Meet Ms. Lauren D’Ottavio, owner of Studio D’Ottavio
Thank you for visiting the Studio D’Ottavio website! I am so glad that you are interested in what the studio has to offer, whether it be learning about singing, playing the piano, or doing both at the same time! I hope that after scrolling through these pages, you’ll begin to get a sense of what the studio is all about, and it will encourage you to take that next step of inquiring about lessons for yourself, your child, friend or loved one, and reap the many benefits of learning an instrument.
The arts have, and always will be, my life-long passion. I am blessed to share the gift of music, the gift that keeps on giving, with all of you.
All the best,
Lauren
WHAT THE STUDIO IS ALL ABOUT
Ms. Lauren D’Ottavio, M.A. in Music & Music Education from Columbia University in NYC, and New York State Certified Music Teacher, is the owner of the private music studio for piano and voice lessons, Studio D’Ottavio. Lauren trains budding artists to become the musicians they want to be, through the teaching of musical technique and performance, directly from the professional world of singing and piano. The Studio provides students with the ability to express themselves through their artistry.
BIOGRAPHY
An accomplished artist, born and raised on a vegetable farm in New Jersey, Lauren D’Ottavio is a singer, pianist, educator, and entrepreneur based on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She is known for her lyric soprano voice, her collaborative piano skills, and is an accomplished singer and pianist in the world of performing.
Lauren has been teaching lessons remotely since March 2020 and plans to continue to offer online lessons, post the alleviation of the COVID-19 crisis, to those students who prefer meeting virtually. The studio is also back to offering in-person lessons for fully immunized students.
Lauren has earned her Master of Arts from Columbia University in Music & Music Education, and her B.A. in Music Performance and Theater from Bard College. She is a state-certified Music Teacher in Pre-K-12 Music.
Her extensive vocal repertoire spans from Operatic to Musical Theater, having recently performed the roles of Pamina from Mozart’s Magic Flute, Musetta from Puccini’s La Bohème, and Cinderella from Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Her international career has taken to the stages of northern Italy, in the International Opera Performing Experience’s 2019 season, where she performed the role of Nannetta from Verdi’s Falstaff. Her hefty performance experience in solo piano and solo voice allows students to receive pertinent information directly from the field.
teaching philosophy
Student-centered is the best approach
Lauren follows a student-centered approach and creates a welcoming, safe environment for her students of all ages. Lauren has a wealth of teaching experience and has been trained in piano and vocal pedagogy from masters in her field at the highly accredited school for teachers and teacher training, Teachers College, Columbia University.
Lessons are customized to each student’s specific goals and interests.
process for new students
As stated above, Lauren takes a student-centered, and she is avid in making sure the student is getting the most out of their experience. Her main goals for all students is to establish healthy playing and singing, with little to no tension. She wants to avoid injury at all costs. The health and happiness of my students is Lauren’s top priority.
A Recent Eye-Opening Teaching Moment
With all of the fears and challenges that has been brought about during the COVID-19 pandemic, my students have been a source of strength and inspiration, now more than ever. I always remind them that I learn just as much from them as they do from me, and that has most definitely been the case especially lately. Teaching lessons online has been a task that has required me to be thinking outside of the box even more than I normally would, to keep lessons engaging and provide students with the same quality of learning as they would receive from me during in-person lessons. I have a feeling that the lessons learned during this current moment will continue to be relevant many years to come.