Dr. Maria Maxfield Voice Studio

First, feel free to fill out the Student Interest Form on my website here. I will then contact you to schedule a free 20-30 minute virtual “New Student Consultation”. At the consultation, I’ll introduce myself, provide my background as a performer and teacher, and explain my approach to vocal technique. I'll ask you more follow-up questions from your initial inquiry form and leave time for any questions you may have. Feel free to bring a list of repertoire or songs you have previously worked on, or that you would like to sing in the future and we can be sure to go over those as well. For minors, I would ask that a parent or guardian is present for this initial consultation.

I teach out of my apartment for students who live in the New York City area and would like to have a lesson in person. My apartment is located at Central Park North (Near 113th and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd). 

I also teach online! About half of my studio is online, and the other half is in person. Online lessons are highly successful and allow students greater access to quality teachers when travel is difficult or when students are living in other locations. I've had students do very well and win top competitions without ever working with them live or in person.

For online lessons, you will need a good quality laptop or computer to do lessons and not an ipad or tablet. I use Zoom and the “original sound for musician” function and guide students in adjusting the levels and options for optimal sound in the lesson. It works best to use wired headphones but your computer microphone should also work if this is not an option. I don't recommend bluetooth headphones for lessons. You will need a separate device like a phone or tablet to play audio accompaniments/tracks during your lesson (a bluetooth speaker for this is a plus, but not required!). You will also need to place your laptop in a place where you can stand and move comfortably during your lessons. I am happy to discuss all of this in more detail in your “New Student Consultation".  

I also teach hybrid lessons! I have many students who do a combination of in-person and online, so feel free to book as you see fit with your schedule.

For consistent growth and improvement, weekly lessons are best. Establishing a routine with consistent weekly lessons yields the best results for technical growth, accountability and personal investment. 

However you are welcome to take lessons on an as needed basis. For my students who are young artists, professional, or working singers, they tend to come both regularly or on an as-needed basis depending on their current vocal goals or singing projects. 

Non-professional adult students are welcome! These are students taking lessons for their own fun, growth, or personal vocal goals. Learning a new hobby as an adult can be intimidating, but I welcome this cohort of students! I find these students get a lot of satisfaction and joy out of the process while gaining a new level of confidence in their ability to express themselves vocally. 

The timing of lessons varies based on the needs or age of the student. Some people find 60 minutes to be too long and are better focused in 45 minute lessons, others feel rushed in a 45 minute lesson and would prefer a full hour. 

Another consideration for how to make this decision:

• 60 minute lessons break down to about 20-30 minutes of vocal exercises and 25-35 minutes of repertoire work (this time allows for more in depth musicianship work and acting work on multiple song selections). 

• 45 minute lessons break down to 15-20 minutes of vocal exercises and 20-25 minutes of repertoire work. This usually allows time for us to work on 1 song selection.

Please schedule what works best for you! If the decision is a financial one, please reach out to me. I’m happy to offer my sliding scale rates to see if those fit your budget better and also align with your vocal goals.

I use the Acuity scheduling application for scheduling my students (and you can use this to schedule a “New Student Consultation” too). I like this platform because it allows you to create a client profile to manage your lessons. This is especially helpful if you need to reschedule a lesson or cancel a lesson. Please be sure and create a client profile before beginning to make appointments so everything is linked correctly on the platform. 

Please be sure to carefully select whether you are booking an “In-Person/NYC” lesson or a “Virtual” lesson, when scheduling and booking online. Acuity will also adjust for the time change between my schedule and different time zones and allow you to select your preferred client time zone.

The cost of private lessons vary depending on teacher qualifications, background, location, and experience. I came to my pricing structure after careful consideration of comparable rates for private lessons in NYC and other major cities, my qualifications with doctoral work in vocology, vocal arts, and directing, as well as my professional singing experience and industry knowledge. Please fill out a Student Interest Form for my current rates and other information. 

Please note - I strongly believe that financial constraint should not be a barrier to quality voice lessons. Because of this, I utilize a sliding scale model for anyone who may be dealing with varying financial circumstances (no detailed proof required). Please inquire about seeing the sliding scale model when inquiring about my rates if this may apply to you.

