such excellent training, education, and mentorship not only at University, but throughout my entire musical journey. My teachers have all pushed me to achieve the best of my abilities and have seen something in me that I never saw in myself. My teachers have all been kind enough to share their loves and passions with me which has inspired me to do the same for others. Music has the ability to change people's lives, it does so every single day in both small and large ways and I want to be able to make someone's life better. I will not be able to perform forever but the ways in which I educate young people can create a lasting impact.

English

Rates and Studio Policies
Registration Fee: $25.00 (One-time lifetime registration fee may be used by all family members)

Rates for instruction:
30 minute private lesson: $39.00
45 minute private lesson: $49.00
60 minute private lesson: $59.00

Travel charge: additional $15.00 per visit (for lessons in a client's home as opposed to my studio)

1. Cancellation Policy
Lessons not cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice are billable to the client and payable to the teacher. This does not of course apply to travel fees unless the notice is effectively given at the door and the teacher has travelled to the location.

2. Cessation (quitting) Policy
A client must provide a 2 lesson notice period to stop lessons. So a weekly student needs to give 2 weeks of notice, a biweekly student works out to 3 weeks notice and a twice weekly student works out to a week of notice.

3. Illness Policy
Lessons cancelled due to illness or extraordinary circumstances with less than 24 hours notice remain billable to the client and payable to the teacher.

BAH teachers are encouraged to offer a make-up lesson at a future date in the interest of client relations and general goodwill. This only makes sense as teaching a student with the flu for example, will ruin the rest of your week's employment.

No more than 2 lessons may be made up due to illness within a 60 day period.

4. Rescheduling Policy
Any lesson can be cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice.

Summer Vacation and Extended Absence Policy

Clients may schedule longer absences for trips etc. 24 hours notice is required.

It is normal and typical for students and about 20% of our teachers to schedule a break in the summer. We do not enforce a notice period (see cessation of lessons) at the end of a long summer break.

5. Evaluation Period
There are no free trial lessons with Beethoven at Home but we do offer a 2 lesson evaluation period where it is easy to try out a teacher. There are no free lessons during the evaluation period and clients may choose to discontinue the lessons at any time by providing the required 24 hours notice. After the student's 3rd lesson the required 2 lesson notice period will apply (see cessation of lessons above).