South County School of Performing Arts — Attraction in North Kingstown

Our group had a very unfortunate experience with Marissa and for that alone I cannot recommend South County Performing Arts. Olivia, our girls’ teacher, was wonderful and engaging and the group enjoyed her classes. However, in both written and verbal communication Marissa was unprofessional, vague, and misleading in several areas (we requested a private group lesson which Marissa enthusiastically agreed to, but she then advertised the class on her website and social media without alerting any of the group members), including expectations for the class (class size, location, time and date), cost for instruction, and class safety. On more than one occasion our child’s photo was taken without our consent (she did text once after the taking the photos to ask if she could post those but we received no notice for photos taken after that) and then posted. As a small business owner I understand it takes a lot to build a business in the beginning, which is why we were excited to support Marissa and her team. And while we enjoyed Olivia’s instruction immensely, overall Marisa’s erratic and unprofessional demeanor was a major red flag for us and the other families we took...

Taking lessons from Marissa over the past six years has been an absolute pleasure. Marissa is an excellent teacher who cares deeply about each and every student and gives them every tool to succeed. She is patient and energetic, bringing a fun and welcoming environment to every lesson. In these past years, I have found a new confidence that has carried me to pursue singing and theatre at a college level, and I could not be more thankful; I do not even recognize videos of my voice from before I met Marissa. She has explained the voice and technical aspects of singing better than anyone I have met, and she manages to do so while teaching extremely useful exercises that she tailors to every voice she works with. I would describe Marissa as an avid problem solver who loves to take on the puzzle of figuring out what is going to best help support her students’ growth. She teaches with a passion that is unmatched, and she has taught me to truly love and value artistic expression in our society. But she is more than just a teacher; she is a dedicated community builder who embodies a true dedication to performance arts. I truly cannot recommend lessons with...

Being a former student of Marissa's, it is always a pleasure to see how much her studio is growing, especially considering her own passion for music and the performing arts. She engages well with her students, she pays very close attention to detail, and is responsible with the way the classes are run and her studio running smoothly as a whole. I highly recommend any parent to consider SCSPA for their child to get a high quality music education at any age!

The best part about her studio is that it is open to people of all ages, as well. It provides plenty of classes and private lessons for children and teens (which the teachers make so much fun), and it is open for adults to take private music lessons as well, with instruments such as guitar, piano, and voice. I am so excited to see how her studio will continue to grow...