Lina Peiser
Info
I was eleven years old when I first met David. A friend of my sister had recommended him to us as a singing teacher.
When I first entered his home studio, I was struck with shyness by the presence of other singers, and by David himself. However, he put me at ease with his funny little jokes and I found the courage to sing something for him. Even though my voice sounded pretty terrible to me, David appeared to find something in it that he liked very much. He took a little notebook that lay next to the piano and wrote on it the names of a few artists that I should listen to in the coming weeks: Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Jim Croce, Odetta, Tracey Chapman, Patti Smith.
David has understood how to encourage the uniqueness of my own musical personality while showing me how to expand and build upon it. Early on, for example, he suggested that I should learn to play guitar, and by the time I was fourteen I was beginning to write my own songs. For me, David has been not only my singing teacher, but also a part of my family. I have grown up with him, as he has been there to oversee and encourage my personal and musical development every step of the way.