Instructor
Teresa Suydam is a teacher and singer-songwriter from Denver, Colorado, who has always held a great passion for music. They received a Bachelor of Science in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Colorado in Denver. Teresa found music to be a great emotional outlet and cites a wide variety of artists as influences (including BTS, Ruby Ibarra, Ingrid Michaelson, and Jason Robert Brown). During their time in school, Teresa began to write music and lyrics, followed by performances with vocal group Lark, soulful R&B band Emma Mayes & The HIP, and collaboration with production duo Mom N Dad. All of these experiences benefited their ability to educate students from any discipline. In teaching, Teresa specializes in contemporary singers, while having the training to teach all genres, such as soul, jazz, R&B, and musical theater. In current practice,
Teresa works with singers of all levels, while also offering beginner to intermediate level lessons in piano, guitar, and ukulele.
Using training in vocal pedagogy and knowledge of healthy ways to train different parts of the voice, Teresa focuses on the development of well-rounded people through musical education. They emphasize the maintenance of a student's love of music (rather than making musical education a form of work for the student), simultaneously curating the use of music as a creative and emotional outlet for students. Teresa has found this focus to be more effective in developing skills as opposed to a rigid practice schedule. Methodologically, they practice the gardening method, in which the teacher and student plant the seed of an idea or goal, and the following lessons nurture the idea with love, time, attention, and the applicable experience that allows the student to progress. This method is benefited by adaptability, as Teresa knows that every student's musical journey is different from the next, requiring individual attention to achieve success, as defined by the student and teacher.
From this method, Teresa has seen impressive results. These results include one student inducted into the Honors Performances Series (HPS), in which the HPS choir is provided the opportunity to travel and sing under a wide variety of master conductors. Many other students are involved in musical theater and musicals throughout the year, using the skills they developed in lessons with Teresa to perform on the stage. Even further, multiple students regularly perform at coffee shops and venues, singing covers and originals that they've worked on in lessons. These developments are just a few of the incredible outcomes of Teresa's lessons. In helping students develop their passions, Teresa tirelessly continues to develop their own individual skills, performance, and educational competencies.
For all teaching inquiries, please feel free to contact Teresa by email: teresasuydam@gmail.com.