Songbird Studios

I wrote a review about a year ago and we continue to go to Songbird Studios. Whitney and the team there continue to be amazing. My daughter working on becoming a professional song writer and singer. In the past year, Whitney has amazed me by adding addition workshops and classes in songwriting, performance, voice and throat care and classes on how to develop a career in the business in 2015. She brings in experts from the field to these classes and they are outstanding. Whitney has helped my daughter get her feet on the ground and in the right direction even helping us make contacts with folks in LA. I can’t think of a better person to work with my daughter. It has been a great year!

I enjoyed taking lessons with Aisha. She’s very uplifting and supportive. The location is also very convenient and the facility is hospitable.

My voice has been languishing with neglect for years, but Whitney has renewed my joy in music and in singing, which feels like a miracle!
I was trained as a classical singer but have not studied formally for more than 20 years. All I wanted to do was to see if there was anything left in there that I could use just to singing jazz standards by myself around my house. Whitney’s helped me find my voice, helped me put my heart and soul into it, and renewed my long dormant love of singing. She has exceptional technical skills, so I feel entirely comfortable with her as she guides me from my habits as a choral/​opera singer into finding a new voice that really feels like me.
Not only is Whitney a wonderful teacher, but the Songbird Studio is a great community that offers so much to so many types of singers. it’s a wonderful, positive, cheerful, supportive environment. The whole team is very professional, and it’s great to be a part of Songbird’s world.

I initially heard about Songbird just as a pedestrian wandering around my neighborhood and noticing that there was a place that offered voice lessons within a 10-​minute walk of my apartment. It took about six months between noticing Songbird’s existence and scheduling my free, initial 30-​minute lesson. Aisha made a great impression on me and has been an excellent instructor in the following three 45-​minute lessons I have had. I’m thankful for her efforts to help me develop into a better singer (even if it’s mostly for karaōke), but she insists that I’m doing all the work. :)
There are three big knocks that brought down my overall rating:
1) The payment scheme seems too restrictive to me. I’m a working adult who’s taking singing lessons for fun, but I’d still like to make progress. I know that ideally, I should be coming in for lessons weekly. But I regularly travel for work (and sometimes for fun), so it’s hard to commit to paying for a month’s worth of lessons (either 2 or 4) upfront, every month when my travel schedule interferes frequently with that kind of cadence. I’d prefer to schedule and pay for the lessons I can actually make it to. Because of their structured payment scheme, I wasted $ 75 for a missed lesson that I had initially rescheduled because of travel stuff and then forgotten about. Maybe an email /​text reminder the day before would have helped. It’s hard for me to remember things that aren’t happening at least weekly.
2) Songbird has a policy of not letting students be in direct contact with instructors outside of lessons. This shocked me since I’d think this would help increase the efficiency and value of lesson time, which leads me to the last point:
3) Time spent in lessons isn’t always used effectively. If I were able to email my instructor about things that may occur to me during the week (e.g., a song I’d like to work on, a technique I’d like to learn), then my instructor can take that feedback and prepare activities accordingly prior to the next lesson. Instead, I was regularly giving this information during the lesson, prompting a long pause in the learning process while my instructor looks up things on the internet to facilitate the next part of the lesson.
I love Aisha, who has studied voice and sung opera, so she knows what she’s talking about. She’s helped me back breakthroughs even in the short time we’ve worked together. She’s also very encouraging and warm. But I wish the above three things were better: I’d feel more like Songbird is on my side and wanting me to get a valuable experience rather than just taking my money. I’ve canceled my monthly membership after two months because I don’t want to deal with juggling my travel schedule with a forced structure in how many lessons I can attend in a month. It’s a shame that I felt compelled to cancel my membership because of something unrelated to the lesson content.
The verdict: If you can commit to a regular cadence of making it to lessons, Songbird has great instructors who can work with any level of singing experience. But if your schedule is irregular, you might want to look elsewhere for a more flexible scheduling and payment scheme.

I’ve really enjoyed my lessons at Songbird with Kristen as my teacher.
I’ve had vocal experience but one of my goals has been to really work on my range and Kristen has done a phenomenal job with this. I’m getting more color in my soprano/​head voice and continue to build. With her experience in Opera and singing really up there, I love what I’ve learned from her.
On top of the friendly teachers, the policy and scheduling is so flexible. I am able to go on break with my membership if life’s gotten too busy (you do need to give 1 month notice) and whenever I need to miss out, as long as you give at least a 24 hour notice they can accommodate you with a makeup.
The studios itself are so nice and comfortable from the waiting area with water and tea, to the actual room itself. It’s decorated so nicely and very pristine and clean.
My one feedback I’d love to see (maybe a class offering) would be auditioning technique for Musical Theatre and acting. Someone with that background who can give insight on this would be really cool and who knows current music from that genre.
As a seasoned singer, it still pushes me and challenges me, so I can only imagine for a new singer or someone who has zero experience, how welcoming an environment it will be!

I have been taking lessons with Ellisa at Songbird for about a year and a half and she is fantastic. I came to Songbird simply because I wanted to be more comfortable signing in public– karaōke, caroling, that type of thing. I have learned so much in my lessons with her and am so much more confident about my voice. Although Ellisa is my primary teacher, I’ve had opportunities to work with both of the other instructors as well, and they’re wonderful too. Most important, I have fun during every lesson and walk out of the studio singing and smiling.

