adventure into anMara…
Music is an invitation
to endless discovery
Annabeth has always been a teaching artist: she was originally approached by fans at college shows to share her knowledge. Whether songwriting, performing, or recording, music has been her way to unearth and process hidden emotion. She finds that the beauty of music brings a magical, heavenly quality to life that makes the bleak mundane more bearable.
Musical exploration is an etherel unseen landscape she traverses- a harmonious and frontierless space to wander in, to become familiar with and at home within, yet always continue to discover more. There is no end to the potential towards mastery in the land of music- there’s always something more to learn if you let curiosity lead the way.
Through her music career, she has written hundreds of songs, recorded over half a dozen albums, toured the west coast and Europe, won grants and charted, been the bandleader of a girl band called Larkspur, founded a French collaboration project called This Is Alaska, successfully crowdfunded an album on kickstarter, starred in as well as produced music videos, mastered live looping, learned home recording, went on to produce and mix songs on her latest album “New the Old,” and now runs a sustaining Patreon membership to continually create for her biggest supporters.
She believes everyone’s musical journey is as unique as the musician themself. She enjoys helping others identify their specific dreams and goals, and helping map out and navigate a way to their next destination. With the most experience in teaching piano and guitar, she has also taught banjo, ukulele, autoharp, voice, songwriting, and recording. She has also mastered live looping and production.
Annabeth remembers when she first discovered how to harmonize as a young child at summer camp. She quickly became obsessed and started adding flourishes to the standards sing in church. Recently she has stepped fully into this childhood passion for singing, and is now embracing vocal technique as a way to maximize vocal ability and health, while maintaining the organic and unique sound of the individual.
Teaching background:
Annabeth took classical piano lessons growing up, loved high school choir, starred in a college Appalachian music group, and graduated with a bachelor’s in fine arts from Prescott College, a place where she fused her many passions and interests in various art forms and disciplines, minoring in ecology. She graduated and began teaching private lessons in 2012, and has been teaching some form of music ever since: from piano to guitar to banjo to ukulele to voice to songwriting to recording to performance. She especially enjoys mentoring and creatively coaching women of all ages, empowering them to chart their own course based upon their particular musical passions.
While classical music formed a strong foundation for her lifelong career, as a teacher she strives to make the experience of learning music enjoyable and engaging. After all, we PLAY music! The love of music is held as sacred: its power to heal and transform is immense. To Annabeth, the musician is the primary instrument, so self-care is a priority. Harmony extends beyond the chords and into life itself.
Simply fill out this form with your topic of interest and availability if you’d like to set up an intro lesson whether in person at her studio, at a professional teaching studio in Staunton, or over zoom:
Instruments i teach:
Piano
Whatever your goal is with piano, we can approach it through the time-tested lens of classical music.
I also am cultivating a “piano for singers and songwriters” curriculum. This is especially fun to integrate with voice lessons.
We can choose a performance piece of your choice, as an inspiring challenge and stretch goal.
voice
Singing is my first love - I was taught to harmonize at age 5, so understand the value of someone passing on a simple technique that can forever change your sound.
For years I struggled to confidently create a vocal intonation I could be proud of, that was also healthy and supported. You don’t have to struggle as long, I’ll teach you what I’ve learned!
Vocal technique is a kind of athleticism- if you want to excel, we should work together to design a daily voice routine you enjoy and/or are motivated to do!
GUITAR
The typical student is starting from scratch, so we learn through studying theory and chords. This focus on theory is so you can apply your knowledge of guitar to any musical pursuit in the future and speak to musical collaborators in a way they can understand.
We can select songs you love and learn them as covers, making them your own in the process.
We can learn on acoustic or electric, or transition from one to the other.
UKULELE
I've written an entire album on ukulele and have innovated my own way of learning and playing on this “mini guitar.”
Uke is a great first step into music and guitar. It’s also a serious instrument in and of itself.
Learn easy classics and discover universal notes and chords along the way.
BANJO
I got started by studying claw-hammer and old-time style on 5-string banjo, so if you’re interested, we can walk down the annals of early American history via folk songs.
