I have worked with voice teachers since I was ten (I am in my twenties now). Until I met Rocio I had been frustrated not only by often ineffective advice on "how" to sing well, but particularly by my former teachers' inability to explain the "why" of it. What makes Rocio special is that she understands and can explain both the how and the why--the art and science-- of great singing. She has a deep understanding of how the sound produced by the vocal cords is affected by the positions and movements of the tongue, lips, jaw, larynx, and diaphragm and will teach you how you can control them to produce each vowel sound in a musically desirable way without any strain on the vocal cords. If you have trouble with one approach to vocalizing properly, she has multiple techniques for getting you to where you need to go. When explaining the anatomy and physiology of the vocal system, if a verbal explanation is insufficient, she can show you drawings and videos that illustrate what is happening. There is a disturbing amount of misinformation out there about singing and it seems like I have heard it all. I have had so many voice teachers who, undoubtedly with the best of intentions, led me astray and instructed me to do things that were really damaging my voice. Working with Rocio has been life changing. I have a recording system set up in my home so I can monitor what my voice sounds like now versus six months ago and the difference is astonishing. My voice has much more resonance and my pitch has vastly improved. Finally, Rocio is not only smart, she is also very kind and supportive. read more

I've been singing for over fifty years, and about three years ago I began studying voice with Rocio Guitard. 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! read more

I started working with Rocio this past year during lockdown and have learned so much in our short time together. The music theory classes taught me so much. (did I mention that I knew nothing about music theory) She explains things so well and is such a pleasure to work with. Now I am taking voice lessons with her and loving every minute of it. Especially when I them in person. Can't wait till my next lesson read more

I am a musician but never had proper voice training before, so I was nervous about starting voice lessons at the start of this year. I shouldn't have been! Her website made getting my first appointment easy, and we communicated over email to get the best time for my schedule. That made the first step easy, which helped me because I was nervous about singing. Rocio has been great to work with. She makes singing make sense, with in-depth knowledge of how the voice works. She is able to identify what I am doing and what I am not doing, and help me both correct my technique and understand what is happening and what those corrections are doing physically and musically. She is also friendly and has a sense of humor, which makes singing much less intimidating. I come away from every lesson excited to sing more! She helped me set musical goals to work towards. And since she provides recordings of each session, I can focus my practice using her specific feedback from the lessons, and go back to previous lesson recordings when I need extra work on something. It's like having infinite personalized lessons. That is invaluable! Rocio is a great teacher and I highly recommend her lessons. read more

My partner started working with Rocio this past year and has experienced a dramatic improvement in her vocals. I grew up in a music studio and have been a musician my whole life. Having listened to many of my partner's lessons, I can say without a doubt that Rocio knows more about singing than anyone I have ever met. But in addition to her knowledge, she is also a really great teacher (something that in my experience is rare). I would highly recommend Rocio to anyone who is interested in improving their singing. read more

I am interested in getting vocal coaching. But your web form says my email address is invalid. I tried to call but your outgoing message is just advertisements and there's no way to leave an actual message without the voice system hanging up on me. How can I get lessons read more

My daughter has been training with Rocio for a couple years now and she's done amazing things for her voice. Whereas before, she could never hit a high note without cracking, she now has an awesome range. The fact that the lessons are recorded on CD so you can listen to them at home and practice is very helpful. It's like having the teacher in the room again and allows you to hear how others hear you (which is embarrassing for my daughter but it helps!) Rocio is definitely supportive and encouraging and makes you feel very comfortable with yourself, which is very important when you're trying to gain confidence. We did take several lessons with Iari who has a wonderful sense of humor but for us personally, Rocio was a better fit as she is "stricter" although not at all mean or overly assertive. She just keeps you on task and doesn't let you mess around. She is also very accessible (email, website, blog) and easy to talk to which is great if your child has any sort of challenges, which mine does. As she is one of the most acclaimed voice teachers around, I think she's well worth the price! read more

Both Rocio and Maryam are excellent teachers who offer a lot of knowledge, experience and joy with their lessons. My son has been working with them for many years and is now applying to vocal performing arts colleges. We highly recommend them! The space is welcoming, pro and a nice retreat from the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley. read more

