I initially desired professional vocal coaching because I felt that while my voice sounded decent,…read morethere was an invisible wall separating me from legitimately good singers. I signed up for Joann's Monthly Master Class because I wanted to get a taste of her teaching style and methods before moving on to private coaching. Through these classes, I got exposed to a variety of valuable singing skills. In each class, Joann would go over the importance of mastering a singing skill, the specific vocal changes required to improve said skill, and the drills that I could use at home to practice said skill. Through the months, I could slowly feel myself beginning to understand the skills that I would need to master in order to become a really good singer. While I am still far from reaching this goal, Joann's Monthly Master Classes have been invaluable in getting me closer to being the singer I want to be. One thing I especially liked was how detailed each and every Master Class would be. Joann goes above and beyond in making sure that she covers a topic as thoroughly as possible during the one hour class. After taking her Monthly Master Class for a few months, I decided to move on to the Private Coaching Combo to receive more personalized feedback. These classes have helped me strengthen my foundational skills a lot more. Overall, I would greatly recommend Joann as a vocal coach. If you are still on the fence, I would recommend attending a Monthly Master Class. Go to this class, practice the drills she gives, and see if it improves your singing. If you find the teaching style to mesh well with you, then you can continue taking more classes!

I took singing lessons with Joann for over a year. I know she offers group classes too, but I did…read morethe 1:1 45 minute individualized lessons. I was a complete novice, and loved the fact that I could bring whatever songs I wanted to sing, and she'll figure out how to help me achieve my goals, giving me homework like "practice your meows!". I improved a lot over the time with her, and figured out how to find different positions to produce different types of sounds. She's also flexible, I travel a lot, and she offers Zoom lessons or async lessons (you send videos to her, she send videos back of her feedback). She also formed a great community with her students, and we do group karaoke, dinners/outings etc, so the connection goes beyond lessons. I know she offers different packages (e.g. group classes) based on your time commitment and cost expectations, so I definitely suggest going over the options and figuring out what works for you.

I have only good words about Pauline's lessons. I have been taking lessons for 3+ years and I am…read morestill making visible progress. I have developed a fairly good understanding and command of most of the key points I can think of about singing - breath support, tempo, closure, pronunciation, posture, registers etc. If any future student sees this review, please note that you might not feel that you will immediately get results with Pauline's method or even understand it -- but that is the way it should be. For e.g., you might want to learn to get high notes or you want to develop healthy vibrato. But these are results that you get naturally when you walk on the right path. Pauline's speech level singing lessons provide the right path for you. I never questioned this because I had some training before but I understand it might not be easy to keep with the seemingly unrelated trainings -- while they are the essential building blocks. Singing techniques are not easy to understand or grasp, as there are a lot of subtleties there and a lot of things are not visible (they happen within your body). I sincerely hope you would trust and stick to Pauline's lessons and you will notice significant improvements. Besides that, Pauline is extremely great to work with and an outstanding human being. She will understand any issues or uncertainties if you communicate.

Pauline is a great teacher. I really enjoy her constant, constructive feedback. She has helped me…read moreextend my range to areas I did t think were possible.

Tracy is an absolutely stellar teacher who's bottom line is to bring out the best in her students…read more She's exceedingly patient and excels at being able to motivate w/ her professional and insightful critique. I've been unsuccessful with voice teachers in the past due to my nerves, but Tracy's inviting nature did not fail to wash that away! Her ability to bring about genuine enjoyment into something I've struggled with for so long is such a rare quality that cannot be matched :) Even if you're apprehensive, do give her a shot! You won't regret it

Tracy is a phenomenal teacher who does a great job customizing her lessons to the needs of the…read morestudent. She has helped me make amazing progress with my voice, and just as importantly has helped me gain the confidence to be able to sign. Her lessons are fun, effective, and very positive. All of which help the student learn more and get more out of the lesson. I highly recommend Tracy as a teacher to anyone (at any level) who is interested in becoming a better signer.

Maya is a FANTASTIC voice coach, perfect for both new AND experienced singers. I have been…read moreprofessionally singing and performing in the Bay Area, but have had limited vocal training. When I saw Maya was offering lessons, I signed up right away! When I've worked with Maya in the past, I always noticed how graceful and poised she was. She was always ready to learn something new to improve her craft, especially new techniques to improve her vocals. In the lessons we've had, I've always had a great time and felt comfortable and able to express myself. She truly has a "no judgement" zone. She was quick to identify places I was weak in and provide quality feedback! I've really enjoyed every lesson with her, and I already noticed an improvement in my voice. Book her before she becomes super busy again!

I have been singing for over 25 years and teaching voice for over 10.... I am always on the lookout…read morefor more tools for myself and to share with my students. Maya and I have sung together several times, and I have always been very impressed with the quality of her singing and her performing presence. Tracking her progress, I observed that she was one of the few who was actually "making it" in this biz before COVID hit and everything came to a screeching halt. When I saw she was offering lessons, I signed up right away. I had a great time and felt in very good hands during our lesson. She was quickly able to identify where I was deficient in my singing and offer targeted advice to help me connect more fully with my body. This is no easy feat. I, like most others, can be very nervous in a first lesson, and it can be hard to get any meaningful work done until trust is established. Maya created a very safe and supportive space, while offering quality technical feedback. As an accomplished singer and teacher in my own right, I cannot recommend her highly enough for both novice singers just starting out on their journey and more experienced singers needing guidance to break through technical limitations.

