Daisy Press

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Introduction: My main goal is to empower my students to sing well and to feel great while they are singing. For me, teaching voice means connecting students to who they really are, the sounds they really make in day-to-day life, and to show them full access to their voices through vocal exercises, the performance and exploration of songs, and meditation. I have had extremely technical teachers and extremely spiritual teachers, in Western and Eastern modalities. Both have helped me tremendously, and I pass on what I've found to work the best. I work with students on breath support, placement, bridging registers, speech level singing, vocal agility, stage presence, ear training, developing vibrato, relaxation, confidence, and feeling comfortable in their own skin while they are singing. I have students who sing Pop, Rock, Folk, Classical, Musical Theater, and North Indian Raga. What makes me unique is this: I have combined my experiences in spiritual traditions (meditation, shamanic breathwork, Jungian archeype work etc.) with my extensive professional training and experience to teach in a way that addresses the voice as an instrument which is capable of great musical expression, technical proficiency, AND spiritual depth. I truly love working with my students in an atmosphere of knowledge, trust, humor, and vulnerability. I love sharing with others what it has taken me years to learn. It is my pleasure to teach my students, over time, that they themselves are their best teachers. I believe in total empowerment! Together we sing vital aspects of ourselves into being.

Overview

Hired 5 times

18 years in business

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Reviews

Exceptional 5.0

6 reviews

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Read reviews that mention:

Georgia W.

Mar 2, 2016

Daisy is a fantastic teacher! I am a trained musician but very shy singer, and have been learning from Daisy to help me singing with my band. These lessons have really developed my confidence, helped me find and trust in my own voice, and sing with better technique as my mind is not constricting my sound anymore. Her lessons are peaceful and meditative - she teaches without judgement and with gentle guidance to finding your own sound (previous vocal teachers have always been trying to mould my voice into a preconceived idiomatic sound). The crystal and Tibetan singing bowls are just magical! I can't imagine where my singing would be without her.

Danny C.

Mar 4, 2016

"Singing can heal." That's what Daisy said to me when I sat down on a plump meditation cushion on the floor of her apartment. I crossed and uncrossed my legs, unsure of how to sit, until she finally chirped, "Just get comfortable." Taking in the candles and bright fabrics and Buddhist sculptures that dotted the floor around me, I felt like I was in a very unique space: half meditation hall and half fort made out of blankets. It turns out that meditation and play are exactly how Daisy described singing to me. She would often remind me to remain present to my voice and the sensations in my body, gently nudging me to hear the sound of my own voice without judgement. In those moments I felt a deep peace and immersion, the same as I do when I sit Zazen, go for a long run, or really get into a place of flow with my painting. Out of that sense of focus came an incredible joy, and Daisy not only encouraged it, she framed it in ways that helped me learn even more. In particular, she would have me improvise with her, singing my own invented responses to little phrases she would sing. This back and forth exchange always made me giggle and allowed me to immediately practice what I had just learned in the more formal first half of class. These were also the moments where I felt most humbled and awed by Daisy herself. As she let herself go, I heard her sing the most incredible and tender notes, and more than once would feel so moved that I couldn't think of anything to sing at all. We all want teachers who know what they are doing. Who are credible and talented. I have heard her sing in professional contexts, but never really understood just how good she is until I saw her sing with such warmth and fullness. It looked effortless, but of course the whole point is that it isn't. Her years of classical training and her arduous daily practice are what allow her to be such a "natural." In breaking that lifelong process into manageable baby steps, and meeting me where I was, she inspired me to actually learn. That humility and generosity are what make her not just a great singer, but a great teacher as well. For weeks we focused on resonance, a fundamental that i had no idea even existed. I expected to be learning how to hit notes. Instead she taught me to hear them and snake through the in-between notes in scales. Because I am an artist, she printed out diagrams and had them hanging in her wonderfully quirky room, which now was a kind of artistic haven for us both. She would point out aspects of the pictures, helping me visualize what my throat and vocal chords were doing when I began to feel them vibrate in new and strange ways. Yes, I was changing, and my voice got better, and my singing became more respectful and sincere. But also important was the fact that this change was deeply supportive and affirming. Daisy is someone so firm and capable that she can also be compassionate and playful. She's a rock on a zafu, and with her holding space, your voice can trill and squeak and slowly slowly sink deep into the pockets of notes. If that sounds New Agey and weird, I can only say I thought the same thing when Daisy said the voice can heal. I went into class thinking about how as a gay man, I have always hated my voice. To see it as effeminate and lacking power. I wanted to learn to sound butch. And If I couldn't do that, I wanted at least to sound like Beyoncé! I have always felt that I needed to be whipped into shape, and that eventually I could get rid of my voice and create something more socially acceptable and strong. And then, on our second class together, something strange happened. I sang a note with resonance and I felt it vibrate in my nose. I stayed open, kept a sense of ease in my throat and let it grow louder. My eyes widened as I heard it echo in the room and resonate there as well. i kept my mouth open, feeling like I had channeled something more than created it. I listened and what I heard was full and lush and warm. The whole time, Daisy sat across from me with a knowing smile. I closed my mouth and she just said, "There it is! You found your voice." If you want to sing like Beyoncé, go anywhere. But If you want to sing in your own voice, go to Daisy.

