PRIVATE Lessons
It is strongly suggested that choir students work to develop their voices while a member of the ensemble. Students may choose to take lessons after school or during class as many of these instructors teach on site. Under no circumstances is a student required to take voice lessons. Students interested in at teacher should reach out directly to the teacher and organize lessons. The teacher will then advise them to fill out a NW Private Lesson form. Please look below to learn more about our private lesson faculty.
Our Private Lesson Teachers - CHECK OUT THEIR INTRODUCTION VIDEOS
Voice Candice Crane candicecrane22@gmail.com Crane Introduction Video
Voice Rae-Myra Hilliard hilliard.raemyra@gmail.com Hilliard Introduction Video
Voice Sean Stanton seanstanton@me.com Stanton Introduction Video
Piano Sonya Ur sonyaur@gmail.com
VOICE LESSON EXPECTATIONS
Communication is key. It is your responsibility to communicate if you are unable to attend a lesson AS SOON as you know. It is also your responsibility to know when and where your lesson is. Please do not show up to class and say, “Oh yeah! I have a lesson today!” It makes our teachers feel like you do not value the time and effort of the lesson. It is important that you plan ahead for your lessons. Remind yourself on a phone calendar, a text reminder, or some other form of reminder as a professional courtesy to your voice teacher. Show up prepared, and ready to work. It is expected that you let your voice teacher know of a conflict at least 24 hours in advance.
Be On Time. Please do not be late to your lesson. Don’t schedule a make-up quiz, a club photo, or some other school event when you are supposed to have a lesson. If it is unavoidable, refer to #1 above!
Be Financially Responsible. Whatever your financial situation is, please be clear and prompt with payment. We all forget things, but please try to come up with a system to avoid forgetting the check. This is our teachers’ livelihood and they give up time, gas money, and energy to teach here. You know your financial situation, so you know what system will work for you. You will not have a lesson after 4 unpaid lessons. You are still responsible for paying the four lessons.
Practice! Yes, practice.
We want our voice teachers to feel valued and respected as much as we respect our students. It is really important that you respect the time of your voice teacher and the time he or she dedicates to your education. Mr. Hunter would not refer you to a teacher we didn’t feel could offer you the best vocal instruction in the area. Although lessons take place in the choir room, this is a separate “class” that you should dedicate time and energy towards. It is not a Niles West sanctioned class and does not garner class credit.
Candace Crane
Candice Crane has taught voice in District 219 for 30 years because she thoroughly enjoys working with high school students. Her voice philosophy centers around developing a beautiful tone, giving all necessary attention to the music such as dynamics, phrasing, and tempi, and instilling confidence in her singers. Ms. Crane teaches various styles of music, works on sight reading, encourages students to perform on voice recitals, and has set up vocal master classes during her tenure at Niles West. She brings great passion and exuberance to her teaching.
Ms. Crane has degrees in choral music education and voice performance. Earlier in her career, she was a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and Lyric Opera of Chicago. For 10 years she has been the Artistic Director of the Skokie Concert Choir. She is a resident of Skokie. Ms Crane is married to symphonic conductor, David Crane, has two adult children, and a very musical pug named Jake.
Rae Myra Hilliard
Rae-Myra Hilliard, originally from Buffalo, NY, earned her Master of Music Degree from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA. Prior to leaving Western New York, Ms. Hilliard performed with the Greater Buffalo Opera Company, Buffalo Opera Unlimited, Opera Sacra and the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus. In the Chicagoland area, Ms. Hilliard has sung professionally with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Grant Park Symphony Chorus, Chorus Angelorum, Fourth Presbyterian Church Morning Choir, St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church, and Bach and Beyond. As concert soloist, Ms. Hilliard has performed with Bach and Beyond, St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church, South Shore Community Chorus and the Music Institute of Chicago Chorale. Through her association with the Chicago Symphony Orchestral Association, Ms. Hilliard worked with its South Shore community programs as section leader, vocal instructor and assistant conductor.
Ms. Hilliard’s operatic roles performed include the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Serena in Porgy & Bess, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Miss Pinkerton in The Old Maid and the Thief, Singing Spirit in Sunyata (world premiere), and Emma Berdis Jones (mother of writer James Baldwin) in The Baldwin Chronicles (world premiere)
As an active recitalist, Rae-Myra consistently programs works featuring Black-American composers/lyricists or works written for a classical singer of color. Her debut CD, Lifescapes: One Woman’s Journey is a compilation of the some of the works she has programmed on past recitals, all of which were written by Black-American composers. The CD is available on CD Baby for download.
Besides her career as a professional singer, Ms. Hilliard is the music director at St. James Lutheran Church in Lake Forest, IL. In this time of pandemic, Ms. Hilliard is teaching online using the Zoom platform, for now. Currently, I have my private students in addition to my students from the University of St. Francis (Joliet). Evanston Township High School (Evanston), and the Music Institute of Chicago (Evanston and Winnetka branches). Ms. Hilliard has been an adjudicator for the Chicago Public Schools solo and ensemble competitions, IMEA preliminary auditions and the local competition for the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM). She is currently a member of NATS, AGMA and NANM.
Sean Stanton
Sean Stanton, Chicago based baritone, started his 2019/2020 season as an Apprentice Artist with Central City Opera and Opera Southwest. In 2020, he will join Opera North as a Resident Artist reprising the role of Papageno in The Magic Flute.
Mr. Stanton is the recipient of the Lola Fletcher Award from the American Opera Society. He has received accolades from the James Toland Vocal Arts, New York Lyric Opera Theatre, Classical Singer, National NATS, Bel Canto Foundation, and Luminarts Cultural Foundation. Sean has also placed first at the Central Region, Illinois, Chicago, and Northern NATS competitions.
Previous opera credits include Orsocane (Opera Southwest), Bosun (Central City Opera), Imperial Commissioner (Central City Opera), Sam (Opera on the James), Publio (Ignite Opera), Curio (Handel Week Festival), Horace Tabor (North Park University), Papageno (American Chamber Opera), Prince Yamadori (DuPage Opera), and Lockit (NPU). Sean is a member of the Lyric Opera Chorus, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Grant Park Chorus, and is a teaching artist with Music of the Baroque’s Strong Voices program.
He has appeared in numerous master classes led by international musicians such as Dame Emma Kirby (Music of the Baroque), Margaret Jane Wray (MET National Council), Sherrill Milnes (Opera Idol), and Renée Fleming (National NATS Conference).
Mr. Stanton holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in vocal performance from North Park University, where he won the 2014 and 2016 School of Music Performance Awards.