SWL is an online Music Lesson Studio. We currently provide online music lessons to over 100 students! We offer 1:1 voice, piano, guitar, bass guitar, and music theory lessons. We provide all classes through zoom which works extremly well and allows us to teach students all over the country! We offer lessons to students ages 5+. We have many adult students as well! If you’d like to know more about lessons, please sign up for a free 15 minute consult with Lauren below, and she will help you get matched with the right teacher for the type of lessons you are looking for!
Explore our teachers below:
Meet our awesome voice teachers!
All of our teachers are currently accepting new students. All lessons are virtual and take place on Zoom.
Lauren Anderson-Bustami
As a professional opera singer, Lauren has been a featured singer at the Kennedy Center and at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. She enjoys singing lyric mezzo opera arias, which often include pants roles! It’s never a dull moment when you get to portray a 15 y/o boy. She is fascinated by the process of premiering new works as well, and love collaborating with living composers to bring their newest works to the stage. Check out this page to learn more about Lauren.
Lauren is currently taking students at this time but you can also work with her in Total Vocal Transformation.
Zoe Kanter
Zoe Kanter has been teaching voice and piano lessons for nine years to children and adults of all ages. She has experience teaching all genres of music from musical theater and pop to classical music. As a voice teacher, Zoe’s main focus is to help her students grow their love for music and to make sure they are singing in a healthy way, no matter the style. She has her Bachelors in Voice Performance from Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University and her Masters in Voice Performance from Towson University.
Rebecca Rutkovsky
Soprano, Rebecca Rutkovsky, is a Long Island based singer and voice teacher hailed for her “attention grabbing voice” (Opera Wire). Favorite roles include Alcina (Alcina), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Euridice (Orfeo ed Euridice), First Lady (Die Zauberflöte), The Mother (Hansel and Gretel), Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro), Edith (Pirates of Penzance), Cinderella (Into the Woods) and Rosalia (West Side Story). Rebecca recently worked with composer, Steven Belfer and writer, Stephen Michaelman to create the role of Sarah for the world premiere workshop of their new musical, Panama. In concert Rebecca has performed as the soprano soloist in a televised Schubert’s Mass in G Major with the St. Agnes Cathedral Singers. Rebecca has performed with Amadeus Opera, Tri-Cities Opera, the Allegro Singers, Brooklyn Telemann Chamber Society and Plaza Theatrical Productions. As a recitalist, she has performed various song, operetta, and opera repertoire in concert with the Songe d’été en musique festival in Quebec, Canada, Opera Night Long Island, Oyster Bay Music Festival and Merkin Hall.
A passionate teacher, Rebecca maintains an active voice studio. Rebecca loves to work with students to find their authentic voice through a solid technical foundation so they are able to excel in any repertoire and feel confident in their singing. Rebecca received her masters degree from Binghamton University and bachelors degree from American University, both in Vocal Performance.
Karl Buttermann
Karl Buttermann is an opera singer who has performed with multiple opera companies around the United States. Even though his primary focus is on classical music, he is also well-versed in other genres of music, such as musical theater, rock, and electronic dance music, to name a few. Karl received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, and a Master of Music Degree in the same major from University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Ariel Andrew
Known for having a voice that has been called “a force of nature sound with natural ease” (Parterre Box), Ariel Andrew has been making her way through the opera circuit with a smile and a song to sing.
An avid performer and teacher, Ariel finds herself balancing a career in the hopes to share with others what she has learned. From Sarasota Opera to Opera Company Middlebury to Glow Lyric Theatre, she has performed with companies all around the United States. As she continues to build a performance career that takes her all around the world, she also teaches voice.
Teaching voice privately for almost a decade, Ariel finds joy in helping others find their voice. She takes great pride in her students as they take on auditions, college, and even those who just want to sing for fun! In teaching all levels, she has found so much solace in the gift of helping others.
Kirsten Nordland
Kirsten Nordland is a rising dramatic artist teacher, and visual artist currently residing in Northwest Ohio. Nordland received her Masters in Music in Vocal Performance from Bowling Green State University. Most recently, she has joined the Toledo Opera Guild as a chorister in 2022.
Nordland has performed with Chicago Summer Opera as Mrs. Herring in Albert Herring, Marcillina in Le nozze di Figaro at Trentino Music Festival in Trentino, Italy, at Bowling Green State University as Nerone in L’incoronazione di Poppea and Juno in Orpheus in the Underworld, at NUOVA Vocal Arts in Alberta, CA as Stewardess in Flight, and at Shakespeare Opera Theatre as Ursule in Béatrice et Bénédict in Washington DC.
As a teacher, Nordland focuses on fostering her students’ love for singing and performing and helping them stay motivated and engaged in their lessons. Her lessons emphasize a growth mindset and positive attitude.
Dr. Elise Noir
Dr. Elise Noir, Soprano, has taught students and professionals alike, ranging in age from the beginner student of five to the retired community member. For more than 30 years, she has taught at public schools, private schools, colleges, and universities. Her college and university classes for voice and woodwinds have included; Applied, Class, Methods, Pedagogy, Chorus, and Music Theory. Throughout her lifetime, Dr. Noir has performed internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, and large ensemble member. Her musical travels have taken her to Africa, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, France,
Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Dr. Noir has also served as a clinician for choruses, bands, and orchestras Internationally. Her research specialization and master class focus areas include performance anxiety, audition success, and music entrepreneurship. She holds degrees from the University of Washington, Louisiana State University, and Kent State University.
Marion Palmiero
Marion Palmiero is a Vermont-born soprano and voice teacher with a passion for using music to evoke social change, community outreach, and inspire young musicians. She has been teaching voice and piano for the last three years, and acquired a Bachelor of Music at the Longy School of Music in partnership with Emerson College. Marion has performed across New England in opera, operetta and musical theater productions. Most recently, she’s been seen in the chorus of Il Conte Ory with Pico Opera, in MassOpera’s summer production of Alcina, and the title role in scenes of Beth Wiemann’s new opera Blondine.
When Marion began teaching, she was immediately fascinated by the technicality of the voice, and the incredible variety of education styles required for teaching students of all levels. Marion’s teaching philosophy is founded on a variety of vocalises and warm ups for finding a healthy, relaxed breath, tailoring speed of air, and creative exploration of the student’s instrument. Marion emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance and open-mindedness in the learning process, and works with each student to make the practice room a safe place. She finds teaching to be one of the most rewarding practices because she learns just as much from each and every student ‒ regardless of age or level ‒ as she hopes each student does from her. Though Marion is trained classically, she enjoys teaching musical theater and popular music, and helping students compose their own pieces as well.
Lindsey Possin
Lindsey is a vocalist, songwriter, and worship leader who is passionate about performing a variety of genres, from rock and R&B to jazz and opera.
She received a Vocal Performance degree from Visible Music College, where she had the opportunity to work with seasoned music industry professionals and perform across the country.
In teaching voice, her desire is to engage students in learning vocal technique to sing healthfully and beautifully. She is dedicated to helping students build their voice and reach their vocal goals.