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 9, 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, be careful of times when the RH moves position
Sing or hum while playing.
Ezra
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: “Mia and Sebastien’s Theme” measures 1-8 & “Runaway Rabbit” in the red book (Level 1) pg 33 for sightreading
Daniela
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: “Dream a little dream of me” & “Edelweiss”
How to practice it most effectively: for both, stand while singing for control and proper breath support. Practice extending phrases in “Edelweiss” and having lots of air to carry through til the end.
Anastasiya
Recommended minutes to practice: 10min/day
What to practice:
Piano – “London symphony” full song Piano Adventures 1 pg 52 (both hands)
Voice – “My Favourite Things”
How to practice it most effectively: For “My Favourite things” focus on the chorus: when the dog bites, when the bee stings… using your diaphragm
Also listen to the recording of “Million Dreams” and practice along.
Kevin
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20min/day
What to practice: “Mia and Sebastien’s Theme” – page 2 (hands together slowly) & “Moonlight sonata” first 8 bars
How to practice it most effectively: count the beats aloud (eighth notes) and go slowly
Eliana
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min every other day
What to practice: singing “A whole new world” & “Somewhere over the rainbow”
How to practice it most effectively: practice singing looooong notes in the chorus of “a whole new world” e.g. “a whole new woooooooooooorld”
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)
Also finding all the C’s on the keyboard, using the ‘doghouse’ trick.
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) and sight-reading short songs.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Oct 2, 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, be careful of times when the RH moves position
Sing or hum while playing.
Ezra
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: “Mia and Sebastien’s Theme” measures 1-8 & “This is not jingle bells” in the red book (Level 1) pg 27
How to practice it most effectively: practice slowly and focus on where the notes on the treble and bass clef align
Daniela
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min/day
What to practice: “Dream a little dream of me” & “Edelweiss”
How to practice it most effectively: for both, stand while singing for control and proper breath support. Repeat bridge for “Dream…” until the pitch jumps get more comfortable.
Anastasiya
Recommended minutes to practice: 10min/day
What to practice:
Piano – “London symphony” full song Piano Adventures 1 pg 52 (both hands)
Voice – “My Favourite Things”
How to practice it most effectively: For “My Favourite things” focus on the chorus: when the dog bites, when the bee stings… using your diaphragm
Kevin
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20min/day
What to practice: “Mia and Sebastien’s Theme” – page 2 (hands together slowly) & “Time after time” (First 2 pages)
How to practice it most effectively: count the beats aloud (eighth notes) and go slowly, allowing the notes to line up
Eliana
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15min every other day
What to practice: singing “A whole new world” & “Somewhere over the rainbow” – Listen to the recording of “My Favourite Things”
How to practice it most effectively: sing along with recordings and acapella – see how many words you can remember
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)
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)
Dec 13-20
Natalia
Continue singing “Santa Tell Me” over the holidays – try to record yourself while singing along with the karaoke track on YouTube. Work on the pronunciation of certain words in Verses 2 & 3. Also work on the build-up in the bridge, singing strong with lots of breath support.
Try to do warm-ups often (every other day) to keep your voice in good condition.
Have a lovely holiday and I’ll see you back on January 3rd!
Daksh
Practice note identification. You can color in the rest of the notes on the sheet I gave you :) We will continue singing Christmas songs and improvising next week in our makeup lesson. I will give you some more worksheets to take home with you over the holidays. It was so nice to see you smiling while you were playing today!
Harlowe
Practice singing “D.R.E.A.M”: work on the fast parts of the chorus. Also work on the “oooh” in the chorus. Listen to “Love Story” by Taylor Swift to get used to how she bends her words and creates different phrases. We will keep practicing both songs in our makeup lesson next week and do some more warm-ups. Wonderful singing!
Daniela
Practice “Bored” by Billie Eilish – focus on the verses. Although the verses are quick, try to pronounce each word clearly. Also, work on the outro! Listen to the recording several times and imitate what you hear. It is sounding really beautiful! We will sing through all 3 Billie Eilish songs next week in our makeup lesson.
Mark
Practice your scales (C major, G major) with broken and solid chords. Practice “Silent Night” (new version) and “Fur Elise” both pages, hands separately. If you have time, try hands together for page 1. We will continue working on both next week in our makeup lesson. You are making great progress, keep it up!
Dec 6-13
Natalia
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 min every other day
What to practice: “Santa Tell Me”
How to practice it most effectively: listen to the recording – practice the pronunciation of certain words/phrases we identified today in the verses – say each phrase/word out loud slowly and then sing it
Daksh
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-1o min every other day
What to practice: improvising only on the black keys and then only on the white keys
Next week we will continue working on Jingle Bells :) – You can put stickers on keys if you want. I will give you a sheet next week to make it more clear!
Harlowe
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10 min every other day
What to practice: practice warm-ups (meow, brr)
practice: “It’s only getting better” & listen to “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus and “Love Story” by Taylor Swift
How to practice it most effectively: sing along with the recordings
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.