Personal Statement/Bio:

It is my goal to act as a guide and teacher through the lesson process - to share my love of music with my students and to show them how much fun it is to play music- that music is a gift students can enjoy for a lifetime!

Education/Training:

Holly Gotfredson has been playing music since she was about 7 years old. In her childhood home in Birmingham, AL, she had a piano right next to the TV in the family room.. Her mom watched "The Young and the Restless" while doing laundry and spending time with Holly - after hearing the theme song from the show a zillion times, Holly was able to pick out the song on the piano. From there, her mother enrolled her in piano lessons and helped develop her love of music. She grew up playing piano, singing in church choirs and the school chorus. Later, as she grew up - she also performed live at open mikes and talent shows. She received many awards while in high school for voice including most valuable musician, and attended All State Chorus for the last 3 years of high school. She began writing songs at the age of 12 and kept a notebook of all of her lyrics and chord charts. What began as a hobby, grew into a passion and around the age of 16 she joined her first band Paradox (later to be renamed Passage) - a group of high school friends who played around town for local events.Once she graduated, she attended college at the University of Georgia where she was part of an acoustic trio called "Idle Green" that performed around coffee houses and bars in Athens. Her friends from her first band, Paradox called that spring to tell her that their lead singer had left and they had a week to get ready for a talent show. She joined them for Battle of the Bands in Atlanta and they took 3rd place. From there, she became the lead singer of Paradox, but now knowns as Passage - touring with them from 1991 - 1994 including playing at such venues as The ROXY, GA THEATER in Athens, Ga State Spring Music Series and several more. They opened up for many larger bands including Skirt, Flock of Seagulls, Trinket and more. They received airplay on several Atlanta stations including 96 ROCK, Ga State Radio 91.5, Bulldog 103.7 and 99X. She graduated with a BA in Art/Art History from University of Georgia and worked during the day at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and played with Passage at night.When a deal with a small label fell through, Holly decided to embark on a solo career which lasted for three years until her marriage in 1999. After a two year break, she rediscovered her faith in Christ shortly after the events of September 11th. God began calling her to write songs of faith for His people.She attended the Gospel Music Association (GMA) workshop weekend in Nashville, Tennessee in 2005 to learn more about the Christian music industry and newer methods of songwriting. From this experience she gained valuable insight into Christian music today. She partnered with ECA Publishing in 2005 to begin recording and producing her original music. She has studied under vocal coach Trisha Grey, has attended BWAM auditions in Nashville (and was offered a Developing Artist Deal, but turned it down due to number of dates required to tour) and has performed all over Georgia for various events and worship services.She completed her first contemporary Christian CD in March of 2007 entitled HEAL and released her second CD entitled "Offering" in February of 2009. She is a member of ASCAP and CCLI. Her songs are now available on amazon.com, itunes.com, cdbaby.com and many more including ECA Publishing. It is her hope that her music will enhance worship services around the country and will bring people the hope and grace that Christ offers each of us.Holly offers both piano and voice lessons and has been teaching since 2008. She enjoys sharing the love of music with her students and currently has almost 28 students enrolled in her program.

Teaching Philosophy:

At an evaluation, I try to learn as much about the student's goals,likes/dislikes and also personal taste in music. As we progress through the lessons together, I try to incorporate some of their favorite music into the lesson process. I had a student that loved Star Wars and also the Charlie Brown cartoons - I was able to find a beginning version of several of the Star Wars song and the Charlie Brown theme song, to add to our lesson time. It kept his interest and gave him a new enthusiasm for practicing. I try to tailor my lesson time for each individual student's style of learning.

Music Programs:

ASCAP, CCLI, Hickory Flat UMC Praise Team, GMA, NAMTA, ECA Publishing.

Cancellation Policy:

Please call at least 6-8 hours in advance of your lesson to cancel a lesson. ALL NO SHOWS that do no call ahead of time will be charged for that days lesson.

Promotions:

FREE evaluations for voice and piano. I offer sibling discounts and discounts for taking two studies with me (i.e. piano/voice, piano/songwriting, etc)