John’s teaching philosophy is built on two pillars: 1) cultivating a deep sense of internal motivation in each student, 2) guiding the development of healthy singing based on the natural mechanisms of the human body. 

MOTIVATION

All of us come to singing because of an inspiration—a singer, a song, a teacher, a musical, an album that touched our soul and planted the seed of an idea. That core of inspiration is our guiding light, it must be nurtured and amplified. John works with each one of his students to identify that inspiration and develop it into a motivating force that is tapped into throughout the training experience. It provides fuel for practice and strength to overcome challenges. 

FINDING THE NATURAL VOICE

For many of us, learning how to sing feels anything but natural—pure vowels, diaphragmatic breathing, resonance placement and the like, are elements of singing rarely thought about in everyday life. John’s primary pedagogical objective is to approach the technical as an extension of the natural. Much in the way a student is encouraged to understand their personal motivations, John builds off each student’s unique understanding and relationship with their body to develop healthy singing technique. Primary focus is placed on the breath as the energy of sound and muscular engagement without tension. 

GENRES

John teaches a wide range of music styles, from Opera and Musical Theatre to Jazz and Pop. As a professional opera singer, John is intimately familiar with the classical cannon ranging from Baroque (ie. Monteverdi, Handel) to Modern (ie. Adams, Heggie). His career has taken him outside the classical genre and includes performances with some of Broadway’s most prominent artists. 

TEACHING LOCATIONS

John teaches virtually and in-person (both at the student’s home and his studio in Philadelphia). Home lessons are possible for students in Philadelphia, South Jersey and the Main Line. 

RATE

$100/45 Minutes

ABOUT JOHN VISCARDI

John received his BM in Vocal Performance and MFA in Opera from NYU’s Steinhardt School and is a graduate of Philadelphia’s prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts. He performs extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia with recent performances seeing him on the stage at Verizon Hall, Carnegie Hall and Tokyo Opera City. 

John lives in Queen Village with his wife Molly and their two children, Jack and Noa.