ST. PAUL VOICE LESSONS

Mary Funk - Vocal Instructor

Availability: Mondays 6:00 PM-8:00PM, Thursday 6:00-8:00 PM, and Saturday 9:00-1:00 PM

Hello! My name is Mary Funk, and I love teaching Voice here at St. Paul School of Music! I am a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa. I earned my bachelor's degree in May 2022.

I have a background of Western Classical Singing. I sing Mezzo Soprano. In addition to my four years of collegiate voice study, I also studied vocal pedagogy, and Diction for singers. This gives me the ability to help students reach their goals! I currently am studying with a voice instructor to keep "brushing up" on my skills!

Outside of St. Paul School of Music, I also teach Elementary General Music in Golden Valley, MN. I work with students Kindergarten through Sixth grade. I have extensive experience with kids, and work with them frequently! I love students and teaching! I am looking forward to working with you!

Thank You!
Mary Funk

PRISCILLA PREVIL-STILWELL

Available: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 3:00-8:00 PM.

Teaching music since 1991 and performing nearly her whole life, Priscilla Previl-Stilwell brings a unique perspective to the world of music education. She has studied at the university level classical vocal performance, jazz studies, composition, contemporary performance, and hip-hop studies, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Worship Studies, researching the impact of national and cultural arts and expression on immigrant and indigenous religious communities. Her philosophy of teaching and that of life overlap in the strong belief that creative expression is vital to personal and community development.

Priscilla has lived in three Latin American and Caribbean nations, which has added to her global perspective on music and teaching which she incorporates into her classes. She works to develop a balance between theory, practice, and creativity in her teaching style by incorporating practical approaches to sight reading, chord theory, analysis, and composition and arranging.

Since returning to Minnesota from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Priscilla has focused on teaching in addition to serving as a Worship Director and spending considerable time in community outreach. She continues to study and expand her knowledge, and readily embraces unique challenges and opportunities as they present themselves.

Her teaching environment is relaxed and fun, and she is careful to develop a deep rapport with each student and parent, based on trust, respect, and a healthy amount of challenge. Most of all, her lessons are designed around each student with their unique needs and learning style always central.

Aaron R. Newell

Available: Mondays 3:30-8:00 PM

Aaron studied classical Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy at Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI, and then went on to earn his Master of Vocal Performance at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee in Boston, Massachusetts. Throughout his education, he performed in many musicals, operas, and recitals, including at the International Performing Arts Institute in Bavaria, Germany. During this time, Aaron also studied the Alexander Technique, a movement and body use practice popular among singers, actors, and dancers, but valuable for anything from high-finesse disciplines to everyday life. Aaron earned a teaching certification in the Technique at the Boston Conservatory, and it deeply informs his singing and his teaching.

After building a strong technical foundation with classical education, he returned to the Midwest and to contemporary music. He performed for 2 years with Sawyer’s Dream, a Minneapolis-based, all-original folk rock/Americana band. As the male lead singer, Aaron performed more than 60 shows each summer all around the greater Twin Cities and beyond. 

Finally, in early 2024, Aaron co-founded a new cover band, The Indecisions. The Indecisions perform an eclectic and exciting mix of genres, eras, and styles, often showcasing difficult, iconic songs and bringing the distinctive style of each to life. After less than 2 years, The Indecisions have already proven a powerful player in the Minneapolis/St. Paul music scene, performing at many well-known local music venues, for the St. Paul Saints and Minnesota Wild, and at the Minnesota State Fair.

Aaron specializes in increasing freedom and releasing tension in the voice, matching different styles, developing range and flexibility, and building musicianship. He teaches absolute beginners all the way up to advanced or competitive singers, in genres from classical and opera, to music theater, to pop/rock/contemporary.