I went to Melissa for vocal lessons based on all the positive reviews I read here on Yelp, and…read moreafter working with her, found them to be 100% accurate. I was looking for a vocal coach that could help me, an inexperienced singer, prepare a song for a musical theater camp. Melissa was patient, supportive, upbeat and full of great suggestions. I never felt less-than even though she has the credentials to work with the highest level singers. I highly recommend her for anyone looking for a great vocal coach.

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.

I'm an actor currently based in New York, but I work with Paloma in LA as well, and she has helped…read moremy acting career tremendously. From mastering cadence and vocal technique to helping me find and replicate the voice of Malcolm X, she has an incredible understanding of the actor's instrument. She stays true to the fundamentals while bringing a real sensitivity to artistry, finding innovative ways to help you discover breath, voice, rhythm, and use your instrument to its fullest ability. I recently wrapped a TV show, have a Netflix film coming out next month, and we literally just finished another session today preparing for what's next. I'm grateful to have Paloma on my team, and anyone who gets to work with her is blessed to have her on theirs.

Joel is so great to work with! He is very friendly and funny and his teaching style is very…read morehelpful. Highly recommend!!!

I took piano lessons as a child (from a very grumpy old lady), and around 3 years ago (at 25) I…read moredecided to start back up again. Shannon was recommended to me by a fellow musician. From the first lesson I could tell why. She's professional, kind, and patient. Not to mention very musically talented. I work full time and go to school part time, and her lessons fit in perfectly with that schedule. She guides me at my own pace. Her lessons follow a really great piano book, but there are plenty of times where we'll seamlessly swap to a random song I want to learn, from rock-and-roll to classical to movie soundtracks. Her studio is immaculate and inviting and her musical instruments are top-notch. I've seen students decades older and decades younger than myself at her studio before and after my lessons, all with smiles on their faces. I highly recommend Shannon Moses!

It was my first time taking lessons with anyone... and I chose Shannon based off of her…read morecredentials. I was doing this for my own personal growth and I was very comfortable with her. Shannon is a great teacher, very patient with my airy voice and gifted. She teaches all types of music and helps you through whatever it is you are trying to accomplish! Would recommend to anyone if you are in the area and are looking for a good voice coach. She also teaches piano!

Risa is in a class by herself & just brilliant ! You will…read morelove working with her & all , so amazing & we feel so fortunate to have been referred to her!

I took lessons with Risa last year to improve my vocal ability, coach me for a role in a musical…read moreand to get audition pieces prepared. She is an absolute dream. She has helped me find a more pleasing tone and resonance in my voice, helped me relax my jaw, had excellent song suggestions and warmups that I've added to my regular vocal practice. She has helped me become more confident and joyful in my singing and I always look forward to getting to see her. She has a beautiful, light-filled, airy, high ceilinged space with lots of windows and air circulation and it is very clean. Her lessons are reasonably priced. She is flexible with my desire for bi-weekly lessons. I'd give her 6 stars if I could!

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!

Brian is hands-down one of the best vocal coaches out there. He really understands the anatomy and…read morescience behind singing, and he explains what's happening in your body in a way that makes it easy to understand and recreate on your own. He's not cheap, but he's absolutely worth it if you want to learn efficiently instead of spending money on endless lessons that don't move the needle. I've been learning from him for almost a year, and I've learned so much more in that time than I did in four years at another studio. Thanks Brian!!

A little update here on yelp. It's only been four lessons, but I just wanted to take a moment to…read moreappreciate you by saying thank you very much for doing what you do!!! Music has always been there for me through many difficult parts of my life, but I've always felt like there was this gap between music and I that I could never close. I never felt like I had any talent to immerse myself, or further myself in it. Always just singing to myself, or when I'm alone, because that's the only time I have the courage to explore my voice. I have to say I've never felt this great singing before and it's only been four lessons. This year for me is big on self investment and rediscovering myself and where my interests/passion lies. You've gotta take some risks in life sometimes and taking a chance on vocal lessons with you has been by far one of the best decisions I've made in a while!. I'm still super stoked and I'm looking forward to what's to come!! Thanks voice dad!

Forbsey is an amazing vocal coach! She's knowledgeable, encouraging, and makes every less and…read moreenjoyable. Do the intro lesson with her and you'll notice a big improvement in your voice and confidence, like I did all in the first lesson??- YES!! I'm getting answers here that I couldn't from months of YouTubes. Highly recommend.!!

I came to Forbsey after months of pushing through my voice and hoping it would sort itself out on…read moreits own. I'd get through a set and be wrecked the next day. She figured out what I was doing almost immediately and never once made me feel dumb about it. She just went, okay, here's what's happening, let's fix it. What I appreciate most is that she actually coaches. She's not just running you through scales and calling it a lesson. She catches the one thing that's costing you and gives you something specific to work on, and she's encouraging the whole way through without it feeling fake. When something isn't there yet, she says so. When you finally land it, she's genuinely hyped for you. The biggest difference is how much less like work singing feels now. Stuff I used to muscle through I can just sing. No straining, no bracing for it. If you're grinding your voice down and can't figure out why, go see her.

My teenage daughter is going to Melanie and things are going great. She loves it and appreciates…read morethe time they spend together. Already seeing improvements

Melanie is absolutely the best vocal coach I've ever had the privilege of working with. She's…read morehelped me improve my singing more than I thought I could and is unfailingly encouraging. She's also very honest and has good prices. I ten out of ten recommend her to anyone who's pursuing voice at any level :)

Lauren is a highly gifted and trained opera singer and ultimate expert in any style of vocal…read moreperformance, pitch, and rhythm. She is kind and encouraging and makes my son feel comfortable and confident. She is also a wonderful piano teacher and my older son took classes with her for that, as well. I highly recommend attending classes with her.

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

Friendly knowledgeable help…read more Steve and Gary and Mitch are great. I only bring my guitars to Boulevard!

My son came back from college and needed to get his strings replaced on his entry level acoustic. I…read morewanted to teach him about going to Local stores and supporting them, but this is not the place. The wanted to charge 45$ for a string replace. I said OK. Steven, the person who helped us said," If it is more to be done, I will notify before they do the work" I said ok. We stayed for an hour, and I had a great discussion with the owner about jazz guitarist Ted Greene. That was the highlight of the store, and I do encourage people to go and learn the history of the store. I got an email the following day saying my son's guitar was ready and the charge was about 70$!!!! To change strings! I emailed back and said you told me 45. Steven said the tech Clean the guitar, oiled the tuning gears. We didn't ask for that, nor did it need it. He never checked with me about the work that needed to be done. It looked like a way to mark up the service. Beware! I called the store and talked with Steven and said you quoted me 45$ He said, "I am not going to argue with you over the money, and we will give you what was quoted." This wasn't about arguing, this was about integrity. Go to the store for nostalgia and some Martin's but be careful for the services and price adjustments.