Victoria Richards
Bio
Victoria received her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and Piano from Bob Jones University in 2021. She started playing the piano and the violin when she was 5 years old and for as long as she can remember, she wanted to teach music. She started teaching piano and violin privately when she was 14 years old, under the supervision of her mother, Kaye Dee Richards. Through the beginner Alfred curriculum, she was able to effectively teach technique and musicianship simultaneously to young children, and her students were well prepared for numerous recitals and competitions. She has taught dozens of school-age students at a variety of levels and began teaching voice when she was in college while studying Voice and Piano. During her college education, Victoria participated in a Vocal Pedagogy Internship where she was given a voice student for a semester where she learned to further apply her knowledge of teaching and Vocal Pedagogy. As a Performance major, Victoria was able to participate in many performance opportunities including choir concerts, musical/Broadway productions, opera, winners’ recitals, and solo recitals. She has won awards through the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the United States International Duo Piano Competition, the National Federation of Music Clubs, and other competitions. Victoria has received her certification in Orofacial Myology from the Coulson Institute. OM is a method of therapy that works with the muscles of the mouth, face, and tongue to produce proper breathing, sleeping, swallowing, chewing, and even posture. These methods can be applied to the voice as well, and be utilized to build breathing skills, and establish proper tongue position and strength. She has also received her certification in Vocology from Lamar University, which will further allow her to habilitate voices and dive deeper into the technique and the mechanics of the human singing voice. She has also received a Master's in Special Education from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. This education allows her to adapt her methods to the needs and goals of students with disabilities to help them succeed in their musical journey.
What I teach
Instruments
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Piano
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Voice
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Violin
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Beginner Flute
Orofacial Myology
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Correct tongue posture
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Correct mouth posture
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Proper nasal breathing
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Jaw pain relief
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Stop thumb/finger sucking
"My main objective as a teacher is to teach my students to the best of my ability. I give equal effort in teaching each of my students and I will tailor my methods to each students’ needs and learning styles. Eclectic styles of teaching methods will allow me to personalize lesson plans to my students. In lessons I will teach technique, sightreading, music theory, and musicianship. Incorporating these basics will allow students to grow as technical musicians and performers while also enjoying music as a blessing and gift from God. While I have an emphasis on classical music and technique, I want my students to enjoy what they are learning and will therefore allow them to choose some repertoire that they think they would enjoy, with my approval. Proper technique is often the key to being able to perform for a long time. I will teach my students self-awareness, listening skills, and problem-solving skills in application to their instrument. I want my students to learn to be able to think for themselves, feel and hear what their body is doing and be able to adjust when necessary so that they can healthfully use their instrument. I believe that learning how to perform well under normal or stressful circumstances is a necessary life skill, and so I will provide opportunities for my students to perform. I will teach them performance basics and skills; how to recover from mistakes, performance etiquette, stage presence, and audience communication. We are commanded by God to be good stewards of the blessings He has given us. Since music is a blessing, we are to steward this gift for His honor and glory. I will strive to teach music in a manner that is pleasing to my God and that will allow my students to see music as a wonderful means of worshipping our Creator."