Shelley has recently graduated with a Master of Teaching from OISE. She is qualified to teach music and drama. Shelley did her undergrad at the UofT Faculty of Music where her main instrument was piano. She sang in the Women’s Chamber Choir, where she got the opportunity to perform Cherubini’s Requiem at the Lincoln Center. Shelley also studied multiple genres of voice, especially classical, musical theatre, and jazz. She has performed in multiple revue/cabaret shows and was a soloist in the Hart House Jazz Ensemble. Shelley has also taken courses in the UofT Drama department and directed two of her original plays on campus.
As an emerging music educator, Shelley would like to expose her students to a wide variety of different musical genres/styles including classical, jazz, pop, musical theatre, folk, and contemporary, and teach them techniques such as reading notation, reading degree numbers, and learning by ear. She aspires to create a space that students enjoy because they get to explore their own musical identity and interests by choosing the music style(s) they like. By encouraging and giving students opportunities to engage in and develop their own skills in an area of their choice, Shelley believes students will be more likely to want to continue with music in their lives beyond the studio.
Get to know Shelley…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Singing, playing piano, guitar and ukelele, acting, dancing, songwriting, story writing, playwriting, screenwriting, choreographing, travelling
Musical influences: Chopin, Sondheim, Larson, ABBA
Favourite food: Pasta
Least favourite food: Salad dressing
Favourite song: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger by Kelly Clarkson
Favourite movie: The Sound of Music
Favourite movie music: The Lion King
Favourite musical theater/ opera: Wicked, Don Giovanni
Best quote from your teacher: “It’s not just about practicing, it’s the way you practice”
Favorite quote: “Don’t work hard, work smart”
Favourite book: Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
Best thing about teaching at ABC: Passing my love of music to students
Latest Homework from Shelley
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Homework for September 2-9
Hakim
It was nice meeting you today Hakim! Here is this week’s homework:
How long to practice: 15-30 min a day
What to practice: Left hand only, if you fell up to it try right hand
How to practice: Pay attention to repetitive bars, and get the correct counting
See you next week :)
Homework for December 3-10
Nova
Great work today Nova! Here is this week’s homework:
** Please remember to get Faber Level 1 Lesson book as soon as possible so you can practice this week!
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 per day
What to practice: Ode To Joy, Mozart’s Five Names, C Rock Blues, Theory book p. 25-26
How to practice:
– Ode to Joy: try hands together slowly, then pick up the speed once ready
– Mozart:
- practice lines 3 and 4; there is a big section of just half notes, and then the five quarter note theme repeated in different octaves. The first of those repetitions ends on a dotted half note to give you time to move your hand up to the higher octave. The second repetition ends on a whole note.
- Use the last bar of line 2 to move left hand to the correct position for the start of line 3 (finger 3 on A).
– C Rock: Review. Be aware of fingering, note values, and articulation.
– Theory: P. 25 practice the notes in the exercise. Be aware of note values and which hand to use when. Use the clefs to help you. Complete the exercises on P. 26.
How parents can support practice: Listen and guide as needed
See you next week :)
Homework for November 26-December 3
Nova
Great work today Nova! Here is this week’s homework:
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 per day
What to practice: Mozart’s Five Names, C Rock Blues
How to practice:
Mozart- Pay attention to patterns in the piece; e.g. the first three lines start with the rhythm of a dotted half note followed by a quarter note, there is also a recurring theme of a group of quarter notes that change direction while doing steps and skips. Let those patterns guide your practicing and muscle memory.
C Rock- review
How parents can support practice: Listen and guide if needed
See you next week :)
Homework for November 19-26
Nova
Great work today Nova! Here’s this week’s homework:
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 per day
What to practice: Mozart, C Rock Blues
How to practice:
-Mozart: Pay attention to the values of notes as well as any pattern. Eg, every line starts with a dotted half note followed by a quarter note. Try to play through without stopping. If you stop, try a slower tempo, practice it a few times, and then pick up the tempo when you’re very comfortable doing so. Finally, once you gave your book, mark your fingerings as soon as you get your book so you can follow along with the correct finger technique.
-C Rock Blues: Good work on staccato, keep practicing! Pay attention to note values and fingerings.
How parents can support practice: Listen and guide
See you next week :)
November 12-19
Nova
Great work Nova! Here is this week’s homework:
Recommended min to practice: 15-20 min per day
What to practice- Lil Liza Jane, Mozart (p. 23), C exercise (p. 22)
How to practice:
Lil Liza Jane- Review. Show the contrast between the mezzo piano part and the forte part. They sound different, so they should feel very different to play.