Great place! Iari is terrific. Very upbeat but drives the singer to be better. My daughter is 9 years old....very happy there and has learned amazing things. Wish we could afford to do it every week 2X! read more

I started taking lessons with Maryam after being disappointed with my previous teacher. And the difference was night and day! She takes a principle-based approach, starting from the fundamentals and building from there. I always understand why we're doing each exercises and how it fits into the bigger picture. After only 2 months I can already see significant progress! read more

Three years later and I am still taking singing lessons with Rocio very happily. I've learned so much in the last few years and I'm still learning. Rocio continues to push the boundaries of developing vocal technique. She is always busy combining science and humanity to evolve her own vocal teaching, as well as share all the information openly and freely with other teachers. Rocio is truly an incredible teacher and mentor. She has helped me work on not only the physical awareness and vocal technique, but the mental and emotional blocks that prevent me from fully releasing. The journey has been amazing thus far, and I'm not stopping anytime soon. My voice is more resonant and relaxed than it has ever been, and I can really feel my singing. The awareness that you learn from excellent vocal lessons is so important, because you can then correct your own technique as you go. I have grown to love and appreciate my own voice more than ever, because it sounds so much clearer, cleaner, stronger, more pleasant, and easy. It just feels so good to sing. It's as if a part of my childhood has come back to me, when I probably was belting incorrectly with my then-airy vocal habit that didn't affect my young voice, and mimicking artists, but instead I'm singing like me. Every lesson, I leave Rocio's studio sounding better than when I went in, feeling better than when I went in, a little more confident, than when I went in, and with a big smile on my face and the determination to practice more. I have never regretted my lessons with Rocio, not once. Over the years she has continually given me support and encouragement. She always makes me feel how much she believes in me. She makes me laugh and relax, and when I really listen to her and get it, I can get my voice to do what it does when I don't let my overthinking get in the way. In every lesson there is an epiphany. Sometimes, it's a new sensation, being able to finally discern a slight change that makes a world of difference in the resonance of one note, one pitch, one vowel, one consonant, and other times, it's the same epiphany that I need to grasp in conjunction with other things I have cumulatively learned and been able to apply. Developing good singing technique is the culmination of many, many, many, many, MANY (to quote Captain Smek @ https://youtu.be/vYWs96Ct2lk?t=31s) mistakes and tiny adjustments, but because I have had such an incredibly caring and amazing superbly competent teacher, I have been able to trust her, follow her lead, and slowly begin to truly let go. (Still working on that, yes.) I'm just happy, because lessons with Rocio are the one thing I do just for myself, and the results are just priceless. read more

Rocio is hands down the best vocal instructor in the entire Bay if not the world. She never makes you feel stupid if your voice cracks while hitting a note, are a tad off-tune during a song or lose your breath at the end of a line (not that that's ever happened during my lessons). She's fun, makes singing an absolute joy and is a very beautiful woman. The 1/2 hour lessons are a bit pricey but she WELL worth her weight in pure gold. read more

Rocio is a great vocal teacher. She can teach practically any style -- rock, gospel, jazz, theatre, classical, etc. She really knows how to make sure you are using your voice correctly and will not injure yourself. Even doctors send singers to her who have injured their voices, to adjust their vocal technique and recuperate their voices. Another review mentioned that she records the lessons on CD for you to take home, and this is indeed useful. You get to take home something to practice along with, without having to remember and fuss with your own tape recorder. My singing has benefitted a lot since I've been taking lessons with her. I now have much more control over my chest voice, and can reach high notes that I never knew I even had! read more

Being heavily involved in the Musical Theater community, i've heard many stories about how Vocal trainers do not like their students performing in shows because they typically don't have any experience with theater voices, Rocio on the other hand welcomes it with open arms, as mentioned before she's very welcoming and takes the time to explain everything in detail. I'm looking forward to see how much more she can strenghten and expand my voice, read more

