Confidently tell your story and discover the singer you were always meant to be.
Serving storytelling singers in Savannah, GA and online globally.
NOW OFFERING SUMMER WORKSHOPS MORE INFO
What if auditioning felt effortless…
and fun?
What if singing set your heart on fire…
and you got the role?
What if you were able to tell your story…
and belt those high notes with ease?
What if you dared to dream big dreams…
and had the tools to make them come true?
I know exactly what it’s like to have the insatiable desire to sing and tell your story, but feel limited.
I know what it’s like to feel like you’ve prepared, but once you’re on stage your body betrays you.
I know what it’s like to feel like you’re standing on a plateau with no idea how to move forward.
I’ve been exactly where you are right now and this is why I created
MTC Vocal Academy.
I wanted to create a place where anyone, no matter their current level or prior knowledge could come and train their voice at a professional level and love doing it.
I wanted to create a safe and encouraging environment where everyone felt welcome and seen.
I wanted every singer who walks through my door to know that they are enough and they can become the singer they’re destined to be.
Let’s find the best version of you, together.
No other instrument in the world is like yours.
Let that sink in for a second.
Why wouldn’t we make sure we are the masters of our rare and individual instrument?
Vocal technique allows us to let go of controlling the voice and
to fall in love with it.
Not only will you love the sounds you’re creating, but you will be able to self-regulate, self-diagnose, and self-sustain those sounds far outside of my studio and beyond.
The majority of your Confidence comes from feeling prepared, by developing your musicianship skills and technique so you don’t have to worry about anything but connecting to the audience in front of you.
But also…
It comes from understanding that developing your voice is a non-linear, multi-faceted journey that will continue to change because
you will change.
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Just because we’re lucky enough to have an innate instrument located inside our bodies doesn’t mean we are any less of musicians.
In fact, having our instrument attached to a heart and a psyche makes it arguably the most interesting and unique instrument in the world! No other instrument in the world is like yours.
Let that sink in for a second.
Why wouldn’t we make sure we are the masters of our rare and individual instrument?
In our lessons, I will intersperse interval training exercises, sight reading, audiation, and much more with our technique and confidence training. Now if any of those words send you running for the hills, let me reassure you…
I will always meet you where you are.
A challenge doesn't necessarily have to be scary. A challenge in a supportive, comfortable environment will take you to the next level and get you to the storytelling quicker.
Singing is as natural as speaking. In fact, I’m a firm believer that if you can speak, you can sing.
So why bother working on your technique?
So it’s easy, consistent, and yours.
Vocal technique is the process of learning how your voice functions at its most basic level and learning how to consistently recreate healthy, effortless sounds.
It is also the framework for successful storytelling.
Working on our technique allows us to feel confident, trust our body, take up space, and communicate effectively. At the end of the day, no matter how much work you’ve put into the story you’re telling, if you don’t feel comfortable skillfully singing the song, you will never be fully connected to your story.
Vocal technique allows us to let go of controlling the voice and to fall in love with it. Not only will you love the sounds you’re creating, but you will be able to self-regulate, self-diagnose, and self-sustain those sounds far outside of my studio and beyond.
You want to feel confident on stage? You want to feel confident in every single note you’re singing? You want to feel confident in sharing your story with the world?
You gotta put in the work.
It ain’t pretty, but it’s true.
In order to get to the “C” we gotta work on the “M” and the “T.” (So really my studio should be called M+T=C Vocal Academy).
The majority of your Confidence comes from feeling prepared, by developing your musicianship skills and technique so you don’t have to worry about anything but connecting to the audience in front of you.
But also…Confidence comes from giving yourself grace.
It comes from understanding that developing your voice is a non-linear, multi-faceted journey that will continue to change because you will change.
It comes from allowing yourself to make mistakes, make unpleasant sounds, and step outside your comfort zone a time or two (or two hundred).
Confidence comes from accepting progress over perfection.
Christina specializes in healthy singing but also OPERA! She takes beginner to intermediate voice students.
Soprano Christina Kershaw is a New York City native and a recent graduate of The Conservatory at Brooklyn College with a master of music degree in vocal performance as a student of renowned voice teacher, Mark Schnaible.
Ms. Kershaw believes that being a well-rounded musician is a vital part of being a performer. She believes in a holistic approach to voice instruction and technique, knowing that the most important part of teaching voice is to develop a student’s true voice and color, giving them the technical tools to sing healthily - for the longevity of their career and freedom to be an artist!
