Teacher Award

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"I can think of no one more deserving of this award. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share just a glimpse of how remarkable Tom is as a teacher and person. I first met Tom around 2009 or 2010 when I began taking singing lessons, and since then, his mentorship, passion, and expertise have been instrumental to my career and relationship with music. 

As a teacher, Tom was nurturing, insightful, and exacting. He went above and beyond for his students, dedicating hours outside of lessons to support us, whether through coaching prescreening videos, traveling to competitions, or organizing masterclasses. His love for music was contagious—he shared CDs, introduced me to his favorite recordings, and made music come alive. As I studio, we would attend local performances together, and afterward, we’d reflect on what we’d experienced over dinner or dessert."

"I think one of the most inspiring things about Tom’s teaching is that he leaves space for self-discovery by asking thoughtful questions and gently coaxing students to the answers they need to find for themselves. Tom does a masterful job at course-correction, keeping students properly adjusted and attuned to the minutia of their voice’s healthy self-expression. He works equally effectively with beginning students as he does seasoned professionals, and he is constantly honing his craft, always attentive to the latest developments in vocal science."

"Julia inspires me for so many reasons. I have been studying with her for almost 10 years now, and she has helped me make breakthroughs in my voice and performing journey consistently throughout that time. She is, of course, incredibly knowledgeable about the voice and vocal pedagogy, but always teaches from a place of kindness and empathy. I have never once felt inadequate or self-conscious about sharing my voice with her, even though it is such a vulnerable thing to do as a student singer. She respects me as a human and a singer, which over the years has inspired my respect in her and her teachings. When I started with Julia, I had a million bad vocal habits. She took several years to completely break down my voice and rebuild it. Once we had done that, through her studio classes, she helped me build my performing confidence by giving me monthly opportunities to sing in front of her other students with a pianist. She held monthly classes for 5 years. I was so inspired by the goodwill, positivity, and learning from those classes, I only missed 2 classes during that entire time period. Those classes also gave me the confidence to build my own solo recital series, which has even developed a devoted following. Julia recognizes that the sky is the limit with any one of her students, and you can see it in how her students all continually excel in their vocal skill and performance. "

"I continue to learn from each lesson and apply techniques to repertoire.  I have a much better tool kit to use when I feel stuck and am able to problem solve on my own.  I am also much more aware of old habits, can anticipate them, and have found so much more freedom in both practice and performance."

"You can be respected, very accomplished and still be a good person, that was simply by the way he addressed you, the manner in which he spoke and the kindness of his tone without being condescending."

"I have never met a voice teacher most knowledgeable, kind, caring and generous. I am forever grateful for John’s teaching and I feel I am a more knowledgeable artist and teacher because of his teachings."

"The vocal training I received from John was both solid and expansive, and I owe him endless thanks for all that his tutelage has added to my work to this day."

Wendy K. Pylko, who nominated John, said, "This teacher inspires me because...  

His incredible body of research and published vocal music . He is also a wonderful, compassionate human being.

Some of the best things I learned from this teacher are... 

Many of us and our students have benefited greatly over the years from his scholarly research published by Alfred in his many volumes  of edited songs and arias."