I can share the style I developed myself for bringing a fresh, indie sound to my songs.
Recording
Production
Mixing
I have an in-home studio where I can capture and help home in on the student's current sound.
For those with interest in learning music tech, I can share the fundamentals of recording. This is great for future sound engineers, producers, and DJ’s.
I can also work with the student to produce their song— that is, flesh-out their ideas with other instruments and sounds.
Additional areas of expertise:
Songwriting
I can support your song-writing, as I'm an accomplished, prolific songwriter.
We can also collaborate and write and improvise songs together!
Alexander Technique
I've studied several months with Sandra Bain Cushman of Orchestral Movements.
I can share the basic principles I've learned to staying in dynamic alignment for pain-free, proper use of instruments.
Creative Coaching
I can help the student through blocks and confusion, to bring out the artist within.
I can share tools and philosophies I’ve learned from three semesters at The Art School, an elite mastermind course for creatives and coaches.
I’m well-versed in communication and coaching techniques, so can help you access your inner wisdom and cultivate break-throughs.
Resume
10 years of private piano lessons with Mrs. Watkins and Mrs. Byler in Harrisonburg, VA.
B.A. from Prescott College in Fine Arts, where I combined studies of Appalachian music, improvisational dance, visual arts, and performance. Minored in Ecology.
Won two grants from Prescott College to make two albums and a multi-media lyric book of my photography, paintings, lyrics, and a magical realism narrative.
Began teaching in 2012 upon graduating college.
Went on 5 international tours and 2 national tours performing solo with my banjo and ukulele.
Have since worked with students age 5-75 (or thereabouts), mostly female, at various locations including The Front Porch as well as Music & Arts in Charlottesville.
Won a $75,000 grant to record the album of my dreams in the nation’s capital.
Launched a highly successful kickstarter with my girl-band Larkspur to record an album.
Recorded a total of 7+ full-length albums and have been featured on several others, and have a new album in the works.
Recently began teaching at Queen City Music Studios in Staunton, VA.
ARTIST’s STATEMENT
Music has been a lifeline for me-- it's always been there no matter what. It's a touch-stone I can always reach for, as easy as reaching out to a warm wooden instrument and seeking the harmonies latent in its strings.
Music is the magical key to my life-- I can sing and suddenly I'm present, filled with oxygen and resonant frequencies that please my bones. I can sing with others and suddenly we're connecting in a rapturous state of transcendence. I can sing and suddenly I'm plunged into a watery world of wavelengths where I can shut my eyes and dive beneath the waves and forget my troubles, erase my troubles, or express my frustrations and swim past them.
Teaching takes all this another step along the path to share my knowledge. I get to mold golden keys and hand them out to the seekers who have come to knock on the door to Music. Through accessing this portal, they can learn to speak and write and dance and live and breathe the music medium until they are fluent.
For me, music is a landscape, a wondrous place made up of soundwaves of different colors and shapes. I love to take the student's hand and lead them into this place, where we can briefly take respite from the constant demands of modern life.
Imagine for a moment, this magical land:
Jazz is to the west, folk is to the east, broadway is to the north, and latin music is to the south. Rhythm and percussion is at the highest height, melody is deep in the forest, and harmony is out on the ocean. Lyrics are the roads and paths that weave them all together.
This is a mystical land of adventure, where strong emotions are welcomed. Where being highly sensitive is a crucial asset. Where good taste is discovered and refined. Where creative identity and artistic confidence is formed.
In each student, I see a Great Creative. I KNOW that with time and diligence, they can become the wonderful musician they dream to be. I am happy to be their guide in the sometimes overwhelming world of music potential.
In this musical land, we can just BE, in the flow. The greatest technique is to become completely absorbed in the moment. With our powers combined, we can strive for our dreams, patiently working through challenges, and speaking together in the *secret language of music.*
Take my hand, and we'll explore this wondrous land together.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out via my contact page.
Or simply email me at anmaramusic(at)gmail.com
xoAnnabeth