Orientation

Directions and other information to read before coming to my studio

Welcome to FreeBody FreeVoice! I look forward to working together. Please read the following information through carefully before your first visit:

Directions to my studio. I teach out of my home at 341 West 24th Street, Apartment 12D, in Chelsea (NYC 10011). My doorbell buzzer code is 2403.

From the NW corner of West 24th Street and Eighth Avenue, walk west towards Ninth Avenue. My building is the second brick tower on your right (closer to Ninth Avenue); the entrance is reached by a path off of 24th Street. (If you reach the gate of the Greek church on your right, you went a little past the path.) After entering my building, type 2403 into either intercom and I will buzz you in. As you come into the lobby, keep right until you come to the elevators. Take the elevator to the twelfth floor, Apartment 12D. (Note: if you go to the left through the lobby you will come to another set of elevators, serving the other side of my building, which will take you to the wrong Apartment 12D!)

Many subway trains stop at 23rd Street, including the C/E @ Eighth Avenue and the 1 @ Seventh Avenue.

Punctuality. You are expected to arrive promptly at the scheduled time for your lessons. As far as possible, I leave a cushion of extra time between students to allow for the inevitable subway and other delays, but I may not always be able to give you extra time if you arrive late. If you do find yourself running behind schedule, please text or call me (917-239-0863) to let me know as soon as possible. Because I do not have a waiting room, I ask that you not ring my bell more than 5 minutes before your scheduled time. If you arrive earlier than that, I may request that you wait for your lesson time in the lobby of my building, where there are benches for your comfort.

Forms of payment accepted. You may pay for your lessons using cash, personal checks, and credit/debit cards, or via Venmo, Zelle, or Paypal.

What to wear to your lessons. In the course of your lessons, you may find yourself lying down on my table or being taking through various movement patterns on the floor or in a chair. Please wear something that allows for free movement and be conscious of modesty. Avoid anything tight or restrictive or too loose and flowy that might interfere with ease of movement. I may request that you remove belts, necklaces, wristwear, and dangling earrings if they interfere with our work, particularly for bodywork. Kindly go light on colognes and other fragranced products, as many of my students are allergic/sensitive to them.

My teaching studio is a shoe-free zone. You will be asked to remove your shoes and leave them inside the front door of my apartment.

Warming up for your voice lessons. I prefer whenever possible for you to sing your first notes of the day with me. That way, we have the greatest chance of having something brand new happen for you vocally. For this reason, please do not warm up before coming to your lessons. (Unless, of course, you have another vocal activity before your lesson for which you need to warm up.)

What to bring to your lessons. You need bring only your desire to learn. You may bring sheet music if you'd like to work on a song during your lesson. If you play an instrument and want to explore playing it, bring that as well, or anything else you need for an activity you'd like to work with: sports equipment, high-heeled shoes, tools, a laptop, etc. I have available some exercise equipment, a physioball, a yoga mat, a piano, a music stand, a stool, and other objects you can use during your lessons.

Recording your lessons. You are permitted to make audio or video recordings of your lessons for your own use only. (Please do not post them to public sites like Youtube.) Read this blog post for hints on how to use your recordings at home most effectively.

Mobile phones. Unless there is a particularly urgent need for you to stay in contact with someone, I request that you silence your phone during your lesson. You are welcome to use an outlet it my teaching room to recharge your phone while we work.

Illness. If you are feeling under the weather, I would prefer you reschedule your lessons until you are well in order to avoid the spread of illness to me and my other students. Particularly if you are coughing, sneezing, suffering from a sore throat, or running a fever, I ask you to stay at home. In any case, if your vocal structures are affected by your illness, it can be damaging to sing. Please understand that if you show up for a lesson with symptoms, I may ask you to leave and reschedule. If you are not sure whether you are well enough to come for a lesson, feel free to call or email to ask. If I am sick, I promise that I will not teach until I can be assured of not passing illness along to you.

Bringing guests. Since there is no waiting area in my apartment, I request that you come alone to your lessons in most cases. Anyone who accompanies you may wait in the lobby downstairs while you and I are working.

Facebook. You are invited to follow my professional Facebook page, where I post links to my blog and other pertinent information that will add value to your work with me. Just follow this link and click "Like" on the page.