Danny c.

Mar 3, 2016

"Singing can heal." That's what Daisy said to me when I sat down on a plump meditation cushion on the floor of her apartment. I crossed and uncrossed my legs, unsure of how to sit, until she finally chirped, "Just get comfortable." Taking in the candles and bright fabrics and Buddhist sculptures that dotted the floor around me, I felt like I was in a very unique space: half meditation hall and half fort made out of blankets. It turns out that meditation and play are exactly how Daisy described singing to me. She would often remind me to remain present to my voice and the sensations in my body, gently nudging me to hear the sound of my own voice without judgement. In those moments I felt a deep peace and immersion, the same as I do when I sit Zazen, go for a long run, or really get into a place of flow with my painting. Out of that sense of focus came an incredible joy, and Daisy not only encouraged it, she framed it in ways that helped me learn even more. In particular, she would have me improvise with her, singing my own invented responses to little phrases she would sing. This back and forth exchange always made me giggle and allowed me to immediately practice what I had just learned in the more formal first half of class. These were also the moments where I felt most humbled and awed by Daisy herself. As she let herself go, I heard her sing the most incredible and tender notes, and more than once would feel so moved that I couldn't think of anything to sing at all. We all want teachers who know what they are doing. Who are credible and talented. I have heard her sing in professional contexts, but never really understood just how good she is until I saw her sing with such warmth and fullness. It looked effortless, but of course the whole point is that it isn't. Her years of classical training and her arduous daily practice are what allow her to be such a "natural." In breaking that lifelong process into manageable baby steps, and meeting me where I was, she inspired me to actually learn. That humility and generosity are what make her not just a great singer, but a great teacher as well. For weeks we focused on resonance, a fundamental that i had no idea even existed. I expected to be learning how to hit notes. Instead she taught me to hear them and snake through the in-between notes in scales. Because I am an artist, she printed out diagrams and had them hanging in her wonderfully quirky room, which now was a kind of artistic haven for us both. She would point out aspects of the pictures, helping me visualize what my throat and vocal chords were doing when I began to feel them vibrate in new and strange ways. Yes, I was changing, and my voice got better, and my singing became more respectful and sincere. But also important was the fact that this change was deeply supportive and affirming. Daisy is someone so firm and capable that she can also be compassionate and playful. She's a rock on a zafu, and with her holding space, your voice can trill and squeak and slowly slowly sink deep into the pockets of notes. If that sounds New Agey and weird, I can only say I thought the same thing when Daisy said the voice can heal. I went into class thinking about how as a gay man, I have always hated my voice. To see it as effeminate and lacking power. I wanted to learn to sound butch. And If I couldn't do that, I wanted at least to sound like Beyoncé! I have always felt that I needed to be whipped into shape, and that eventually I could get rid of my voice and create something more socially acceptable and strong. And then, on our second class together, something strange happened. I sang a note with resonance and I felt it vibrate in my nose. I stayed open, kept a sense of ease in my throat and let it grow louder. My eyes widened as I heard it echo in the room and resonate there as well. i kept my mouth open, feeling like I had channeled something more than created it. I listened and what I heard was full and lush and warm. The whole time, Daisy sat across from me with a knowing smile. I closed my mouth and she just said, "There it is! You found your voice." If you want to sing like Beyoncé, go anywhere. But If you want to sing in your own voice, go to Daisy.

Rengin S.

Aug 30, 2016

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FAQs

What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
My fee is $100 per 50 minute lesson, but with certain students who can't afford this price, and students who wish to purchase packages of lessons, I lower my rate so that we can find a mutually working agreement.
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Before our first lesson, I like to speak with a new student over the phone or exchange a few emails. I want to know two things: what my student wants to learn, and what makes my student feel excited about singing. I ask my students to provide me with listening examples of their favorite vocal moments by singers they listen to, and if they have recordings of themselves, send me their moments as a singer where they feel they were truly 'killin' it!' Before their first lesson, I want my students to start thinking and listening critically, and focusing these thoughts on what they love most about singing. Also: I ask my students to write an autobiography of their own voices: the story of the life of their voice, told in that voice.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have an undergraduate degree (BA) from Sarah Lawrence College, and a Master of Music degree (MM) from the Manhattan School of Music, earned in 2005. Since 2005 I have had an active performing and teaching practice. For more details on me as a performer, you can visit daisyvoice.com. For my teaching website: soundlikeyourself.com

Daisy Press

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