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In The beginning.
In 1982 with years of professional operatic performances under his belt and armed with a Master's degree, tremendous operatic talent and distinctive singing technique, Steven Schnurman left the hallowed halls of the one of the world's most prestigious music conservatories, The Juilliard School.
Sometime after, while he was between operatic gigs, Schnurman took a job teaching voice at a small school of the arts in Woodbridge VA. It was just supposed to be a one-day gig teaching two students, nothing more. In a short two months, he was up to twenty students with more signing up each day. The word was out, and it resounded loudly-- 'There is this incredible teacher from Juilliard in town, and he's doing great things with people's voices.' It was then that Steven understood that he possesed the unique abilties and communication skills required to teach singing. He found that he was able to teach in a way that quickly brought singers, beginners and pros alike, to new levels of talent and ability.
The following Summer Steven left the school to sing at the Central City Opera Company. His incredible technique, talent, patience and people skills would make an indelible impression on his students and that school for many years to come.
Shortly thereafter, Steven and his wife Linda, moved to Princeton to further pursue their operatic careers. With the memory of the school and his wonderful experiences teaching still in the forefront of his mind, Steven decided to venture into opening his own school of voice.
So in 1989, with a lot of prayers, that were dramatically answered Schnurman Voice Studio was born. During the very beginning, even before a student had walked through the door, Steven learned that a there was a nearby music teacher who taught instruments and voice and was advertising for new students. Steven approached him to see if he was looking to bring on a singing teacher to expand his business. The music teacher explained that his school was so small that it was really a one-man operation.
After hearing about Steven's unique teaching ability, the man started taking lessons from Steven because, as he put it, he always wanted to learn vocal technique from someone with Steven's qualifications and training. After months of lessons with Steven, this amazingly honest and wonderful man came to realize that teaching voice was a great deal more involved and difficult than he knew and that he shouldn't be teaching it.
As a direct result of his epiphany, he told all of his voice students to "go to Steve Schnurman! I'm not able to help you as he is. You need to study with him!" And it was at that point, that the doors of Schnurman Voice Studios opened and there has been a steady stream of wonderful students ever since. The studio became known as the area's premier place to learn how to sing and word of mouth caused it to grow at a very rapid pace.
Word spread quickly that there was finally someone in the Central New Jersey area that had a gift to help people really learn how to sing. And did so with patience, ease and a great sense of humor. Beginners with little or no outward display of talent learned how to sing very, very well. Some of them went on to sing professionally! Others, who showed natural talent and ability were given the tools to grow vocally into their potential. Still others, who had been previously trained, or who were professionals, were helped to solidify or correct long standing vocal issues that other teachers were unable to fix. There have been hundreds of success stories from hundreds of grateful people who had their singing experience impacted by Steve's training. Testimonials
There are many teachers who sing well, with good vocal technique, but aren't able to impart it to others. The ability to teach is an entirely different skill than performing, which few singers have. Steve Schnurman has that ability. Other singing teachers who find out about Schnurman's unique teaching ability and have and still study with Steven. They continue to seek his advice in helping them teach their students thus Steve Schnurman is known as "The Teacher's Teacher."
Broadway
Steven also opened an annex studio at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He mainly taught Broadway kids and adults. When the talent agents and managers realized the quality of his work and its results, they recommended many of their broadway clients to study with Steven.
Some students like Lacey Chabert, JD Daniels and Demarree Alexander.
Along with Broadway types Steven continues to teach beginners to professional in his voice studio, now located in historic downtown Cranbury in a Revolutionary War home converted for commercial and office use.
Steven really enjoys living and working in his community and takes great pride in making an impact on the singing lives of his students. Working within his community gives Schnurman the freedom to spend quality time with his daughter Joanna, an aspiring opera singer, and to watch his son Jesse growing into a wonderful baseball pitcher and saxophone player.
Time To Expand
Over the years, Schnurman Voice Studio has expanded and grown. He has groomed and trained many talented students who, themselves, have gone on to become excellent teachers at the studio. Steven was very pleased when his wife, Linda Wall Schnurman began to teach at Schnurman Vocie Studio. Steven and Linda had met and married while at The Juilliard School for opera and music performance. Linda is a renown Soprano who sang at Carnegie Hall, with Maestro Aaron Copeland. She premiered a composition of Leonard Bernstein's with Maestro Bernstein accompanying her at the piano. In Linda's prestigious career, she sang with major opera houses throughout the world.
Commuting From Other Countries To Study!
For five years, Linda served as the Opera Director of the Masterworks Festival, which is a summer festival for classical music and drama. At Masterworks, Steven Schnurman was on faculty as the lead voice teacher.
The opera department was comprised of leading conservatory students from all over the United States and the world, as well as professional opera singers who had sung at such international opera companies as the Metropolitan Opera and and at the Sydney Opera House. When they experienced the vocal technique that Steven Schnurman offered, some of those singers commuted from across the country and even from other countries to learn more! Others moved to New Jersey to study with Steven. Some of those testimonies are represented on this site in the Testimonials section.
Steven and Linda bring to the school years of professional operatic experience as well as a renown reputation as premier voice teachers. Using proprietary training methods, Schnurman Voice Studio offers the best teaching of vocal technique found in New Jersey.
Going Forward.
Where do we go from here? The immediate answer to the question is that we go forward with you! Perhaps you or your child have dreamed of being able to receive world-class voice training. Perhaps you would like to get started on the right footing vocally before learning bad habits from improper training or from inexperience. Please call or email us. We look forward to speaking with you. We would be delighted to begin working together to help you to bring your dreams to reality.
The Testimonials section shows just a handful of the many people who have taken the step to bring their dreams of singing closer to reality.
info@voicelessonsnj.com
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