In the field of psychology, a "therapeutic alliance" encapsulates the relationship a…read morepsychotherapist and their client has to reach agreed-upon goals. When I reminisce on my voice relationship with Melissa--from autumn of 2019 until now (January 20th of 2025, as this is being typed)--the connotative strength of the word "alliance" accurately reflects the effectiveness of her pedagogical methods. Before I began working with Melissa, I intended to study with Lynn Helding, a renowned voice professor and pedagogue at University of Southern California. While a spot wasn't available for me in Lynn Helding's schedule, she referred me to Melissa, who was Helding's protégé as a USC DMA candidate at the time. If the concept of "when one door closes, another one opens" is to be embraced, then I will use the example of my path being directed to Melissa as evidence the concept is true. When I lived in San Gabriel Valley from autumn 2019 to February 2020, I would drive at least one hour to Venice from Alhambra for lessons with Melissa on a weekly basis, never regretting the time commitment (via another Yelp account, I wrote my first review for her on January 6th, 2020). As someone with a penchant for analytical thinking, I immediately benefitted from her extensive vocology research knowledge that would be applied to warmups and aria rep. Furthermore, my singing practice has always been spiritually rooted, and Melissa also engaging in music as a spiritual experience leads to her imparting memorable aphorisms that nurture my vocal growth; without her impactful communication skills, I wouldn't have been able to write the essay "Contemplative Consequences from a Decade of Singing" (https://web.archive.org/web/20220517012057/https://www.ruminatemagazine.com/blogs/ruminate-blog/contemplative-consequences-from-a-decade-of-singing). After I moved back to Bellevue, Washington due to COVID-19 lockdowns, I continued to train with Melissa via Zoom. Although I was nervous about doing lessons on screen, she ensured that the quality of the experience would be the same, even trying out different devices (ex. Google Hangouts) to figure out which would work best. The care that Melissa puts into her teaching was also demonstrated by her hosting monthly Zoom studio classes, in which her students would gather together for 2 hours in a weekend afternoon to perform for each other. I began studying with Melissa as a classical countertenor/sopranist at the age of 24 & a half 1/2, but her students represent a spectrum of ages and genre interests, such as CCM (contemporary commercial music). She currently works as an assistant professor of musical theatre at USC, in addition to singing in the LA Opera Chorus; if you're looking to improve your vocal technique in any way, I certainly recommend contacting Melissa now, before her availability becomes more limited. Though I took a three year hiatus from voice lessons to focus on my writing, I have retained my singing stamina because of Melissa's lasting pedagogical influence. Today, after my first lesson in three years with her, I experienced rejuvenation in my body, mind, and spirit, as her wholehearted commitment to developing potential in her students has remained apparent. Melissa: thank you so much for your vocal allyship. Through whatever is to come in the future, I know I will always be thrilled to continue growing with you singing.

Melissa is my first vocal coach and she's truly amazing! She's very knowledgeable and smart! My…read morethroat used to tense up quite a bit and also my voice is tense. She's helping me to work through it!! She's wonderful!!!

When I came across Kimberly on the internet, I had no idea then what it was that drew me to her,…read morebut I knew I wanted to work with her. I knew that her work wasn't just about singing and improving skills. It was and is so much deeper than that, which I came to experience in my time with her. I worked with her for a few months, and during that time, I got to experience deeper levels of myself as she led me through exercises and experiences with such grace and presence. In my time with her, I got to breathe into my existence and feel, actually feel, not just mentalize, what it meant to be me as I am, beyond the labels, the roles, the expectations of life that I had bought into. She was the first coach I worked with that brought me back into my body every time. And still today, since our time together, I am constantly leaning into myself in such a fulfilling way, a way that's not about an outcome or 'getting someplace'. I learned a deeper level of presence within myself that I had been yearning for, and now that I look back, I feel like working with her kicked off a new 'era' if you will. If you are interested in accessing deeper parts of you that even you currently are not conscious of, but know you want to see and feel, I recommend getting into her sphere and allowing yourself to be led by her. She is so full of heart and love and a wisdom that trusts the wisdom in others. I'd be happy to work with her again in a heartbeat. Thank you, Kimberly!!!

