B.Mus (Carleton)
Master of Music Therapy (Laurier)
Priya Shah is a Calgary-born and Toronto-based vocalist, instrumentalist, improviser, music therapist, and contemporary composer. In Calgary, she sang in the Mount Royal Children’s Choir and had the opportunity to perform with Amy Grant and at various festivals across the city. She joined a vocal jazz group in high-school and soon developed a love for scatting and improvisation.
Holding a Bachelor of Music with Honors in Vocal Performance from Carleton University, and a Master of Music Therapy from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Priya has combined her love of performance with engaging in music with people of all ages and abilities. Since moving to Ontario, Priya has performed in bands and as a solo singer-songwriter and vocalist/improviser in Christine Duncan’s ‘Element Choir’ (Ottawa Chamber Music Festival), Kultrun World Music Festival (Waterloo), and Between the Ears Festival of Music and Sound (Kitchener-Waterloo). Priya is a member of two new music groups ‘On the Spot Collective’ and ‘Thelectric Breeze,’ the latter of which received a grant from the City of Ottawa to create an interactive outdoor concert leading up the Canada 150 Celebrations. Priya is an organizer of the Waterloo Region Contemporary Music Sessions, a festival for emerging and early career composers, performers, and improvisers.
Priya uses a person-centered approach to teaching. She believes in teaching the fundamentals of singing and focusing on proper technique while striving to identify and build on students strengths. Priya teaches a variety of styles including jazz, pop, rock, folk, soul, RnB, and musical theatre. In addition to voice, she plays the piano, guitar, ukulele, and accordion.
When Priya is not teaching, she works as a music therapist, performer, festival organizer, contemporary composer, and yoga instructor. She continues to write and compose original music. Priya is currently working on an EP to be released in late 2018.
Get to know Priya…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Reading, going on adventures in the woods, and spending time with friends and family
Musical influences: Bjork, Sade, Michael Jackson, Portishead, and everything I hear around me!
Favourite food: Chocolate
Least favourite food: N/A
Favourite music: Mood-dependent, or Disney J
Favourite song: “Vienna” by Billy Joel, “Thank you for the music” by ABBA
Favourite movie: Alice in Wonderland
Favouirite movie music: Harry Potter
Favourite musical theatre/opera: Thoroughly Modern Millie
Best quote from your teacher: “imagine who you are singing to”
Favourite quote: “It’s not the note you play that’s the wrong note – it’s the note you play afterwards that makes it right or wrong.” – Miles Davis
Favourite book: Selected Short Stories by Mulk Raj Anand
Best thing about teaching at ABC: Getting to share my passion for singing!
Latest Homework from Priya
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Oct 23, 2019
Mtabisi
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: “Somewhere over the rainbow” page 1 (verses 1 & 2)
How to practice it most effectively: hands together slowly, sing or hum while playing. Also review C major scale, hands separately.
Ezra
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: The chords for “Fly me to the moon”.
How to practice it most effectively: Hum/sing the song while playing, to get the sense of timing. Allow yourself lots of time to set up each chord. Go slow to begin.
Daniela
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: “Fly me to the moon” & “Remedy”
How to practice it most effectively: For “fly me to the moon” work on the notes at the end of each chorus: “in other words, hold my hands” & “in other words, darling kiss me”
For “Remedy”, practice the part right before each chorus – listen to the recording to get an idea of the phrasing.
Anastasiya
Recommended minutes to practice: 10min/day
What to practice: piano – “Jazzy Joe” full song Piano Adventures 1 pg 53 (both hands)
Voice – “My Favourite Things” & “Maybe”
How to practice it most effectively: Listen to recording of “Maybe” from Annie – we will sing it in a lower key.
Kevin
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20min/day
What to practice: “Mia and Sebastien” (first 2-4 bars of page 3) & “California Dreaming” (chords)
Eliana
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min every other day
What to practice: singing “A whole new world” & “A million dreams”
How to practice it most effectively: Listen to the recording and sing along. Practice our breathing warm-up (inhaling sips of air and exhaling ‘tss’). Also practice ‘meows’ in different voices to warm-up.
Jeremiah
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: C major scale, both hands separately & recognizing notes on the treble clef (spaces: FACE, lines: EGBDF) & bass clef (spaces: ACEG, lines: GBDFA)
Gianna
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: C major scale, both hands separately & recognizing notes on the treble clef (spaces: FACE, lines: EGBDF) & bass clef (spaces: ACEG, lines: GBDFA).
Oct 16, 2019
Mtabisi
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: “Somewhere over the rainbow” page 1 (verses 1 & 2)
How to practice it most effectively: hands together slowly, sing or hum while playing.
Ezra
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: “Mia and Sebastien’s Theme” & “Forest Drums” in the red book (Level 1) pg 36-37 for sightreading.
