I discovered Swanfield Studios through a groupon deal for singing lessons. I decided to try it out and if I showed any potential, would pursue my secret rockstar fantasy as my new hobby (if I didn't do it now, I may never) and ended up spending half a year here on weekly lessons.
I was extremely nervous on my first visit but was quickly put at ease when I opened the door to the cheery faces of the studio. At first I was surprised at how young some of the tutors looked - some would be younger than me (I'm in my late 20's) and was a little worried about how experienced/qualified they would be. This was only based on the experience of my piano teacher when I was a child who was about 80 and sometimes hit my fingers if I played a wrong key. But my concerns quickly dissolved as it turns out these tutors had either music degress or other qualifications and were highly experienced - with a few if not all pursuing their own music careers at the same time.
The studio itself sits amongst a number of businesses in a industrial estate in Bonnington. Initially it is small but split into maybe 4 practice rooms and a wait room. It does lack a polished studio look you see on tv with the brick walls being painted over, basic funrnishings, a toilet (useful when dealing with nerves), a coffee machine for self service and I don't think any rooms were sound proof but that didn't take away from the quality of teaching/service provided. I liked that every time I walked through the door I was always greeted by a smiley 'Hi Valerie how are you?' by whoever was manning the desk. Since I shared a similar age with a few of them, we often engaged in banter as well.
I went through 3 teachers during my time here - 2 left to concentrate on their own music careers but I wasn't put off. Each was very friendly, made me feel relaxed and although had slightly different ways of doing things this did not interfere with my progress. Basically they leave it up to me to tell them what I wanted to achieve from the lessons and let me choose the music; inputting their choices to help out when I hit a wall. I just wanted to enjoy the experience of singing without the pressure of working towards exams so did a little a theory and was encouraged to absorb more as I got a bit more serious about it and now I have bought a book for a little extra help at home.
Along the way I have learnt various scales and techniques for warming up the voice and best practice for looking after it long term. I got so into these I found myself occcassionaly blaring them out at traffic lights whilst waiting to cross roads (only realised I had opened my mouth after the funny looks I got). Another benefit I obtained was boosting the projection of my speaking voice as sometimes I am quietly spoken. A really valuable thing I learned were breathing techniques - I don't know if I have breathed the wrong way my whole life but this taught me to breath the opposite way to my normal style and as a result have felt a lot more relaxed in general and have even stopped using my inhaler for the gym as I suffer from mild asthma.
I'm glad I got to explore a lot of music genres to broaden my technique and had a lot of fun, also sharing giggles with my tutor if I hit a wrong note - quashing any fears of failure.
I work different shifts each week so the studio were really flexible to accommodate my needs and didn't mind if I had to skip a couple weeks until my next lesson. I noticed a lot of ages using the services and facilities here from young children to older people, individuals and groups - and the staff were equally as friendly and professional to all.
So I am not a rock star yet but my experience here was very valuable and has given me a lot to work on and nurture my ability.
The studio provides tuition in a range of music styles and instruments, music production, mixing and mastering, as well as a recording studio and events and workshops. read more
