Rachel

Rachel Felstein is a committed and experienced teaching artist who delights in students’ progress and success. Able to be highly organized or improvisational as the occasion demands, as a teacher she emphasizes both professional conduct and creative joy. Comfortable with all ages, Rachel utilizes knowledge gained from a wide variety of performance, teaching, and training to customize learning and the creative process.

Rachel grew up in New York City in a family of artists. Her father is a professional pianist and music director, and Rachel began studying piano and music theory when she was three. In addition to learning to read and play music Rachel was always singing and acting. As she grew up Rachel took private voice lessons and attended LaGuardia Arts High School of Music and Art and the Performing Arts (the “FAME” school) in Manhattan as a voice major. Rachel graduated high school and was granted a number of awards, after which she attended Mannes College the New School for Music and the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music as a Voice Performance major. She then spent the next few years singing opera and operetta, acting in musicals, and teaching students of all ages privately as well through several children’s music companies in NYC and Rutgers/NJIT in New Jersey.

While living in Washington, DC from 2017-2022, Rachel earned an MFA at George Washington University and established herself in the theater community; acting in productions with esteemed companies such as Arena Stage. During the pandemic shut down Rachel was a producer of a weekly concert series from her home with numerous collaborators from the arts community. In addition to performing as an actor and musician in plays and musicals, Rachel is an award winning composer. She has written, arranged, and music directed for multiple productions. As a singer Rachel regularly performs in a wide variety of styles from rock and pop to classical.

Rachel is an educator and performer who works with students of all ages, and she specializes in very young beginners. She teaches Piano, Voice, and Guitar, and she embraces creativity in her instruction, as well as customized theory and practical curriculums. As a goal, Rachel wants to always make sure her students feel empowered by their lessons and that learning an instrument is a positive experience.