Both of my children (ages27and 19)have trained for years with Candace Ford. With much help from…read moreCandace's coaching and support both are on professional career paths. One has signed a record deal with Sony, and the other accepted and attending a top 10 university for Music Theater, and just closed her first professional Music Theater production ( her vocals earning her the lead). Candace has been pivotal in their careers. Candace is an amazing, knowledgeable and caring vocal coach and a wonderful human being. There is a strong emphasis on vocal health for which my kids and I are very grateful. I wish I could give her more than 5 stars! SHES THE BEST!

From the owner: Take your voice to the next level with quality, personalized vocal instruction in an encouraging…read moreatmosphere. Whether you're an experienced singer or just starting out, voice lessons will improve your technique and ease of singing, eliminate vocal breaks, expand your range and give you confidence in your singing. Our studio is located in Hermosa Beach for voice lessons in the South Bay. Long-distance students take advantage of telephone or Zoom lessons. Voice lessons available for ages 7 to adult.

Michelle is an incredible vocal coach, singer, and songwriter who has helped me immensely. I highly…read morerecommend her to anyone who needs a vocal coach or just someone to work on music with!!!!

My daughter's love for music has grown since she started at Michelle Ornest. She has Lilly and…read moreloves taking lessons with her. She has come so far vocally Highly recommended!

I cannot recommend Paloma enough. I started working with her for muscle tension dysphonia, and she…read morehas been such a gift in this process. She's incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and thorough. The laryngeal massages and targeted vocal exercises she's guided me through have made such a difference in helping me understand my voice and reduce tension. What I appreciate most is how supported I feel during our sessions. She truly listens and tailors everything to what my voice needs that day. If you're struggling with vocal tension or MTD, Paloma is someone you absolutely want on your team.

I'm not surprised that Paloma has perfect. Five star review on yelp - I'm so glad I went based on…read morethese recommendations when I reached out to her for lessons I had not sung in decades when I began working with Paloma in October, with one very meaningful goal: to prepare Ave Maria for my mother's 80th birthday Mass. Paloma is a seasoned professional with an absolutely beautiful voice, and she made the entire process approachable, easy to digest, and genuinely fun. She taught me how the voice truly works--breath support, diaphragm use, vocal anatomy, resonance, tongue placement, and effective exercises that rebuilt my voice with care and intention. Her depth of knowledge is exceptional, yet she explains everything in a way that feels clear and accessible. Most importantly, I felt extremely comfortable and supported every step of the way. Thanks to Paloma's expertise, patience, and encouragement, I was able to deliver a heartfelt and beautiful tribute to my mother. If you are returning to singing after time away or preparing for something truly meaningful, I cannot recommend Paloma highly enough.

I've been having vocal lessons with Forbsey since Jan 2020. 4 months in and I am still loving it!…read moreBeing able to continue lessons while travelling out of state for work via FaceTime / Skype has been totally awesome. Not much works with the craziness of my schedule but Jenn has found a way to give her remote clients as good an experience as those she sees in person. In classes we focus on songs that I want to sing. We don't spend the session running boring scales instead she provides creative ways to embrace different sounds and really challenges you to bring out the performer inside. Totally recommend Forbsey for anyone wanting to improve their vocal technique and get their passion back for singing!

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

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!!!

This place is top notch! From the moment we signed up, the owner, Hana was amazing with taking…read moreextra care to make sure we were satisfied and getting a very personalized experience for my 6 year old daughter. Our instructor, Grace, has been amazing and my daughter has learned so much from her. Having the opportunity to perform in the recital was the cherry on top with amazing production quality, these people really know how to put on a performance! The teachers all showed up to accompany the students which showed a tremendous amount of support. There are so many wonderful opportunities at this place and the customer service in unbeatable, Hana always goes above and beyond to make sure everything is just right!

Great music school! Our kids have enjoyed a great environment to develop their piano and violin…read moreskills. Very clean and organized, and with friendly staff passionate about transfering their love for music to the kids, helping them develop their technique, while also learning songs they love. We feel very happy to have found them in our neighborhood.

My daughters are autistic and, like a lot of kids, they mask in traditional school settings. What…read moreteachers often see is not who they truly are. They recently completed a school assignment, and I was completely blown away. The creativity, humor, expression, and confidence they showed was them--their real selves. And it was so clear to me where that came from. At The Creative Factory, they don't mask. They are comfortable, expressive, and fully themselves. That space allows them to open up in a way I don't see anywhere else. As a parent, that means everything. It's not just about creativity--it's about being seen, feeling safe, and being allowed to exist as who they truly are. I'm honestly so grateful for this place and what it's given my girls.

we absolutely love Jordana and her staff. she is always so positive and helps my child with her…read moreself tapes. My kid looks forward to her voice lessons weekly. highly recommend

Brenda has been teaching my 7 year old son piano for a few months now, and she is the best! She is…read morevery knowledgeable about music, amazingly patient and makes the lessons very fun. My son always looks forward to her classes. I highly recommend!

Love this studio!! Woman owned!…read more My daughter is now 7 and has been taking lessons here since she was 4. I took piano lessons from age eight until age 16 and wanted a place that could start my daughter sooner. Raffia Music Studio was the only one that would start my kid at 4, plus it offers so many other types of musical instruments, voice and performance training. I am a serious researcher. I have always made exhaustive lists weighing the pros and cons of any endeavor. After researching several studios, I decided this was the one! Consistency is key in becoming good. We've had the same teacher since we began 3 years ago. Srimal is not only a teacher, but performs regularly with a band around town. I appreciate when a teacher also honors their craft by doing it. Srimal is very patient. Works to get the best out of his students. Pushes them, but also meets them where they are. Every winter, there is a recital where you get to enjoy seeing all the students performing their pieces. I highly recommend Raffia Music Studio!

Our teen granddaughter took Voice Lessons with Christine Lao through Raffia Music. Christine was…read moreeasy to work with and flexible if we needed a schedule change. She helped our granddaughter prepare for a theater audition and we saw her vocal skills and her confidence soar! She received many positive comments during her audition and the difference before and after voice lessons were noticeable! Highly recommend!

It's been less than a year, and already Lori has taught me techniques that have helped me become a…read morestronger singer while also increasing my vocal range. She has helped me become much more confident by teaching me how to sing with proper technique without straining or damaging my voice. What really stands out is how knowledgeable she is about human anatomy and how it relates to singing, which has made her instruction both practical and easy to understand. She's an incredible teacher, and I highly recommend her to anyone looking to improve their singing.

Lori has been coaching me for 6-7 months and I feel so much more confident in my range and tone…read more She is SO good at what she does. She makes you feel comfortable and has a way of teaching you how to sing. Looking forward to doing an open mic and I feel so much better about it thanks to her. It's even gotten to the point where I am doing the vocal warmups in my sleep. Not kidding, I have been woken up by my boyfriend saying that I was doing a vocal warm up.. and the best part was that he said I was ON KEY! Thank you Lori :)