Accomplished Tones Music Instruction

Michelle Gosnell is a Texas transplant to the New Hampshire Area. When she was in high school, she was first chair in the Texas All-State choir. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music with a specialization in vocal performance from Texas Tech University, from which she was awarded the top vocal scholarship. Miss Michelle, as her students affectionately call her, is a coloratura soprano and recently retired from performing. After college she had the incredible opportunity to work with Marshal Williamson, instructor, who retired from Juilliard after 36 years and has now passed on. Mr. Williamson was the accompanist for Roberta Peters and a world-renowned opera coach. During her first session at Juilliard Mr. Williamson said, “My dear, you have a rare gift and there a very few of you left in this world; you must practice much and sing often.” He then invited her to his Master’s Class and asked her to interpret the intricacies of Gabriel Fauré’s “Les Berceaux” to his students. She also had the opportunity to study with Edwardo Brown, Opera Director, of the Fort Worth Symphony. She was poised to begin her career in opera when personal tragedy struck her life at which time, she decided to leave Texas and move to New Hampshire to be near her sister. While in Texas she had extensive experience with a professional acting troop call the Salt Box Players who traveled throughout the DFW Metroplex performing Children’s Theatre in both Public and Private Schools. Mrs. Gosnell is currently instructing private voice and piano to students of all ages. She is incredibly patient and works with students with special needs including those on the autism spectrum. Her instruction includes preparing students to perform and preparation for auditions for New Hampshire All-State Choir, musical theatre productions, specialized summer vocal programs, and college scholarships. In all of these categories, her students have had an incredible success rate. Three of her students were finalists in the PBS Celebration of Music competition in 2018 with one student moving on to the Performance in California. Another student made it to a second audition of America’s Got Talent. Miss Michelle says, “My goal in working with a voice student is to first recognize the natural range of the voice and then work closely with the student to choose a repertoire that both fits the voice and interests the student. During each lesson we concentrate heavily on technique including vocal placement to find the true bel canto (beautiful sound), combined with work on breathing and learning to sing on the inhale, relaxation, tonal memory, diction, and posture; and in doing so we have fun! We learn and practice stage presence, facial expression, blocking and the importance of being passionate about performing. We learn to communicate as we perform, to share what the composer wanted to come across through the lyrics, melody and dynamic shading, and often we analyze the accompaniment for any hidden meaning. In essence, we work to give the audience a wonderful experience.” The curriculum she uses for piano instruction is the Bastien Series. It provides a strong foundation in music theory as well as teaching the student to recognize patterns through intervals, which is vital in sight reading. She also works with students in improvisation using fake books, lead sheets and learning to voice chords. Miss Michelle feels the most important part of learning is that she and her students have a positive and fun experience while exploring the joy of music.