Music and singing is a classical art form and skill of storytelling that has been passed down through the ages. Each of us individually has a voice, whether we choose to improve on it and tell stories lyrically is our choice.
Local actress, musical theater, opera singer, and vocal teacher, Molly Dunn is one who chose to go in that direction.
I recently met with Dunn in her studio with friend and photographer, Jushin Gonzalez, and we talked about Dunn’s background in music and vocal training.
Dunn explained how she got her start, “Embarrassingly enough, it was because of the little mermaid. I sang it nonstop until my brothers wanted to kill me and I begged my parents for singing lessons until they let me.”
Molly, born and raised in South Orange, New Jersey now resides in Jersey City. Her favorite places to visit in Jersey City are Tea NJ for their poetry slams and Taqueria for their delicious food.
She explained that a lot of her childhood music education involved a lot of discipline and crying. However, in contrast to what she does today, teaching students how to master their voice, classes are a fun afterschool activity. “I believe in progressive education.”
Dunn has been teaching students for eight years, and her journey as a vocal teacher began with her not wanting to be a teacher at all.
She explained that her vocal teacher was an older woman who taught her how to teach. “I definitely didn’t want to become a teacher. I specialize in growing voices, not only do I teach kids, but I produce off-Broadway shows. I was always scared of becoming a teacher because you can’t perform if you have to teach. All of a sudden you have a language, you both understand and teaching has made me a better singer and a better performer.”
Molly is also the creator of Singing with Molly, a studio for growing voices from the ages of four through seventy.
This fall, Singing with Molly will be debuting the voices of her students with Group Musical Theatre Class at the Brunswick Center! “I try to provide an environment and structure of comfort. I never say no to beginners and I won’t.”
Dunn explained the importance of having been a role model for her students, “Being devoted to children is important. It’s [the studio] is a kid’s performing arts environment and I think what makes us stand out is that our kids get their solo numbers in my New York City shows.”
The mission of Singing with Molly’s fall Group Musical Theater Classes will be to give back to the community.
“I want to build relationships now that I am fully based in Jersey City. I want to visit the senior centers and Groove on Grove with my students. I love teaching the kids here. I realized this year that kids rarely have an adult to look at them for half an hour that isn’t their parent.”
“Now I’ve got a local Jersey City student who is going to college; I’ve been teaching her since she was seven. I love singing with my students. I put duets or trios, so I can sing with them. I teach them to sing from their hearts, and that’s the ultimate goal,” she said. “It’s not about how loud you can sing; it’s about telling a story.”
She is huge fan of Harold Arlin who wrote the songs to The Wizard of Oz. “I love sharing my dorky love of music with my kids. I want the kids that I work with to feel confident in all the things they do. If they can get up in New York City and sing a solo and they can get up in school and do a presentation, I can help kids find their voice in all the things they do.
Keep up with Molly Dunn and Singing with Molly:
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