FRANK HOSTICKA is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music. An Adjunct Professor of Trumpet at the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music, he also teaches at various music schools in NY and NJ. Frank has been the Principle Solo Cornet with the Goldman Band since 1976, and the Associate Trumpet with the Metropolitan Opera since 1980, including recordings, tours, and performances with conductors such as Carl Bohm, Erich Leinsdorf, George Solti and James Levine. His orchestral credits include Spoleto Festival, NYC Opera, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Long Island Philharmonic, NJ Symphony, NJ Opera, Paris Opera, Royal Winnepeg Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Bolshoi Ballet, Jeoffrey Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem and Radio City Music Hall. Frank’s solo performances include Detroit Concert Band and New Sousa Band. Frank has performed in numerous Broadway and off-Broadway musicals, with many popular acts such as the Temptations and Tammy Wynette, has toured and recorded as a member of the Metropolitan Brass Quartet, and has performed and held clinics in Japan, Korea, South America and Italy.

SUSAN LA FEVER earned her Performance Certificate from the Manhattan School of Music, an M.M. from the University of Nebraska, and is a Ph.D. candidate at Rutgers University. She has performed extensively, both in the U.S. and abroad, as a recitalist, chamber music and orchestral musician. Her recital appearances include the American Landmark Festivals at Federal Hall, St. Bartholomew’s Tuesday Chapel Concerts, Noonday Concert Series at St. Paul’s Chapel in Manhattan, and the Brooklyn Museum Sunday Afternoon Concert Series. Susan has performed as a member of various ensembles in Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, Town Hall and Avery Fisher Hall, and with festival groups in Royal Albert Hall (London) and in Fontainebleau Castle (France). Her orchestral credits include the NY Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, NJ Opera Festival and Lincoln Symphony Orchestra. She is the principal horn of the Hat City Opera (Danbury) and the Greater Bridgeport Symphony (CT). Her Broadway credits include The Lion King, The Sound of Music, Cats, and the international tour of Porgy and Bess. Susan has appeared as a guest on radio station WBAI in NYC as a member of the Amphion Woodwind Quintet, winner of the Artists International Auditions.

Hanne Ladefoged-Dollase received her M.M. in Vocal Pedagogy and Musicology from the University of Copenhagen. Her extensive post-graduate work includes studies in Vocal, Dance and Acting Performance at Western Washington University, the Advanced Vocal Institute for the French Vocal Repertoire (Paris), Modern Baroque Opera Company (Vancouver), and OperaWorks! (Los Angeles). A Mezzo-contralto with training as an opera, oratorio and recital singer in Europe and the U.S., she has performed in avant-garde and baroque opera in addition to performances of standard opera repertoire, has appeared with numerous groups, and has performed extensively throughout North America, promoting Scandinavian music culture in song recital and lectures. Currently, Hanne is collaborating with various groups in the NY metro area including the Oratorio Society of NJ, the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, Opera Amadeo and the Ars Musica Chorale, as well as with famed pianist (and TRC instructor!), Ron Levy.

HanneLadefoged-Dollase’s vocal studio at TRC is especially geared towards the student who wants to find – and free – his or her voice in a warm and nurturing environment. Hanne teaches the student to sing with ‘the whole body’ though body-mind techniques such as breathing exercises, yoga, Alexander technique and Wesley Balk performance techniques. In addition to giving private voice lessons, Hanne teaches vocal ensembles and our new Children’s Chorus:

Vocal Performance for the Complete Singer
This program of one-on-one instruction offers a comprehensive study of the art of singing to both amateurs and professional vocalists, emphasizing vocal technique and voice building. Students will learn the classic bel canto vocal technique for the lyric and the dramatic voice, expression and interpretation of songs in English and foreign languages, sight-singing, solfege and ear-training, as well as a historical and analytical perspective on chosen song literature, in addition to receiving coaching and preparation for auditions. (8 yrs - Adult)

Vocal Ensembles
A vocal ensemble provides vocalists with the opportunity to have fun performing a wide variety of music literature as part of a group. Ensembles will be offered for children and adults, and students will be placed according to ability. (8 yrs - Adult)

Children’s Chorus for 6, 7 and 8 Year Olds
Chorus is a great way for our younger students to have fun with music! Children will have the opportunity to explore their voices, learn to sing in tune, and become familiar with the joy of singing. (6-8 yrs)

KATHRYN ZETTO received both her B.M. and M.M. from the New England Conservatory of Music. In addition to her extensive study of Voice and Vocal Coaching, Kathryn has trained in dance (modern and ballet) and acting. A mezzo-soprano, she has performed professionally in operas, concerts, recitals, musical theater and television, both nationally and abroad, from New York City to Montreux, Switzerland. The breadth of her travels is matched by the diversity of her performance credits, which include appearances with the Manhattan Opera Theater, Verismo Opera Company, Queens Opera, Opera Studio, Light Opera of Manhattan, Ars Viva, Nyack Lyric Opera, Music Theater of Long Island, and the Richmond Theater; as well as with American Landmark Festivals Concerts, Chautauqua Opera Association, NEC Opera Theater, Jandora International Opera Festival (TV special, Belgium), Crispus Attucks (road tour The American Stage Festival and world premier in NYC), The Sound of Music (southern USA tour), The Messiah (Children’s Miracle Network Telethon). Her television credits include All My Children and One Life to Live.

