TUTOR SPOTLIGHT: Marissa Holder
Marissa Holder joined our teaching team last year and is an
experienced vocalist, artist, composer, and producer, with a love for pop, rock, classical, and musical theatre.
Outside of teaching, Marissa performs as the synth-pop solo artist MxDicey, and is a lead singer for the bands Princely Racket and No Sunrise. She also has recorded some jingles for radio.
We caught up with Marissa to hear more about her musical journey, her passion for musical theatre, and her experience making jingles for radio.
LEMS: Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Marissa: I’m a vocalist and performer originally from Essex, London, and I moved to New Zealand when I was 15. I perform under the moniker "MxDicey" with my self-produced music, which I describe as 'edgy synth-pop with R&B vocals'. I also sing for the synth-project No Sunrise, and front 90's & 2000's covers band Princely Racket.
LEMS: Tell us about your earlier years – what got you into playing music and/or teaching?
Marissa: I have a BA in musical theatre and have been classically trained in singing since I was a young child. I've been in many projects of different genres including hard-rock, but I always come back to creating my own music. In terms of teaching, it simply brings me so much joy to see students succeed and progress.
Marissa: I landed the lead in my school musical, and I couldn't think of anything more fun than studying something I was good at. It was a fun three years, and I grew leaps and bounds in terms of vocal technique and performance. However, as a half Anglo-Indian half Black person, it was difficult to make a career out of it, especially as I'm not much of a dancer! Composing came naturally, so I decided to focus my efforts on that instead. I used the acting training from my BA to star in a few short films that did well overseas - more information on my IMDB.
LEMS: Can you tell us more about your musical theatre background and what first got you into it?
LEMS: How would you describe your teaching style?
Marissa: I like to think my lessons are engaging and encouraging - knowing singing can be daunting! There's a set routine each lesson, taking care we cover off technique and scales before getting stuck into singing. I take notes and ensure the student can see how they've progressed since their previous lesson, and what they can look forward to the next. I'd say my style is focused but fun.
LEMS: What do you
get up to when
you're not teaching at Lewis Eady?
Marissa: I'm a black belt in Kung Fu and passionate about fitness; I am also a personal trainer. And a shameless foodie, who loves checking out a new restaurant!
LEMS: I heard you used to write jingles for radio, what was that like? Are there any we might recognise?
Marissa: I don't write them myself (that's the genius of Alistair Barran at MediaWorks) but I do write the harmonies and help the creative direction. There's plenty on air at the moment: Shift4, Number One Currency, DBJ, Decking Direct, Mercury Energy, Autoflip, Active Clean, Youm Finance, and many more all over the country.
LEMS: Finish this sentence:
“Music is…”
Marissa: A universal language to bring people together.
Learn a musical instrument from passionate musicians, like Marissa Holder. Enrol for music lessons with Lewis Eady Music School today.