The voice guidance, support, and coaching I received in this course ending in Nov 2023, by a more…read moreexperienced voice mentor, helped to develop and improve my voice. This mentoring was relevant to me in the arenas of public speaking, singing, acting, and podcasting. in this course, Kimberly offered advice on vocal technique, breathing exercises, speech clarity, intonation, and my overall vocal performance. It assisted my stage fright and built my self-confidence. I highly recommend this course for those wishing to hone their vocal skills, enhance communication abilities, and embody professional goals that involve using one's voice effectively. Thank you, Annie B

I love working with Kathleen! She makes every lesson something to look forward to. She really…read morechallenges me to grow as a singer -- encouraging me to try new genres, teaching me the theoretical aspects of music, and making tiny adjustments to my performances to help my voice shine. I've been coming to The Singing Place for years now, and they have truly taught me everything I know about singing. I am so incredibly thankful to them. They not only helped me become a skilled singer, but they also helped me find my confidence.

i have been loving my sessions here. Betsy is amazing, so talented and knowledgeable. my voice has…read moreimproved tremendously since coming here

Everything was terrific! Lauren is a gifted instructor; she's charming, informative, and able to…read morecoax wonderful tones out of everyone!

Loran was the best teacher ever. She has so much patience and she's so encouraging and found a…read moreplace for each person to be able to participate in sing and it was just so much fun. I've always been super shy about ever doing karaoke so this was the best way to start breaking into it.

Lauren Carter is an amazing vocal coach. I have been working with her and have transformed from…read morean off key hopeless singer to someone who can carry a tune and has the confidence to sing in public. She is patient and encouraging and highly recommend her.

My daughter has been working with Lauren for almost a year now. My little girl was diagnosed with a…read moreSpeech and Reading Disability and her psychiatrist recommended speech lessons as well as singing and piano classes to help her improve overall. With Lauren's expertise in singing and piano, and her calm patience, my daughter is speaking more fluently now and belts out songs all day long. Lauren is a pleasure to work with and my daughter just loves her. If you have small children who enjoy singing and want them to learn piano, Lauren is the best!

Green Brooms Music Academy has been an incredible experience for this 40-something looking to…read morerebuild confidence. I'd always wanted to take vocal lessons, but anxiety--rooted in a childhood experience--held me back for years. From the very first lesson, Isabelle made me feel completely at ease. She created such a safe, supportive space that I've been able to let go of a lot of that fear and finally enjoy singing again. With her guidance, I'm discovering a vocal range I didn't even know I had! It takes a truly special teacher to help someone work through emotional blocks, and Isabella is exactly that--patient, talented, and a joy to be around. Not only has my confidence grown through this journey, but I'm now getting ready to perform in my first-ever adult recital--something I never thought I'd be brave enough to do. If you've ever felt nervous about trying music lessons as an adult, this is the place. I can't recommend Green Brooms--or Isabelle--enough.

I've been attending this Academy for several years now I'm…read moreso happy they reopened because I will continue to support and most of all master my instrument the instructors are fantastic the energy there is amazing what a wonderful gem in Santa Monica

Wow! I've had a bunch of coaches, but no one comes close to this lady.Dot dot dot she really knows…read moreher.S h!* if you have vocal issues that nobody else can solve, this is where you get your answers. Forbsey teaches way differently than anyone else. My voice feels like a million bucks. Seriously recommend.

Great at what she does! Really has a lot of experience and passion and is serious about her…read morestudents development as singers and song writers

If you want to level up your singing, this is your sign! I thought I could sing before, but Shannon…read moreis teaching me how to *really* sing authentically and beautifully. The first lesson was a lot of information (in a good way) but each subsequent lesson has been a building block towards understanding my voice as an instrument and how to use it to its full potential. I feel forever changed! I just didn't know how easy singing should feel, but that's because i didn't have a really great mentor showing me the way. Not shown - me practicing every exercise we go through 6 out of 7 days a week. She'll show you what to do, but only you can improve if you put in the work :)

I signed up for voice lessons with Shannon about 5 months ago. My goal was to improve my confidence…read morewith my singing voice. Through Shannon's methods I have grown immensely more confident and have overcome my fear of singing in front of other people. She is very warm and knowledgeable in her approach and always offers a solution when I hit a roadblock. Her lessons have made me more interested in music theory and I look forward to exploring that side of music more. I would recommend her to anyone looking for voice lessons at any stage of your journey. She can help you find your voice and give you tools to better your approach. 100/10 teacher and person!