Daniela
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: “Dream a little dream of me” & “Fly me to the moon”
How to practice it most effectively: For “fly me to the moon” listen to a couple different versions – work on the notes at the end of each chorus: “in other words hold my hands” & “in other words darling kiss me“
Anastasiya
Recommended minutes to practice: 10min/day
What to practice: piano – “Jazzy Joe” full song Piano Adventures 1 pg 53 (both hands)
Voice – “My Favourite Things” & “Maybe”
How to practice it most effectively: Listen to recording of “Maybe” from Annie – we will sing it in a lower key.
Kevin
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20min/day
What to practice: “Time after time” (full run-through, slowly) & “Moonlight sonata” first 8 bars
Eliana
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min every other day
What to practice: singing “A whole new world”
How to practice it most effectively: practice the long notes at the end of “Whole new world” by using your arm to wave across (from left to right) while singing. Also listen to the Wicked soundtrack and see if there are any songs you love the most!
Jeremiah
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: C major scale, both hands separately & recognizing notes on the treble clef (spaces: FACE, lines: EGBDF) & bass clef (spaces: ACEG, lines: GBDFA)
Gianna
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: C major scale, both hands separately & recognizing notes on the treble clef (spaces: FACE, lines: EGBDF) & bass clef (spaces: ACEG, lines: GBDFA).
Feb 21
Carol
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: page 5&6 of “She used to be mine” (middle section)
How to practice it most effectively: listen to the recording for guidance, check the notes with a keyboard or keyboard app
Natalia
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: “Impossible” – work on the pronunciation of ‘worst’ and the other words we found today
Also practice “City Song” – use your diaphragm for the high note towards the end, make sure not to sing from the throat. practice with “ah” and “ha”
Lastly, listen to “Will you still love me tomorrow” as sung by Amy Winehouse.
Daniela
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10min/day
What to practice: “Firefly” 1st half (pg 8 in your book)
Also practice C major scale!
How to practice it most effectively: slowly, take your time, and have fun!
Daksh
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10min/day
What to practice: play the piano & listen to “A little help from my friends” by the Beatles and “Banana Phone” by Raffi
Harlowe
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10min/day
What to practice: singing “Fight Song” and “D.R.E.A.M.”
Also practice improvising and creating your own compositions.
Daniela
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: the two songs from “A star is born” that we have been working on – sing with lots of breath support and focus on phrasing.
Also practice singing and accompanying yourself on piano for “Sunflower”
Oscar
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: pg 1 of “Mess Around” and the first phrase of “Georgia”
Sarah
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10min/day
What to practice: warm-ups (breathing – inhale sips, exhale tss & meow (54321) and vowels (mah, meh, mee, moh, moo) on one note
Alma
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10min/day
What to practice: “Song for a winter’s night”
How to practice it most effectively: start on a note that is comfortable in your range and sing through the song. First sing the chorus on “ah” and then repeat with the words, keeping the vowels long and open.
Feb 6 & 7
Ezra
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: “Hedwig’s Theme” (page 1&2)
How to practice it most effectively: Practice hands together, slowly. If you have time, look at page 3, hands separate.
Melody
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: “Impossible” by Shontelle & C major scale
How to practice it most effectively: Practice the larger intervals in the left hand alone first: CG, EbBb, BbF, AbEb. Then practice the full LH together slowly. Then add the RH.
Evora
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: the guitar finger work for LH and using different fingers on RH (PIMAC) to pluck the strings (pages 15&16)
Also practice the chords Emajor, Eminor, Amajor, Aminor.
How to practice it most effectively: practice slowly, give your RH fingers time to get used to plucking the strings. Next week we will start working on “Wake up alone”
Alma
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: “Song for a winter’s night”
How to practice it most effectively: Find the starting note (B) on a keyboard. Follow the notation in the sheet music. Sing on “oo” or “ah” for the chorus, and focus on sustaining breath through each phrase.
Carol
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: “Waittress” in key of Gb
How to practice it most effectively: continue singing through the 1st verse and chorus, following the music. Listen to the next part of the song (recording from the Musical in the same key) and go through it slowly. Practice singing the phrases with higher notes (in chorus) on “ah” or “oo” first to practice sustaining your breath through each phrase.
Natalia
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: Continue to practice the background vocals for “Dancing in the Street”. Also practice “City Song”, focusing on the pacing and pronunciation of “the horns are just honking on the beat”. Next week we will start working on “Impossible.”
Daniela B.
Recommended minutes to practice: 10min/day
What to practice: “Firefly” on page 8 of your book. Try measures 1-8. If you have time, try writing the note names for notes in the bass clef (on your worksheet). You can get help from pages 6-7 in your book.
How parents can support practice: Help with “Firefly” pg 8 (measures 1-4, 5-8 if there’s time). Support her to put the right fingers on each note.
Daksh
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10min/day
What to practice: listen to “A little help from my friends”. Try to name different ‘feelings’ words: angry/frustrated/silly/happy/surprised/scared etc.
Harlowe
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10min/day
What to practice: practice singing “Fight Song”, using lots of breath support.