After taking voice lessons with Ellisa for about 10 months, I feel pretty comfortable leaving her a great review. I highly recommend Songbird Studios, especially with Ellisa to anyone who is thinking about taking singing lessons.
Ellisa was really good at praising my strengths while noticing my weaknesses and recommending drills to help correct them. She has a great ear and has a beautiful voice herself, which is very inspiring and makes the lessons even more fun.
During my time as a student at Songbird I’ve actually taken lessons from each instructor and they ARE ALL really awesome, lovely people, and helpful. When I started taking lessons I really didn’t know what to expect or if I could ever actually learn how to sing, aaaand now I can. If you had heard me try to sing before, you would realize that this makes Elisa a miracle worker/​magician. (Ah hem: you do have to practice between lessons for best results).
It is definitely a worthwhile investment! And if you take one thing from this review and don’t actually end up getting singing lessons, you should still check out Ellisa’s band because it is awesome. Google: «Bonnie Sun»

I’ve been taking lessons with Ellisa for a few months now. I started out with a lot of singing experience, but very little formal training. Ellisa has done an awesome job working with me to strengthen my voice, build my confidence, and perfect the songs I’ve been learning. Ellisa is an accomplished singer/​songwriter who performs in the city, and it’s inspiring to learn from her.
I have a busy schedule and songbird is flexible with when I take lessons. A few times, I’ve had to make up lessons with another instructor, Kristen, who is also a great teacher.
Songbird records your lessons and posts them on Dropbox, making it easy to practice between lessons. Outside of lessons, songbird also does open mics, showcases in a real venue, and classes to help make you more well-​rounded as a musician.

I’m having vocal lessons here for more than 4 months and I made really significant progress. Before the lessons I couldn’t sing at all and couldn’t hit a single note right) By now I know several songs pretty well and I can sing scales hitting all the notes right (and actually hearing that). My teacher, Ellisa, she really knows how to help you to get the most out of your voice and does it in very encouraging way. I really love having lessons with her.
And the studio also offers a lot of additional things like summer camps for songwriters and open mic sessions (that one made me sing in front of people for the first time).
I’ve also taken 6 weeks guitar lessons also with Ellisa and it was very productive also. We’ve learnt how to play and sing simultaneously couple of songs which I think is really great for such a short time.
And I’m not mentioning that the location is very convenient and the studio itself has a very relaxing and friendly atmosphere.
I would definitely recommend this studio to everyone, especially to beginners. For me it was a perfect place to start singing.

I’ve been working with Whitney for about a year and half now. The experience has been thrilling and transformative. Whitney is so encouraging and has an excellent way of helping me understand the mechanics behind singing. She’s always warm and cheerful which puts a smile on my face even if I’m having a hard day and I almost always leave the lesson feeling elated at how fun and productive the session went. I appreciate the membership format because it keeps me on task. I wouldn’t have the confidence and improved skills I have now if I wasn’t signed up to come twice a month. Every lesson is recorded so I use it to practice between lessons. There are also classes you can take in addition to your lessons. It’s a great way to get more experience and really builds comradery with your fellow classmates. There are also showcases 2x’s a year which I did for the first time this past spring and while it was terrifying it was also so thrilling I can’t wait to do it again!

I’ve been studying with Whitney for almost 7 months now. And I couldn’t be happier, she always receives me with a big smile and compliments. She’s always eager to start the class so she can hear you sing. I have learned so much, vocally and musically speaking, she makes you to go beyond your limits! Besides the vocal lessons which I take 1 hour a week I have taken their 6 week classes they have through out the year and they were amazing, I met great people and learned alot! If you love to sing… don’t hesitate to visit Song Birds; you will not be disapointed. They have the best and most professional team of teachers. I feel at home everytime I go!

I took ONE class but was charged for 3 classes becuase I signed up for a monthly membership.
When I realised that my schedule is too tight for these classes and asked to cancell way before my first full month classes even started — I was denied.
Sure, they offered using remaining credit with them but I dont really feel like singing there now.
The teacher I had Kristin is great and location is perfect. too bad they dont know customer service. $ 160 just went out the door.

Whitney is fantastic. I’m impressed with how knowledgeable she is as well as her ability to provide quick and helpful feedback. She’s also just really fun to work with.

I met Whitney over the summer at a Vocalize U Event and we clicked almost instantaneously! I recently had a lesson with her this past fall 2012 and learned so much in one lesson. Whitney is a wonderful, brilliant person and I can’t wait to see her again!

Whitney has been working with my now 9 year old daughter for about a year. Not only is Whitney kind, joyful and exhibits love in what she does, but she is an excellent teacher. Ryann has learned several pieces, dabbled in the piano and gained confidence and skill! She is a better singer and not afraid to do her thing in front of a crowd thanks to Whitney. We look forward to the leaps and bounds they’ll make together over the coming year!

Whitney is fabulous. She’s extremely knowledgeable and professional. I highly recommend her to anyone interested in voice lessons.