LEARN

Before I start nostalgic ranting and heartfelt pedagogic ideas, this is what you want to know:

  • I am only coaching about five students at a time these days. I used to teach a million people like some sort of scale singing sausage maker, and now I teach a handful of people, with all my heart, in between workshops and choirs and gigs. This makes my waiting list long, and to be honest, a little overwhelming. THE BEST WAY to jump on lessons with me – is to come to my workshops or choir, and hassle me directly with enthusiasm.
  • I teach on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday – during the day, and on Thursday after school hours.
  • I teach one hour lessons at $90 per hour.
  • I have a cancellation policy. Cancelling last minute, though completely understandable, is problematic.
  • I teach students weekly, fortnightly, monthly, and one off lessons as sporadically as my timetable allows. 
  • Yes, I have Gift Vouchers. I am a pretty fun Birthday Present, I tell you what!
  • Yes, I teach family and group lessons. I don’t have an age start or end – but I do teach technique. I like to dig in. So, I’m not an early childhood music teacher. From older kids at Primary school and up-ish.
  • My studio is in Lennox Head, Northern New South Wales.
  • Yes, I teach Via Zoom.
  • My Podcast is a direct representation of what singing lessons with me is like. Check it out! Singing Lessons for No One. It’s on all the things.

To begin send me a hello, jump on my mailing list, read the riff raff below. Hope to sing with you soon! x

Here’s my Teaching Rant

So, our house was damaged in the 2022 storms in this area. Our studio is downstairs, and she was out of action for nearly two years. This halted all singing lessons for that whole time. I started teaching workshops and choirs again and made an EP. I’m creeping back in to teaching now. I used to teach so very much, now it’s a little tricker. I filled  the windows up with projects! Hurrah!

I love teaching. It keeps me on my toes. The exchange of energy – new music floating through my ears, vocal techniques to sharpen and focus, all of the concepts you can work on are endless… Singing isn’t just singing… From music theory, to stage craft, mic technique, breath work, fine tuning your pitch, song writing, recording, auditions, high school, self confidence… The list goes on and on. And I love it all.

I can hear brains tick. Good singing teachers can hear your thoughts. And help you find keys to unlock yourself. I have my go-to keys for helping people. And I love finding new ones. Humans are intricate creatures. Story filled hearts. I hear peoples hesitations and held breaths. I hear people hiding from themselves. It’s such a pure joy to help someone find what their voice sounds like.

 

I save a spot for tutoring high school folks. The pure beauty of helping a young kid get through the maze of adolescence with singing. Hoo wee, the world is an everchanging place and I don’t envy what teens deal with now. I’ve seen eyes widen, as they find me… speaking a language they’ve been searching for. Don’t get me wrong… I’m old now… I don’t mean to say I’m young and hip and talking the talk. But I’m a musical influence that has been warmly welcomed to kids that were looking for musical freedom.

 

I’m far, far from the knuckle cracking mean old piano teacher from that movie that time… I’d rather help a student reach into the world of gentling self assessing with love and care.

Perfection is far from my mind. It doesn’t exist in my land. Before we think about what the HSC marker will mark you – What do YOU mark you? Let’s start with the funnest criteria first.

I attend many workshops and lessons on all kinds of things (singing, gospel choirs, African Dance, hula dance, belly dancing…) I love learning from how people teach and facilitate. It’s such an art. When you find a good teacher there is just so much to learn.

I promise to be honest with you, and to tread gently with you, as this sound of your voice, that you allow to share with me, is personal and is to be treated with respect, joy and love. I don’t want to get all Byron Bay-hippie on you, but I have been teaching and singing long enough to know that it can be really very scary, really very tremendous, and really very rewarding and fulfilling. I hope I can lead you into the maze, offer you some ways to navigate it, and I’m pretty sure you’ll amaze both of us.

I believe there is room enough in this grand old world for each of us to express ourselves and stand tall by that.

My Professional Vocal Experience

  • Taking contemporary and classical singing lessons since the age of 14 years old till 23 years, with several different vocal teachers. I still have the occasional lesson with people these days. 
  • Teaching all ages of vocal students since 1999,
  • Gaining my Certificate in Music at the Northern Rivers Conservatorium in Lismore (1998),
  • Completed a Bachelor of Contemporary Music with Honours (Southern Cross University, NSW, 2003),
  • Growing up in the Northern Rivers with constant and joyful encouragement to preform at local jam nights (Byron Bay, Lennox Head, Lismore, Eltham, Ballina, Alstonville, Bangalow, Mullumbimby, Brunswick Heads and  Billinudgel),
  • A committed participant in African dance and drum classes,
  • Participating in World Music choirs, Gospel choirs and Community choirs,
  • Learning (or constantly trying to learn…) Spanish,
  • Learning about and researching speech and vocal therapy,
  • Taking sporadic half yearly courses on: drums, bass, guitar, flute. Whilst quietly trying my own ideas on banjo, ukulele, piano, baritone ukulele and electric guitar.
  • I’ve performed in large funk bands (6 to 21 piece bands), small pop bands, duo’s, trios, quartets and as a solo artist. I have studied jazz since before I thought I could ever understand it. All of which has brought me to where I am today. And through these processes I have learnt that I love to share all of this amazing language that is Music. I love to be part of the inspiration process – your inspiration and mine. I love singing and I love seeing a student and friend progress, develop and succeed.

Finding the Singing Teacher that’s right for you…

I highly recommend shopping around and finding the right singing teacher for you. I’ll tell you now, singing teachers are a truly unique bunch of nut-cases. But, like many things in life, you’ve gotta find the person that clicks with you. That encourages and/or pushes and/or challenges and/or safeguards and/or nurtures and/or … you get the idea…

I have learnt just as much from my least favourite teachers as my favourite. I learnt how I do not want to be perceived, let alone what I do want to teach.

If you’re with a teacher that makes you feel crap, GET OUT! You’re the Boss!

Sometimes my job is un-doing some stories from past singing scars… It’s more common than you think.

I really find the need to have fresh exercises, to stay inspired, to feed my inner artist on the holidays, to stay keen as a bean. But if you don’t click with me, I can give you an excellent list of people who might be great.

I’m not great at musical theatre songs, not terrible – but not great, I’m not amazing at super fast r’n’b melismas – keen and working on it, but not a pro. I’m not classically trained. I know where my weaknesses lie, and I know my strengths, and I’m honest about it. Honesty is key. A lying singing teacher isn’t helping you, they’re just baby sitting. And that’s a high rate for a baby-sitter, so, no, get a teacher that can teach you what you want and need.

Ok. Was I nostalgic? Did I pedagogically rant? I think so.

Thanks for reading.

Lotsa love

x

Silly, fun, not heady. Approachable. Felt like a total relief. I’ve never looked forward to singing in a group and after the first day I would have been bummed to miss out. Shelly’s style is totally my jam. Because she is so competent at her craft, there is permission to be silly and fun because you know that all she has to do is open her mouth and sing one phrase and I’m like “I will literally do anything Shelly tells me to do if it means one day I can sing like that”.
November 2021

I keep my testimonials in an email folder called Good Juju Feedback. And I try to remind myself to go read one if ever I’m feeling down. Please send a hello to that Testimonial Folder if you have any words of awesome for me xx

Shelly really re-ignited my songwriting mojo. Her varied approach kept things light and fun and I found my self creating songs that were really fresh and new for me and would never have come out of me if it wasn’t for these processes. 
November 2024