We’re very excited to announce that our San Francisco studio is up and running!

Located in the Mission District, just a half block from Bart, the studio boasts an office and a teaching room. We sublet the two rooms in a flat shared by other artists and arts including:

• Photography
• Vintage clothing
• Fashion
• Make-up
• Film and video
• Jewelry
• Screen printing

Keep your eyes peeled for our Open Studio Warming Party!

“Open Your Mouth and Send More Air”, written by my wonderful husband Greg and my dear friend Jim Mastrianni, with help from Rosie Spring.  Performed by Sam Whitehouse Music singers past and present at our April 2011 Local Emerging Singer Showcase at Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs, NY.

Though new adventures awaited in San Francisco, I felt very sad about leaving Saratoga Springs.  This was a beautiful sendoff.

Thanks to everyone who participated: Greg Gibson, Jim Mastrianni, Rosie Spring, Chris Harland, Pat Lynskey, Lynn Bradley, Dana Farrell, Olivia Dolan, Isabella Taylor, Anthony Redcross, Twyla Nastasia, Bret Scott, Brant Bottum, Laurie Zack, Rachel Saulsbery, Julian Jastrzab and Alice Hausmann.  Thanks also to our teachers Sandra Hewson, Zac Rossi and Diana Domingo.

We are proud to announce the addition of a new teacher to our wonderful staff!

Diana Domingo began belting out tunes at the age of five, singing along to her favorite musicals and the recordings of Fats Domino, Billy Holiday and Gladys Knight. While in Los Angeles, she studied with various musical talents, including Grammy-award winning vocalist Darlene Koldenhoven, Annette Warren and Bob Remstein. She also performed with the Golden Bridge Choir, a group built on the ancient tradition of community building through the exploration of rhythms, harmonies, chants and songs from around the world, under the direction of Maggie Wheeler and Emile Hassan Dyer. Upon arriving in New York, she was immediately drawn to the musical team and offerings of Sam Whitehouse Music and the ‘Demystifying the Art of Songwriting’ Workshops with Nancy Walker, Michael Jerling and Bob Warren. While studying under the amazing musical prowess of guitarist and songwriter Don Warren, she began writing her own music and is currently working on a compilation to be released at the beginning of 2012.  Diana believes that “there has to come a point in our lives when we realize it would be worse not to get up and sing than to risk looking bad.  People connect with people who take risks.  If you want to sing, sing!”

Her musical influences include Nina Simone, Shirley Manson, Alicia Keys, Adele, Madeleine Peyroux, Sara Bareilles, October Project, Tool, Soundgarden, Leonard Cohen, Kings of Leon, Cee Lo Green, Linkin Park, Jay-Z, Christina Aguilera, Flaming Lips, M&M, Massive Attack, Florence and the Machine, TV on the Radio, Beyoncé, and more.

Wow! What an adventure this past year has been – unpredictable and wonderful, with many things to be thankful for.

In March, Sam Whitehouse Music opened the doors to its new studio in Saratoga Springs with a lovely studio warming party that brought by many local musicians and friends with warm wishes.

In May and September we ran our first two highly successful group performance classes taught by the amazingly talented Rosie Spring and helped by the kindness of Jitters Cafe and our special musical guests.

In October we hired our first employee, Brett Groff, and had our first ever student showcase at the inimitable Caffe Lena.

In November and December we upgraded our piano and PA system, and expanded the teaching schedule.

Throughout the past year it has been an honor and a delight to watch each student as they progress toward their goals. It’s been bittersweet to watch some move on with their newfound confidence and skill. And it has been flattering to be chosen to participate along each one’s musical path.

Personally, I’ve had the pleasure of playing live with Jeff Brisbin, recording with Jim Mastrianni, and learning from Jeanine Ouderkirk, as well as working closely with Eric Hauenstein on an acoustic set that we’ve taken around locally.

Thanks to everyone who has made this past year so great. I look forward to seeing you all in 2010…it promises to be full of surprises.

Love,
Sam

Brett Groff recently joined Sam Whitehouse Music, LLC in the role of Studio Coordinator. As of October 31, 2009, Brett will be managing all of the scheduling and payment arrangements for lessons, workshops and consultations. Brett will also act as student liaison, helping students find backing tracks/arrangements to songs for lessons and/or upcoming performances.  He is also taking over bookkeeping duties for the studio, and will be helping out with website maintenance and marketing as well as a variety of ad hoc administrative tasks.

Having Brett on board will free up more teaching slots as well as time to research new ideas and exercises to enhance lessons.  It will also contribute to more smoothness and efficiency in the overall running of the business and meeting students’ needs between lessons.

Brett graduated from SUNY Oswego with a B.S. in Business Administration and a minor in Theater.He has worked in an administrative capacity for 8 years in the television sales and insurance fields. He is also currently a freelance Television Production Specialist for sports and live music events. He is actively pursuing his interest in music including playing guitar, singing and writing his own songs.One of his goals is to help people pursue their own musical interests.He has been a vocal student of Sam Whitehouse since April 2009 and an exciting and welcome addition to the studio!

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the Vocal Performance Master Class.  It was so great to see all of you get up on stage and spread your wings!

Thanks also to the family and friends who came to the studio for the last night of the workshop!  It was so kind of you all to show your support in helping these artists grow.

Most of all, thank you to the wonderful Rosie Spring for developing and delivering an amazing workshop, sharing your knowledge and experience, and guiding the students toward their goals as performers!

Keep your eyes open for the next workshop!

These past few months have been a whirlwind of activity!  I’ve added several new people to my list of lovely and talented students.  Each one unique in style and wonderful to work with.  With the addition of so many students, the time recently came when a centralized teaching space was needed to accomodate everyone.  Enter Sam Whitehouse Music, LLC and it’s new studio!

Our first Student Show is tentatively slated for June and will be an opportunity for students to show off all of their talent and hard work.  We are also pulling together other singing-related class/worskshop offerings, in areas such as performance and songwriting.  Keep your eyes open for those!  For more on voice lessons, click here.