I started thinking seriously about singing when I was 6 years old. True story! In my first music class ever, my teacher Ms. Raymond picked me out of the class. She suggested to me and my parents that I should start training my voice because she saw that I had potential. From then on, I started singing at various events and venues around the lower mainland. Small gigs grew to bigger ones over the years. Some venues I’ve performed at include The Yale, Ginger 62, Caprice, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, St Andrews Wesley United Church and The Centre for Performing Arts.

I was very lucky to have been introduced to Spencer Welch early in my life. I studied voice with him beginning in 2001. I’ve also studied with famed master teachers Greg Enriquez, Jeffrey Skouson, Dave Stroud, Wendy Parr and Seth Riggs. In a lesson with Jeffrey back in late 2006, he encouraged me to start teaching. I participated in the Speech Level Singing teacher certification program from 2007 until February 2013, and achieved a Level 3 status.

As a singer, I’ve sung with Juno-Award winning artists such as Brian Doerkson and Devin Townsend. And as a teacher, I have 6 years of experience teaching singers of all abilities and ages, from children to working musicians to even record label signed artists.

I majored in Jazz Vocal Performance at Capilano University. I also play piano and what I call “campfire guitar”.

I direct the musical bookings for Tuesday Night Music Club, a live music and industry networking series presented by our studio. I’m responsible for booking 10 musical acts per our monthly event which keeps me active and connected with the Vancouver music scene.

This really depends! Every voice and personality is different, therefore I like to adapt and customize my lessons to each individual. At every lesson though, my goal is to highlight what you do well and give you the tools you need to improve what needs work.

I love seeing the excitement in my students’ eyes when they feel a positive change in their voice or when a new concept really hits home. Those “Aha!” moments are truly special!

The technique we teach at the studio is one that transcends all genres. Think about it like this: if a piano is built and tuned correctly, the instrument can play rock, classical, jazz, pop, R&B, whatever. We tunes the voice to its most balanced mechanical setting and enables a singer to sing all genres. With that said, my performance background has been in R&B, jazz, soul, pop and gospel.

Before I learned to ‘mix’ through training with Spencer, I often strained my voice, struggling to reach high notes with power. I was used to hearing my voice loudly, whether it was comfortable or not! Even when I was sick with laryngitis or other similar illnesses, I would sing hard into my voice. These bad habits caused me to develop soft nodules on my vocal cords. Through some vocal rest and lots of vocalizing at SWVS, I was able to recover from that injury. Now, I can strongly and powerfully sing my high notes with minimal effort and total stability. It’s a great feeling!

I perform regularly with several vocal ensembles, Forest and the Sea (an indie folk band), and my own music project. I’m also regularly recording session work for television and local artists.

Aside from music, I love to stay active. I love snowboarding, surfing, cycling, yoga and this summer I’m thinking of taking on paddle boarding! I am particularly interested in balancing sports and recently I realized that it must be because of their similarities to singing… Singing IS a balancing sport, we’re just using teeny tiny muscles!