Practice warm-ups (meow 54321, moo 12321)
practice improvising (if possible, with help from parents)
How to practice it most effectively: play any of the white keys
How parents can support practice: Play three chords in the lower register (Aminor: ACE, Cmajor: CEG, Fmajor: FAC)
Daniela
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20min/day
What to practice: “Stone Cold”
How to practice it most effectively: For the chorus, sing in a vowel (“ah” or “oo”) to get a sustained and supported phrase with lots of air. Then apply the same process when using words. Also practice “sunflower” – next week we will add piano.
Oscar
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20min/day
What to practice: LH walking bass lines while sustaining dominant 7 chords in RH
How to practice it most effectively: practice slowly, do the LH first separate, following the chord progression you choose. Then add the RH once the LH is stable and consistent.
Preferred Books for Priya Students
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Vocal Books
The Contemporary Singer
This comprehensive guide based on the curriculum of the Voice Department at Berklee College of Music is a must-have for every vocalist! Covers all the essentials, including: an overview of the singing process, treating voice as an instrument, tips for getting started and overcoming stage fright, proper posture and breathing, tone, discovering resonance, belting, diction, maintaining vocal health, mic techniques, and exercises for all voice ranges and types on the accompanying CD. Includes lead sheets for such standard vocal repertoire pieces as: Yesterday – I’m Beginning to See the Light – and I Heard it Through the Grapevine.
Vocal Workouts
The vocal workouts in this much-anticipated follow-up to Peckham’s bestselling The Contemporary Singer are based on Berklee College of Music’s highly effective vocal method. This volume will help vocalists develop the voice through good vocal health, warm-up exercises, advanced techniques, stage performance advice and more. Also includes sing-along tracks to support your workout. Audio is accessed online for download or streaming and contains PLAYBACK+, a multi-functional audio player that allows you to slow down audio without changing pitch, set loop points, change keys, and pan left or right.
Piano Books
Faber & Faber Piano Adventures
The 2nd Edition Primer Lesson Book introduces the keyboard, note values, and the grand staff. Students play in C 5-finger scale patterns, develop recognition of steps and skips, and learn letter names independent of finger number. Musicianship is built through the use of dynamics and coloristic experimentation with the pedal. The book is organized into units which represent the major concepts and skills. As new units are introduced, earlier concepts and skills are constantly reviewed.
Faber & Faber Piano Adventures
Contents include: Catch a Falling Star * Happy Birthday to You * I Got Rhythm * I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing * Lean on Me * The Lion Sleeps Tonight * The Planets, from Animaniacs * The Rose * and Star Wars (Main Theme).
Faber & Faber Pre-Time Popular
Arrangements of popular songs that beginning players will love to learn, including: The Candy Man * I Just Can’t Wait to Be King * If I Only Had a Brain * Scooby Doo Main Title * and more.
First 50 Classical Pieces
A great collection of must-know classics for all pianists. Each arrangement is simple and streamlined, yet still captures the essence of the music.
Faber Piano Adventures
The 2nd Edition Level 1 Lesson Book introduces all the notes of the grand staff, elementary chord playing, and the concept of tonic and dominant notes. Students play in varied positions, reinforcing reading skills and recognizing intervals through the 5th. Musicianship is built with the introduction of legato and staccato touches. This level continues the interval orientation to reading across the full range of the Grand Staff. The 5-finger approach is presented here in a fresh, musically appealing way.
Faber & Faber Piano Adventures
The 2nd Edition Theory Book provides instruction, reinforcement, and creative applications of basic theory concepts. Students will enjoy note-naming with StoryRhymes, explore improvisation, and engage with eye-training and ear-training activities all within a fun-filled context tied thematically to the Level 1 Lesson Book pieces.
Faber & Faber Piano Adventures
The 2nd Edition Level 2A Lesson Book follows Piano Adventures Level 1. The book opens with a Note Reading Guide and an introduction to eighth note rhythm patterns. Students work with 5-finger transposition, functional harmony, and musical phrases. Exploration of C, G, D and A major and minor 5-finger positions builds on intervallic reading skills that were introduced in the earlier level. Appealing repertoire reinforces key concepts and encourages students to explore musical expression through varied dynamics and tempos. Selections include well-known classics from the great composers and original compositions.
Faber & Faber Piano Adventures
The 2nd Edition Level 2A Theory Book has thematic tie-in with the Level 2A Lesson Book, inviting students into the pages for deeper understanding. A wide variety of theory activities engage students with eighth notes, phrases, transposition, and 5-finger scales. Composer biographies provide valuable context for Lesson Book pieces while helping students review key concepts.
Faber & Faber Piano Adventures
The 2nd Edition Level 2A Performance Book offers an array of colorful elementary pieces that reinforce the concepts presented in the Lesson Book. The selections range from arrangements of classical compositions to American folk songs and imaginative originals. Students and teachers will enjoy the wide variety of sounds and musical textures in this collection.
Faber & Faber Piano Adventures
The 2nd Edition Level 2B Lesson Book offers a systematic approach to scales, primary chords (I, IV, V7), and transposition for the keys of C, G, and F major. This new edition features nine new songs, plus enhanced arrangements of favorite pieces from the first edition. The new “Scale and Chord Adventures” appendix offers teachers the flexibility to explore major and minor scale and chord patterns in all twelve keys.