Mozart- Pay attention to fingering. Focus on lines 1 and 2. Once you are able to play at a comfortable tempo without stopping, start practicing lines 3 and 4.
C exercise- Pay attention to fingering. Add in the articulations- remember that staccato is very short, just a light tap to bring the key down for one second. Practice the staccato hand motion on the piano and on any surface to get used to the feeling.
How parents can support practice: Listen to them practice and guide as needed.
*Please bring your theory book next lesson. See you next week :)
Homework for November 5-12
Nova
Great work today Nova! Here is this week’s homework:
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 min per day
What to practice: Faber book- Lil Liza Jane, theory- maze going from note names to piano keys
How to practice: Keep fingers on keys (do not move hand), follow dynamics, staccatos and slurs, play at a steady tempo without stopping at bar lines
How parents can support practice- Listen and guide if they need
See you next week :)
Homework for October 29- November 5
Nova
Great work today Nova! Here is this week’s homework:
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 min per day
What to practice: Sailing in the Sun, River flowing scale
How to practice: Lift your finger once you’re finished playing a note so that it doesn’t overlap with the next one. Practice playing smooth (legato), and detached. Notice the difference between those ways of playing.
How parents can support practice: Listen and guide
See you next week :)
Preferred Books for Shelley Students
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RCM Voice Repertoire
A Comprehensive Voice Series serves as the official resource for voice assessments of the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program. Featuring an outstanding selection of voice literature and supporting materials, this series offers a truly enriched learning experience to help ensure student success. As in previous editions, Resonance encompasses a rich and varied selection of Repertoire, Vocalises and Recitatives that students of all ages and voice types will find appropriate to their musical interests and level of technical ability.
Hal Leonard Vocal Method
The Complete Method for Singers
Kodály Approach
Belting - A Guide to Healthy Powerful Singing
Belting is a strong way of big singing that has become very popular in contemporary styles. It is heard in everything from rock to hip-hop to pop to musical theater to the plethora of award shows. However, not only is there much confusion and misinformation about how to belt well, if done poorly belting can actually damage the voice. Numerous famous singers have belted their way to injury or even lost their voices, sometimes permanently. Many voice teachers believe (incorrectly) that belting is simply bad, physically and aesthetically. So, singing students are getting mixed messages. They hear their favorite artists belt-singing throughout their favorite music, yet the resources teaching healthy belting techniques are few and far between. Belting for the Contemporary Singer seeks to remedy the situation. The fact is, belting can be done well and without causing injury. This book presents the facts about belting, what approaches work and which to avoid. Its online video and audio demonstrate good techniques and exercises.
15 First Lessons - Voice
The First 15 Lessons series provides a step-by-step lesson plan for the absolute beginner, complete with audio tracks, video lessons, and real songs! Designed for self-teaching or for use with an instructor, you’ll build a solid foundation as you work through each lesson, learning the basics of singing and music reading while practicing the many exercises, concepts and song excerpts within. Each book in the series features must-know instruction so you can start performing right away, with a free online metronome! The voice book features lessons on: full-body singing, breathing, finding your voice, vocal warmups, the vocal break, caring for your voice, diction, music literacy, building skills, working on a song, dealing with nerves and more.
Teach Yourself to Sing
Learn to sing and open up a brand new world of musical knowledge with this exciting method from Alfred Music. Beginning with the fundamentals, you will learn about equipment used by singers, vocal health, and getting acquainted with reading music. You will then move right along to breathing, vocalizing, proper warm-ups, and singing songs, lesson by lesson, all while continuing to increase your knowledge of reading and understanding music. You will learn to sing an array of musical styles including pop, jazz, classical, and musical theater. Near the end of the book, you will be introduced to the idea of individual interpretation, which will help you color your songs with your own unique style.
Folk Songs for Solo Singers vol. 2
A new high edition of our popular vocal collection, this volume of best-loved folk songs for solo voice and piano contains fourteen memorable works arranged by three of Alfred Music’s top writers: Jay Althouse, Mark Hayes, and Ruth Elaine Schram. The CD includes a piano accompaniment track for each song.
Elementary Rudiments of Music
This series organizes concepts into three progressive levels with an Answer Book. Designed for intermediate to late-intermediate level students, it teaches the basic elements of music theory and complements the study of all instruments.
The Brown Scale Book
This essential resource includes all major and minor scales, triads, arpeggios, dominant sevenths, and chromatic scales organized by key. A favorite for decades, The Brown Scale Book belongs in every student’s library.
Dozen A Day
The Dozen a Day books are universally recognized as one of the most remarkable technique series on the market for all ages! Each book in this series contains short warm-up exercises to be played at the beginning of each practice session, providing excellent day-to-day training for the student.
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.