Ms. Kershaw has done a considerable amount of teaching and ensemble work as well as solo work. During her time in Connecticut, she received a bachelor of science degree in music education and was a member of the University Singers, with whom she toured and performed throughout China and Japan. She has worked with several professional church choirs in NYC, most notably the St. Patrick's Cathedral Choir. She has also done work with Loft Opera in the chorus of Le Comte Ory, hailed by the New York Times as “a perfect union of New York’s most raucous and delightful opera company with one of the most raucous and delightful works in the repertory.” Christina is also a member of the Composer's Choir, which is a small ensemble designed to create premium recordings for new works by composers from all over the world.
Equally comfortable in opera, oratorio, and ensemble work, Ms. Kershaw freelances regularly around the tri-state area and makes appearances internationally. Her voice has been described in a review by John Yohalem as “...always on pitch and on target, incisive and direct.” Ms. Kershaw has most recently performed the roles of Nella in Gianni Schicchi and La Tasse Chinoise / La Chatte in L’enfant et les Sortilèges under the direction of Isabel Milenski. Prior to that, she performed the role of Cinna in one of Mozart’s earliest works, Lucio Silla. She has also taken on the role of Nada in the New York premiere Svadba, a six-female contemporary a cappella opera, composed by Ana Sokolovic. This summer she was a 2019 studio artist at Lidal North International Opera Workshop, performing the roles of Yvette and Georgette in Puccini’s La Rondine at the Oslo Opera House in Norway. Additionally, she has sung 1st Lady in The Magic Flute with New York Lyric Opera Theatre and performed as the soprano soloist for Vivaldi's Gloria with the Nutmeg Symphony Orchestra. Last year, she was the soloist for Ralph Vaughn Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem, where she made her Carnegie Hall debut, under the baton of Malcolm Merriweather.
Guitarist Jay Kauffman has performed to critical acclaim on stages from New York to San Francisco to Shanghai, and is a published coomposer whose works have been featured on National Public Radio.
As a classically trained musician and teacher with graduate degrees from the Juilliard School of Music and the Cincinnati Conservatory, he is committed to translating the principles of technical and musical mastery into plain language and practical suggestions for guitar students of all levels and all stripes. He’s been on the faculty of the prestigious Bowdoin Music Festival as well as the Western Connecticut State University.
His compositions have garnered much praise, and combine a high level of guitar wizardry with a fluid, expressive, and richly varied compositional technique. His music can be heard on his recording, Fingerprint, which contains music inspired by the traditions of Spain, Venezuela, Brazil, The United States, Japan, Mongolia, and Turkey.His music is published by Tuscany Publications and distributed by The Theodore Presser Company, as well as by Les Productions D'oz.
He has been awarded numerous fellowships and scholarships, and has won top prizes in several national and international competitions, including ASTA, MTNA, and the Arts America Auditions. He performed his New York Debut at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall as the only winner in guitar of the 1994 Artist’s International Competition. He has performed throughout North America, concentrating on the Eastern and Midwestern United States.
His work as an Artistic Ambassador for the now defunct United States Information Agency brought him performing throughout China, Korea, Taiwan,
and Mongolia, as well as in India.
Tasya (Tasha) Rifalia is a pianist, composer, and music producer from Jakarta, Indonesia, currently based in New Jersey. Over the last ten years, Tasya has numerous achievements in the music industry, including performances in countries such as Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Tasya earned her Bachelor of Music degree as a Piano principal from Berklee College of Music, where she received the Asia Tour Scholarship and Berklee Achievement Grant Scholarship. Before attending college, Tasya obtained the Yamaha Advanced Certificate in 2016, after completing her study and passing the professional examination: Music Teacher Grade.
From a very young age, music has always been integral to Tasya’s life, and it remains a powerful and natural way for her to feel, heal, and connect. Tasya began taking piano and electone (electronic organ) lessons at age 4 and has been writing her own music since. At age 14, one of her compositions was selected to be performed at the Asia Pacific Junior Original Concert 2012 at the Petronas Philharmonic Hall, Malaysia, being one of twelve composers selected from amongst 30,000 submissions worldwide. The concert was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia and many other VIP guests. Tasya was also invited to perform at the prestigious International Junior Original Concert 2012 and 2014 at the Bunkamura Concert Hall, Japan.
Her latest music production works include a tribute to John Legend featuring Legend himself, aspart of the Berklee Virtual Commencement Concert 2020. Tasya was chosen to be both the track producer and pianist for the tribute. Some of her most recent performances were at SXSW (South by Southwest) 2019 in Austin, Texas, and at the United Nations Headquarters, NYC, for the UN Security Council 2019 reception.
When not working on music, Tasya loves to take long walks and do outdoor activities of all kinds. She believes that exposure to nature is a powerful way to feel, heal, and connect—just like music.
www.tasyarifalia.com