Offered as 30, 45 or 60-minute private lessons, Kathryn Zetto’s ’Vocal Performance for Musical Theater’ and ‘Vocal Performance for the Operatic and Concert Stage’ programs enable students to grow and develop in the studio, in school performances and in professional level work through voice building and dramatic coaching:

Vocal Performance for Musical Theater
Were you born for the stage? Do you dream of becoming a star? No matter what your age or level of experience, this program offers performance-oriented vocal training with emphasis on the American Musical Theater traditions and techniques for the singing actor. Young performers will learn to "take the stage" and "tell the story." More advanced performers and professionals will have the opportunity to perfect their vocal technique and expand their on-stage skills. The Musical Theater program offers a comfortable and safe growing environment to explore and develop each individual’s special talents. (8 yrs - Adult)

Vocal Performance for the Operatic and Concert Stage
This program offers a complete study of classical vocal performance, with emphasis on traditional performance practice in opera, oratorio and concert performance to both amateurs and professional vocalists. Students will lean vocal technique and voice building; study classic bel canto, spinto, and dramatic vocal techniques; work with expression and interpretation of songs in English as well as many other languages; explore song literature (especially French Melodie and German Lieder), receive coaching in their preparation for auditions, and learn sight-singing, solfege, and ear-training. (8 yrs - Adult)

Although playing a musical instrument can be great fun, and performing in public is often exhilarating – practicing an instrument every day can be SO boring! We know very few professional musicians who just love to practice. We know even fewer students who are enamored of the process.

Here’s what we do know:

Everyone Needs An Incentive

If you’re like most adults, you probably wouldn’t go to work every day if you weren’t getting paid. Student-musicians also need some compensation for their hard work. While it’s true that enhanced performance should be reward enough for the long hours of practicing required to play an instrument well – many children need something a bit more concrete (and fun!) to entice them into putting in the effort.

No, we’re not suggesting that you shell out big bucks to get your child to practice...but there are other "currencies" that work just as well. Praise works. Gold stars work. Incentive programs work. You might find that younger children practice without complaint if they know there’s a special snack or fun activity waiting for them after their work is done. Older children respond well to an incentive program with long-range goals. We suggest tailoring the incentive to the child’s age, setting longer term goals as your child gets older.

When our son, Ben, was 7 or 8 years old, we created a weekly practice chart that we hung on the wall. A week of five good practices (big, bright stars on the chart) earned him extra television time or a video rental on the weekend. As he grew older, his incentives grew bigger: a month of good practices might earn a new computer game or a trip to a theme park. Establishing incentives and working toward increasingly greater goals helped Ben become responsible for his own success.

People Who Need People

Many youngsters who are happy to spend hours alone with a video game controller in their hands, can’t seem to spend one minute alone with their musical instrument.

Ben has never liked to be alone when he practices. In the beginning, he just wanted us to listen and applaud. (He hated it when Lou would correct a missed note or ask him to play something over!) Ben would practice flute in the kitchen while I made dinner, and piano before bed while Lou did some paperwork or made reeds. Even now, at 14 years of age, Ben likes company when he practices. He doesn’t care if we watch television with headphones covering our ears, read a book, or work on the computer. In fact, he doesn’t want critiques or comments on his playing at all. He just hates feeling like he’s been banished to another room to practice the same old stuff all alone.

Timing Is Everything

The time of day set aside for practicing is often just as important as the amount of time spent on the instrument. You’ll get the best results if you choose a time when your child isn’t distracted, tired or rushed.

Personally, I am a big advocate of setting aside a regular time for music. I don’t care whether it’s before breakfast, after school, at dinnertime or before bed. I just want it to be non-negotiable. We’ve tried them all. As a youngster, Ben did better in the morning. He had more patience, and so did we. Now Ben practices before going to bed. His homework is done, he has finished the sport of the day and taken his shower, and he is (for the moment) done eating us out of house and home.

And yes, making beautiful music has finally become its own reward for our teenage son. It just took some creative thinking, a great deal of "noodging," continual encouragement, nagging, time management skills, and lots and lots of patience. It’s been worth the effort.

— Jan Caimano, TRC’s Associate Director