If I could give the Rocio Guitard Vocal Studio more than 5 stars I would. I have been training there for over 7 years and have loved every moment. Not only is Rocio (who I train with mainly) amazing/helpful/supportive/knowledgable/etc.. (you get the point, I could go on for days), Iari (I have trained with him a few times as well) is amazing too. From the time I walk into lessons till the time I leave, I have always felt comfortable. Rocio has a natural way of making you feel at home and even when you mess up you don't feel embarassed by any means. She took my voice (which used to be nothing) and has turned it into something powerful. If you are looking for a way to improve your voice, whether it be for professional means or just for fun, the Rocio Guitard Vocal studio by far is the best voice studio in the bay area (or anywhere for that matter). While many people have said the lessons are pricey, once you take one lesson you will realize that they are more than worth it. So don't hesitate, call Rocio today! read more

So far I've only had two lessons with Rocio's assistant Iari. I was very nervous about taking lessons to begin with and he made me feel comfortable. After the first lesson I was hesitant about going back - not because of them, but because I didn't think I could actually ever sing in front of people. But then I went to the second lesson and had a lot of fun, so I'll keep taking them. It's pricey, but so far worth it. I'll update again later once I've taken a few more. read more

Smiles and positive energy, encouragement and follow through, absolute technical expertise, perpetual hunger for art and creativity, ample focus on reaching goals, and an authentic working knowledge of nearly every vocal genre and style in existence. What more could you want? Rocio and her associates are second-to-none, and I only wish there were more stars to offer in this review. An incredibly stellar musician in her own right, Rocio just "gets it." Teaching is very much an art and a craft in its own right, and finding someone who not only practices what she preaches, but who also actively embraces the art....that is very unique. Even then, finding someone as remarkably talented as Rocio is...well....like riding a unicorn under a rainbow toward the pot of gold. I applaud the desire to learn, and you'll love doing so under Rocio's tutelage. Go, without hesitation! read more

Great for beginners (even adult beginners!). I came to Rocio's studio in the summer 2008. I was a very shy singer... in fact, until I came to the studio, the only other person I had sung for was my then-fiance. He loves my voice, so my wedding gift to him was to record the song I walked down the aisle to. Needless to say, this was an ambitious goal. Rosaura did a great job teaching me the basics and we worked on that song ("When You Say Nothing at All") all summer. THEN, Rocio, Rosi and I went to a full-out recording studio for the final version. Rocio is a great coach and she made me sound amazing! (Some people at the wedding didn't realize it was me singing; they thought it was a 'professional' singer.) Earlier this year, my now-husband and I went back to take voice lessons together. He did a lot of theater in high school / college and loves that I'm singing more confidently. We worked with Izetta, who's also great. Highly recommend Rocio and her team. I have no other perspective on voice instructors, but for her to take me from 'not singing aloud' to 'played my own song at my wedding' is credit to her abilities. read more

Rocio's vocal studio is unlike any other voice studio. Rocio and her associates are highly qualified and, most importantly, trained to help you achieve your vocal potential. You can be sure that after a lesson with Rocio or her associates, you will be singing with a wider range (high notes!! every singer's dream), with greater clarity of tone, and with all-around healthier technique. Rocio and her associates teach you how to sing better long-term, rather than fixing symptoms of the problem like most voice teachers. Take a chance on Rocio and see your voice transform into a beautiful instrument! Personally, I have been taking lessons with Rocio for 2 years, and I have expanded my range by at least an octave. I generally feel more comfortable singing, and I feel like I have a lot more to give when I step up on stage. My vocal success is due to my relationship with Rocio and the Rocio Guitard vocal studio. read more

I have been studying with Rocio for over 4 years. Professionally, I have been a violinist and full-time teacher for several decades. Therefore, I came to Rocio with a musical background, but I had never had any vocal training. My voice sounded terrible, and I had no range. I myself know how challenging it can be to get adult students to loosen up so as to be able to train proper muscle function , so I was grateful Rocio took me on. From the very first lesson, she has demonstrated competence, professionalism, and empathy. She wastes no time in the lessons getting down to whatever needs to be addressed. After my first year of study, I was able to pass an audition for a local chorus, and in the meantime my voice has continued to develop into a decent soprano instrument. There have been plateaus along the way, as there almost always are in skill development, followed by spurts of progress. I appreciate the fact that Rocio is not only extremely well-versed in the science behind voice training, but she herself is also actively involved with leading-edge research in her field. She mentors other teachers internationally. I always look forward to my weekly lesson, and I would give her 10 stars. read more