Merrily is amazing, I had an injury to my vocal chords from a surgery and Merrily, instead of recommending surgery (like the vocal coaches I had previously interviewed), recommended a wholistic approach that has been everything I wanted from this process. Merrily's approach is very fluid, she has a million ways of approaching the individual and guiding their process. I have felt nothing but peaceful and at home when talking even the biggest of issues with my voice. I can't recommend her enough. read more

Merrily works miracles with voices :). When I started taking lessons from her, I just assumed I would never be able to sing on key or understand how to use my voice. I started lessons, as a 50+ year old just because I enjoyed singing and wanted to try to improve, just in case it was possible. Merrily patiently built up voice exercises and was so encouraging at each step of the way. She made sure to understand what I was after and explained what each exercise was meant for and how to practice. Soon I actually surprised myself and was able to recognize notes and be able to sing on key with a strengthened voice. I recommend Merrily highly as a teacher, and if you are lucky enough for her to have open space in her teaching schedule, you should take lessons with her. read more

Merrily has been my daughter's vocal coach for 10 years. In a nutshell, my daughter and I agree that Merrily is a genius at teaching voice. Her lessons have both structure and spontaneity. While Merrily has a defined system to teach, she is intuitively talented at customizing vocal drills to fit the individual needs of each student. Not only are her lessons effective, they are also fun, the bonus being that you get to work with a teacher who cares and enables success in a generous, supportive, dedicated way. Whatever difficulty you encounter when singing, Merrily "diagnoses" it in a positive way and actively helps you improve it. She has helped my daughter prepare for myriad theater projects, auditions, and performances throughout the years, and is currently helping her prepare for university auditions to apply in music therapy. The support and kindness we have received from Merrily throughout the years is infinite. My daughter's main passion became singing because of Merrily. Now my daughter wants to use her singing to help heal others. I thank fate for bringing Merrily into our lives at just the right time. She has made a huge and very positive difference to my daughter. read more

Highly recommend: the Austin Vocal Coach provides professional vocal coaching that is straightforward, thorough and yet also very accurately addresses individual needs. The method and guidance I received from Austin Vocal Coach not only got me singing again, which I did not thing was possible a year ago after dealing with health issues, but it took me to my next level. I've been singing for many years and can attest to real and amazing results after working with Austin Vocal Coach. The student has to trust the process, which is both exceptional and simple. If you're seeking individual care and vocal coaching that is well rounded and provides skill enhancement techniques that you can use for life, the Austin Vocal Coach is the very best you will find. read more

Merrily brought the best out of me and my voice, by following her lessons and advice I have rapidly grown my vocal strength to sing with precision and confidence. Merrily has a unique understanding that each person has their own voice and tailors the way she coaches to you. I couldn't have made my way to becoming a professional singer without her. She is simply the best. Marino AKA The GlitterMan read more

Merrily was very helpful in helping my daughter with increasing strength, control and volume in her voice. She was awesome and I would highly recommend her. She was very helpful, knowledgeable and a joy to work with. read more

Working with Merrily has been wonderful. I have always enjoyed singing, but she helped me sound so much better and understand my voice and my capabilities better. She knows her stuff, is very easy to work with and can help singers at any level. I highly recommend her. read more

I began taking voice lessons with Merrily 6 months ago, thinking I was just going to shake some nerves so I could sing more comfortably in the shower, car, and in front of my young son. But I've gained so much more than vocal exercises! My voice is stronger and clearer. I feel more confident and self-aware, and above all I've gained a friend; someone I feel completely open with...and I found that in finding my singing voice! Thank you for EVERYTHING Merrily! read more

Merrily has a warm personality and a special ability to understand and communicate solutions to specific, technical singing challenges. I have worked with her one on one on multiple occasions over a good stretch of time and look forward to working with her more in the future. read more

A couple of years ago, I was doing a birthday challenge, where I gave myself a year before my next birthday to try a whole bunch of new things. One of the things I decided to do was take vocal lessons. I knew I could sing, but coming from a very musical family, I was a little intimidated and much too shy to actually sing in front of anyone. I found Merrily's website and knew she would be the perfect coach for me. The first time I had to sing in front of her, I was petrified. She made me so comfortable, she even turned her back and didn't look at me, that I just sang! Quietly, and shakily, I admit, but it was a start to something that sets my soul on fire! From that moment on, I trusted her completely, and my vocal technique and confidence grew. With her encouragement and expertise, I have now written five songs and will be recording an album this year. What started as a simple challenge to myself to do something that made me very uncomfortable, to that very thing being one of the biggest joys of my life is remarkable. Without Merrily's tutelage, knowledge and kindness, I might not have ever developed this joy in music. I highly recommend her as a vocal coach. The world needs more singing! Go for it! read more

I never write reviews... but was compelled to tell yall how wonderful my experience with Merrily has been. I am a professional singer in a rock-n-roll / soul / Delta blues band. I have performed, toured, recorded, etc. But, one can always improve and I was stuck. I was writing really big vocal parts and dreading singing them. I didn't want to get in my own way, so I sought coaching. I had worked with other coaches before who were disorganized and vague. They had me stretch a little and sing with a piano and did zero for my singing. Not the case with Merrily. She has a method... and it works! She puts your vocals through bootcamp (if you do your homework) and you WILL become a better singer as a result. What I really enjoy about Merrily is that while she has a method, she also customizes it to her students. She was able to recognize that I am an experienced singer and adjust accordingly. However, ALL singers need encouragement and she provided that just as much as she provided real-time exercises for me to grow my vocal range and performance. I start every single day now with my exercises and then go about my day singing away. I am writing, fearlessly, because I know I will be able to sing the songs in my head. I cannot recommend her enough. Worth every penny. And... it's fun! read more

Merrily has helped me and my daughter so much with her amazing tips on performance. She has especially helped me in getting over my nervousness. She's taught me to breathe and be grounded. We especially enjoy participating in her sing clubs where all of her students get together and sing for each other. It's so fun and we learn so much from each other and from Merrily as she gives us tips in improving our renditions of our favorite songs. read more