While voice lessons can include some training in musicianship, ear training and music theory, they are predominately about vocal technique. If you’re looking to learn how to read music, a music theory course or a piano class is more appropriate for you than a voice lesson. Here are some great resources for getting better at music theory: 

• Music Theory Studies with The Royal Conservatory (https://www.rcmusic.com/learning/digital-learning)

• Waay App (Maria’s top choice)

• Tenuto App

• Earmaster App

• Perfect ear

I tailor my curriculum with each student to their specific needs and goals. For students who are unsure of goals and have a general desire to improve with their singing, I will tailor the curriculum to the genre they are most interested in and then provide repertoire within that genre (classical, musical theater or contemporary). I will also provide a few pieces outside of their preferred genre to challenge learning and growing in new vocal styles. 

I also teach as a Royal Conservatory of Music Teacher (RCM Teacher #147971) and guide students interested in that through that program and the subsequent certification and examinations. This is an excellent program if you’re looking for more specific goals and motivation within private voice lessons. Start here to learn more. I receive no kick-back for recommending this program, I genuinely think the program is excellent, especially for young musicians.

I am currently not teaching students younger than 13 years old. While I’m happy to consider an exception for special circumstances, I advise parents with younger children who want to learn to sing to sign them up for piano lessons first. This will give them musicianship skills and training that will eventually be invaluable to them as singers.

I am also experienced in guiding students through the shifts and changes that come to the maturing and aging voice and have helped many singers successfully navigate this process.

Yes! I have worked with trans singers and currently work with trans singers. All voices are met with care and every singer’s voice is dependent on a number of factors physiologically, like the size and shape of the larynx and vocal tract as well as the thickness and length of the vocal folds. However, while vocal range is typically a variable that can’t be dramatically adjusted (unless through the use of hormone therapy), singers can train and build their voice in a way that more closely aligns with their identity. I also pay particular attention to appropriate repertoire, character and song choice as it relates best to each individual singer. If you are a trans singer currently taking medication to assist with your transition, please reach out to me about this specifically, and I’m happy to discuss this with you as it relates to your vocal goals.

Please come prepared to your first lesson with any song you love to sing. Make sure you’re hydrated and well rested. 

If you are arriving in person please keep in mind that I usually teach back to back, so arriving a minute before your lesson time is preferred. There is a little coffee shop at 111th and St. Nicholas Ave by my apartment (1927 Cafe Bar Popularr) that is a great waiting spot if you find yourself with extra time! I’m also a five minute walk from central park north, which is also a nice spot to spend some time in before your lesson begins.

I will bill via an emailed invoice at the beginning of every month for the previous month of appointments. I prefer payment using Venmo or Paypal, but will also accept card payments via Stripe on my website. 

I allow students to cancel a lesson up to 24 hours in advance. Lessons will not be reimbursed if they are canceled with less than 24 hours notice. If you are sick or have an emergency with less than 24 hours notice I’m happy to be sensitive to these scenarios on a case by case basis. 

I try to offer mutual care and thoughtfulness in these situations, but please consider that when you’ve taken up a time slot on my lesson calendar and then cancel last minute, it’s time that someone else could have used and that puts me at a financial loss. Thank you for your care in these situations.

I play the piano, and will play the piano for our vocal warmups and exercises, but I will not play student accompaniments in voice lessons. While I’m able to play many student accompaniments on the piano, I don’t do this in my private lessons because I want to focus on the singer and watch their performance. Because of this, I provide a​ free Appcompanist Subscription (Pick 6 Songs/Month) to all of my current students. While piano tracks will never substitute for a live pianist, this application aids the singer in the learning process as well as in our private lessons. It also included vocal exercises and has learning tool applications as well.

Consistent practicing is how students see improvement, and is a big part of my teaching pedagogy and technique. Without consistent practice, students will see much slower progress and growth. If students want to see significant improvement and advancement in their singing, they should be practicing consistently. I recommend 30-60 minutes a day for 4-5 days a week (the amount of practice time varies with age, skill level and goals). I will be very clear about how and what to practice and other resources for helping with this (Appcompanist).  

I also use an app for assisting my students as they practice during the week (Marco Polo app that is free to use). I find it gives students greater accountability and assistance with practicing and seeing quicker results. Included in my lesson fees for students is a free 15 minutes of my time per week, to check in on their practicing and offer advice through the use of Marco Polo. For students taking non-regular/non-weekly lessons, I am only able to respond to your updates and practicing questions on Marco Polo the week following the lesson you had (thank you for making note of this and respecting my time).