Voice Teachers

We make an effort to match each of our students with the best possible teacher for their musical, personal, and logistical needs. However, if someone stands out to you from the list below, let us know and we'll see what we can do. Contact us to move forward with private voice lessons.

Laura Benjamin who is originally from Westchester County, New York, is a versatile musician and veteran teacher who has a real gift for working with aspiring singer/pianists, preparing them for performance and helping them to build a repertoire. She is a lifelong singer who, in addition to various musical theater experience, was heavily involved in a cappella singing group, Out of the Blue, while at Yale. She is patient, authentic, and highly effective. Laura is a performer herself, having released two albums of original music. Laura is great with singers who are interested in pop, rock, country, jazz, and musical theater.

Tara Chiusano  is perhaps best known at Eclectic Music for leading our sing-alongs and musical theater workshops, having become a beloved children's perfomer since she moved to Atlanta in late 2008 from the Washington, D.C. area (where she already had a dedicated following). Almost every time Tara leads a sing-along you can hear someone telling her that she should be a famous singer. Tara has a compassionate approach to teaching voice and truly believes that anyone can be a singer. Her gentle encouragement has led many of her students to participate in community musical theater and school programs.

Jennifer Christie, who has a bachelor's degree in vocal performance from Millikin University and a master's degree from Georgia State, has a classically-based, technically-oriented approach to vocal instruction. However scary that sounds, it is balanced by her soft-spoken, gentle and encouraging demeanor - Jennifer's students love her. She prepares students for musical theater auditions, talent show performances, and church choir. Jennifer herself is a staff singer at Peachtree Presbyterian Church and directs the early elementary choir there, rounding out her career as a sought-after voice and piano teacher.

Lyrika Holmes moved to Atlanta recently from Memphis, and Atlanta is the richer for it. Lyrika's primary instrument is harp, which she incorporates into performances of her own original music - she is a spellbinding perfomer. Lyrika has a master's degree in music education and Orff certification from the University of Memphis and extensive teaching experience in choir, drama, general music, recorder, harp, voice, and piano. She is a great resource for aspiring professional singers, songwriters, and harpists.

Libby Nation is a Georgia native who is at home on bass, guitar, and piano, in addition to being an accomplished singer/songwriter who has toured internationally and shared the stage with many nationally-known perfomers. Libby brings many creative ideas to her teaching and is comfortable in many styles from classical to jazz to rock. In person, Libby is low-key, relaxed, and elegant, possessed of a sustained, mature energy that allows her to connect authentically with all kinds of different students, from preschoolers to adults. She is a treasure.

Vanessa Olivarez is one half of Granville Automatic, a duo who performs original Americana music steeped in history and heartache. Originally from Texas, she gained fane a finalist on season two of American Idol and lived to tell the tale. Vanessa's personal approach to teaching voice is the opposite of the notorious TV show: she uses only positive reinforcement in unearthing the talents of the students she is privileged to work with. Vanessa is a "people person" who splits her time between Atlanta and Nashville, radiating positive energy and joy to all who come in contact with her.

Tafee Patterson is a singer, actress, and dancer who might perform opera for hundreds of school children, sing in a musical theater production, hop onstage with a rock band, and have a wedding gig with a jazz group, all in the course of a week. It is somewhat difficult to get her to stop singing, but why would you try? She brings her infectious enthuisiasm and musical omnivorousness to her teaching, where the student's agenda comes first and she will channel all of her considerable energy into making it happen.

Karen Wyatte is a singer, pianist, guitarist, and songwriter. She is working toward a music degree at Georgia State, having already completed a B.S. in Chemistry from Emory. Karen brings a mature, high-minded perspective to teaching, aiming to achieve the perfect balance between awakening each student's creative spirit and providing the technical foundation for the student to express themselves through music in a variety of styles. Karen's personality is energetic and engaging, with a great sense of humor. She is a compassionate, encouraging voice teacher who would be perfect for the shyest student.