Hi all,
I thought I would reach out here where there are bound to be people in the know in the region I need help with, and where I do not live.
I am advising a student, as a college counselor, who is in tenth grade. She is an international student who is attending high school in the US and living with a host family. She is not in musical theater and is not intending to go to college for musical theater. However, she is a singer. She used to take private voice lessons in her home country, but has not done so since starting school in America this past fall. She would like to continue with voice lessons in the classical vein. She also enjoys singing pop music, but studies classical voice. She is in the school choir as well. I thought I would put feelers out (and told her I’d try on her behalf since her parents are on the other side of the world), to try to find recommendations for voice teachers so she can take private voice, which her parents support.
The area is Middletown Township which is in Monmouth County in NJ. There are apt to be people on this forum in that region of NJ who have worked with voice teachers. If you have any recommendations, please let me know and I’ll compile them to send to my student. If you prefer, you can private message me as well. Either way.
Thanks in advance!
I have no idea what colleges are close to you, I would recommend she try local colleges that have music departments. Here in Connecticut, I know the Hartt School at the University of Hartford has a very active department where they give music lessons to local high school and younger students, as well as some adults. And, when I lived on the shoreline in Connecticut, Williams College, in association with 3 Rivers Community College, also did the same. I’m certain it’s similar at other colleges in other states.
If that does not work, check with the person that heads your high school music department and ask him or her for a recommendation. (If your high school does not have a great music department, check a nearby school that does have one.)
First, I would suggest posting this request under Music Major because they tend to be more classical voice vs MT. I agree with contacting local colleges, although lessons there can be very expensive (at least in our experience). Another idea would be to look for a regional selective children’s chorus and contact churches/synagogues etc. which often have classically trained vocalists as choir directors.
agree with momzhood above - local colleges can get pretty pricey. So, you’d need to get an idea of budget/lesson as well.
Thanks for responses above. To clarify, the student is in Middletown Township in NJ. I live in Boston. I counsel students from all over the USA and abroad, not simply locally. Sometimes I am able to recommend voice or acting teachers in various parts of the country, but not always. In this case, I do not know one. However, I already recommended from the get go that my student ask her high school chorus teacher for recommendations. She is new to the area and her parents live in another part of the world. I thought I would put feelers out here simply to get personal recommendations. However, I have also researched possible voice teachers for her online. Personal recommendations are always nice too though. Yes, I realize I can ask on the Music Majors forum and had thought of that, though that forum is for all types of music majors and everyone on this forum tends to have a private voice teacher, and thus I asked here. Thank you!
PS…in terms of cost, I found someone in her area online who seems very qualified and has the rates posted. The rates equal what we paid for my D in our home area when my D was in high school. I then looked up a voice teacher in this student’s home city in her home country overseas and the rate was about equal as well. I don’t know if there is budget, but this girl did take private voice in her home country before coming to the US for high school. I don’t think money is going to be an issue, when this family has invested a great deal to send their child overseas to live and attend high school (and will do so for college too), and is looking into summer programs with my help, and is paying for college counseling starting in 10th grade. The student said her parents are supportive of getting her the voice lessons in NJ, and I am in contact with them overseas as well.
I don’t think I can post a link but if you go on Juilliard’s web site and look under campus life, then career services, there is a private teacher directory. It’s someplace to start.
Thank you for trying to help and offering a resource. I looked at the list of private teachers on Juilliard’s site and none are located in the area of NJ where my student lives. I do appreciate the effort to assist.
I’ve been in this field a very long time and so I do know how to go about finding a voice teacher. What I was hoping for was that someone in the Middletown area (Monmouth County) of NJ personally knew or worked with a voice teacher and could give a personal reference. The MT forum has participants from all over and so it was ONE way I thought to investigate options for my student, but not the only way.
Perhaps I overestimated the number of members on the forum from NJ! 
I am in Ocean County… I can ask around.
@lojosmo Thank you very much! I have sent my student the name of someone I found in her town that seems very experienced, but a personal recommendation is always a good thing. I appreciate your offer. All these years, I had no idea that you live in Ocean County! I grew up in South Jersey! 