Elite Sports Clubs is now offering full-time music classes at our Brookfield & River Glen locations through Mozart’s Gym: an on-site music school where there are many different teachers of many different instruments. Today we’d like to introduce Kristin Knutson, who teaches voice lessons.
Meet Kristin Knutson – Music Instructor
- What do you teach? – I teach voice.
- How long have you been teaching and what made you want to start teaching? – I started teaching singing in 2007 when I traveled to South Africa for the summer with a performing arts non-profit that worked with kids. I wanted to share what I had been working so hard to learn myself.
Kristin Knutson’s Personal Favorites, Learning, and Hobbies
- What is your favorite part about teaching music? – Since the voice is such a personal instrument, it is exciting watching students unlock what is inside of them. I love witnessing the little epiphanies along the way that eventually lead students to more joy and freedom in their singing.
- What is your favorite song or style of music to teach? – There are certain songs that help build technique quickly and efficiently – they are usually of the classical genre and in Italian or Latin. However, I like to pair these songs with contemporary songs that students already have a passion for so that they can see how good technique helps in every style.
- Were you self-taught or did you have a teacher? How have they influenced you in both music and in life? – I have had many teachers along the way. Singing is very basic and natural, yet it is easy to get confused with bad habits. Having an extra set of ears to hear what you sound like, outside of your own head, is crucial. The best teachers that I’ve studied with have influenced my life by freeing me from frustration by making singing easier instead of more complicated.
- What else do you enjoy doing in your free time? – I am absolutely obsessed with gardening and canning – also hanging out with my Australian Shepherd. And performing, of course!
Kristin Knutson’s Advice on Lessons and Music
- What advice do you give people who are coming into your lessons for the first time? – Have an open mind and don’t be afraid! It takes bravery to sing in front of others.
- What advice do you give someone who is looking to start playing an instrument? – Just do it! I’ve never heard anyone say, “I wish I never learned how to play piano—what a waste of time!”
- What is your greatest challenge when teaching a new student? – There’s always a period of time where we have to learn how to communicate with each other about abstract ideas. Getting past that stage is great—when you begin speaking the same language.
- How do you continue to encourage people to continue playing their respective instrument in a world dominated by digital music creation? – Creating and sharing music is one of the most incredible ways to connect with other people, and human connection can’t be replaced by anything else.