Castro Valley, CA Singing Lessons

I began singing at a very young age for anyone who would listen and began taking music and voice lessons shortly thereafter. I am a USC graduate and have also studied music privately for over 20 years as well as at the Vocal Power Academy of Los Angeles. My main musical styles that I perform and teach are Pop, Rock, Folk, and Americana/Country but I also have a background in Musical Theater. I specialize in creating a lesson plan that suits the needs and skill set of each individual student.

I've been singing professionally & learning voice myself for over 25 years ~ I focus on breath control, body awareness, vocal ranges, manipulation of sounds, placement/delivery, using one's belting voice properly, performance, ear training, harmony, solfeggio, reading music if one is interested etc. I teach everything from Contemporary/Pop, R&B, & Soul to Jazz, to Punk Rock & Indie Rock to Country to Musical Theater ~ everything but full on Opera, but I did study Opera for 1 year. I love teaching Voice and helping people discover their own unique sound.

Singing with good breath support is so important, whether you are singing opera, choral music, broadway or pop!

Basic Musicianship, Tone/Pitch, Range, Fundamentals, Audition Prep

(At this time, any music related lesson must be given a the client's home or mutually agreed upon location. Piano/keyboard must be available.)

Areas of expertise are primarily classical voice and musical theater. I have over 15 years of formal vocal training and am a working professional singer with a growing performance career. I use my training in musicianship, theory, and music history, as well as acting and dance to help students with all aspects of music-making and performance in addition to vocal technique.

I believe that the most important in singing is the opportunity to use your voice the way you want and feel in order to express yourself. No matter what style are you singing the vocal technique is fundamental.
My students develop technique, voice strength and vocal range, so they are able to express themselves as artists in various musical styles depending on their personalities.

I teach a grounded, speech-based technique. I teach voice work as both a physical and spiritual practice, beginning with solid support and resonance, with goal of freeing the natural instrument. Each voice is entirely unique, it is a person’s creative fingerprint. I work with singers to identify their personal voice in the courageous work of learning to sing. I encourage singers to perform in order to share their personal artistic discoveries with an audience.

I am a songwriter and study both contemporary and classical techniques. I encourage students to gain familiarity with their unique instrument and sing with character and safe technique.

When I started singing in HS I was a shy kid with a loud voice and a lot of technical issues. It was my good fortune to work with a great choir director whose support paved the way to both a BA and a MM in music as well as a career that has allowed me to sing on the stages of San Francisco Opera, Opera San Jose and Opera San Luis Obispo among dozens of others. Learning to sing did more than provide a way to make a living, it created in my a confidence and set of problem solving skills that changed my life forever. I would love to share some of that good fortune, and those skills, with you!

I welcome all levels of students. I teach a a technique used by most of the current recording artists ( Justin Timberlake, Amercian Idol) which is designed simply to make singing much easier for students of all levels by keeping the larynx in one position. It's called Speech Level Singing.

With years of professional experience under my belt both as a head line recording artist and session singer for acts and TV Ads (james Blunt, Pet Shop Boys, Jamaroqui, Coca- Cola) I will help you not only with your vocal training but with your performance skills and techniques, studio recording technique, intonation, expression. I have a Oscar nomination for Best Song Category in 2015 and I have worked as a songwriter helping develop artists with whom I have worked.

Whether you are auditioning for Productions, learning for yourself, or gifting for a loved one , or whether your a seasoned pro that needs a tune or a beginner, I'm here to lend your my support, guidance and advice as your coach. ...