I've loved working with Sam. She strikes a perfect balance between solid technical knowledge and…read moreencouraging creative exploration. She's also a fantastic contemporary singer herself (not all coaches are), which makes her demonstrations incredibly clear and impactful, and her subjective opinions very valuable. I highly recommend giving her lessons a try!

I've been taking lessons from Rocio for years. I started because I was getting sore throats from…read moreusing voice recognition software. Training my voice to sing cleared up the problem using the software. I keep coming back because she has helped my voice continue to improve. In my small casual singing group I frequently get compliments on how my voice helps the group.

I've been singing for over fifty years, and about three years ago I began studying voice with Rocio…read moreGuitard. She is, hands-down, the best voice teacher I've ever had. She has deep knowledge of the anatomy and physics involved in producing sound, and she somehow makes it a ton of fun to learn about how it all works. Best of all, my singing has improved by leaps and bounds. Rocio teaches flow-phonation, and this method has freed my voice in a way that I hadn't thought possible. I can sing for hours now (I'm a performing musician) without vocal fatigue. Further, using Rocio's techniques, I can do things with my voice that I've never been able to do before -- I have much more vocal flexibility and range now. And I'm sixty years old! In addition to my voice lessons with Rocio, I've also really enjoyed her group classes in Vocal Science. She's a gifted teacher, facile with all of the audio/video technology (colorful slides, short videos) that helps to keep a group of students engaged. She encourages questions and can answer them to just about any level of detail. So much knowledge! And her warm, energetic personality shines through, which makes learning a real pleasure! I highly recommend Rocio Guitard Vocal Studio!

Ylva is a wonderful teacher! She expects you to do your best and in turn she does the same. She has…read morea vast knowledge of Tango and from the beginning she instills a sense of quality in every aspect of your learning. I found it challenging ( as an athletic 64 year old) but loved the expertise I gained in every class and respected Ylva's high expectations as much as I enjoyed her congratulatory remarks when I was finally catching on. A treasure of a teacher in a revered artform.

Ylva is an amazing teacher. I have known her for years and IMO she is one of the best teachers of…read moredance in the SF Bay Area. She is very knowledgeable, experienced in many styles, very honest, with a marvelous personality, all of which enables you to learn and do your best. Tell her what you want and she'll help you get there. If you don't know what you want in dance, Ylva will work with you in finding out.

Well, it has been a few years now, and I wanted to update my review for some of you, if you are…read moreconsidering having your daughter sing with the peninsula girls chorus. My daughter started in repertoire for two years, then Allegra, and now Brava. I could not be happier with her progress, not only as a musician, but as a young woman of character. She's had an opportunity to develop as a soloist, and to develop her range from soprano through alto and I appreciated how her current teacher, Mr Skaff, challenges her to push herself. She was getting quite comfortable singing melodies as a soprano, and now has to sing harmony parts as an alto which I can imagine is challenging if you are new to it. I love hearing about her class sessions and the things she learns. I feel so grateful to the chorus for hanging on through a tough three years now of COVID. Unfortunately, my daughter had to miss some time in chorus because as a nurse working in the hospital, COVID was the nightmare we prayed would never happen but did. I was overwhelmed and so was my family. I am so thankful to the director Karyn Silva for giving us a leave of absence during that time so I could be there for the patients and the staff in the midst of that crisis and not stress about pushing my daughter on zoom. I will be ever grateful for their compassion and support. They welcomed my daughter back with open arms and never hesitate to let me know if she needs to improve or work on something. The musicianship books that the students work on train them thoroughly to read and understand music. I am truly pleased about that as there is an audio component and books do get checked and reviewed regularly by staff. The other wonderful thing is that they do have a uniform exchange so you can keep on exchanging a uniform in a different size as your singer moves up in sizes. I must say I have greatly appreciated that especially in these tight economic conditions. All I've had to worry about is some tights and the occasional black dress shoes. That truly cuts costs down for me. it also makes me feel like we're doing something good for the environment because these clothes do get gently used for a very long time, not just discarded. If you're wondering whether this is the right place for your daughter, come attend the end of year concert. It is a wonderful time to see, and hear what the graduating girls are planning, what universities and careers they're moving on to pursue, and you will be able to envision your own daughter and see if this is where you want her to be. This is what I did, and I knew right then and there that is exactly what I wanted my daughter to look and how to comport herself. Every year I marvel at the lovely girls that move forward, whose voices and talents give me chills, how they keep themselves neatly groomed, respectful of the dress code, respectful of the audience and their choirmasters. Thank you so much PGC!!

There are many great things to say about Peninsula Girls Chorus. They cover a well rounded,…read moreinternational and uplifting repertoire of music, and have a decades-long history as a Peninsula institution. The program is very well run and all of the staff are highly competent and dedicated. They also do a great job teaching music theory. What is most special about PGC though is that it is a family for the girls over multiple years. Many of the girls literally grow up within the chorus. When I see the senior girls graduate every year, it is a true celebration of sisterhood. I would recommend the PGC to anyone looking for a supportive and fun community of vocal music for their child.