It is difficult for me to put my experience of working with Jeannette into words. I sang with her for two hours, two years ago, and I have been searching for the chance to work with her again. Simply put, four days of singing with her helped me more as a performer than several years of inconsistent training and both amateur and professional performing experience. The reason is clear. Jeannette, without judgment, recognizes very quickly what the performer is bringing with them and directs her teaching to their needs in that moment. She not only shares her incredible technical knowledge of the music but also, a keen understanding of space and energy in performance. When an artist can grasp these concepts, suddenly their technique is free to serve their art. Part of my success in these few days came also from taking advantage of the incredible location. My mornings were filled with long walks through the hills of Tuscany, the freedom to practice, and a tranquil space to relax. I feel that I walked away from this experience with tangible tools to apply to my music as I continue to study and perform.
Ellen Kaye, 23, singer USA
I value very much the weeks I've spent with Jeannette in Italy. Until now, they have been the only time in my life that I have been able to concentrate solely on music.
Besides the three hours of lessons per day, you also have a piano at your disposal that you can play literally day and night, anytime you like. The many contact hours give you huge amounts of information, which means that you can study a certain piece or composer in great depth. I benefited a lot from my very first week with Jeannette, when she worked with me on one of Beethoven's sonatas. I didn't actually like or understand the sonata very much, but over the course of the week she told me so much about the piece and about Beethoven himself that I began to appreciate it more and more. Now I really love the Beethoven sonatas.
What's more, Jeannette doesn't just look at how you play a piece, but at your whole personality. There's a lot more involved than just playing a piece of music. And lastly, the surroundings and nature in Tuscany are just beautiful and very inspiring. It's the perfect place to take time for yourself and to focus on what you came for: music.
