Professional singing lessons and vocal coaching

Train your voice

Everyone has a beautiful voice - you just have to find yours!

Train your voice

Everyone has a beautiful voice - you just have to find yours!

Train your voice

Everyone has a beautiful voice - you just have to find yours!

Discover your voice

Professional quality singing lessons designed to make the very best of your voice and your potential.

Understand exactly how your voice works
Sing effectively in different styles
Find your own unique sound
Sing with ease and efficiency, night after night
Gain more power and tone
Increase your range

Replace mystery with knowledge
Remove performance anxiety
Sing without pain, strain or undue effort
Perform with complete confidence
Sing with the freedom to express yourself
Learn to love your voice

Vocal Coaching for everyone

In setting up Vocal Skills back in 2001, Andy committed himself to bringing high quality, professional standard vocal coaching to clients of all ages, backgrounds, experience and genres.

All lessons take place in a custom-built, soundproofed studio and the environment is one of safe experimentation. Lessons are clearly structured and explained, and pupils are encouraged to find new ways to use their voice, without a sense of 'right' and 'wrong' - so long as the voice is used efficiently and healthily, all sounds are welcomed!

Unlike 'traditional' singing lessons, which focus on one musical style or genre, Estill Voice Training™ can explain the requirements of any type of singing - and show you how to achieve that sound, quickly and simply. Whether you sing Musicals, Opera, Pop, Rock, Jazz, Gospel or Worship, Andy will give you the knowledge of how your voice works, and how to apply it to each unique style:

At an early stage of your tuition, Andy will help you to draw up a personal development plan based on your aims and experience. This plan will be completely individual and lessons are designed to move steadily through that plan, to get you to your personal vocal goals as safely and speedily as possible. Throughout this process, Andy will encourage you to evaluate your progress. Knowledge gives confidence and it's important that you ask any questions that you have - there are literally no silly questions.

Below, you'll find a list of the most common questions Andy has been asked over the last twenty years. Hopefully you'll find all your answers here. If not, please don't hesitate to Contact Andy and ask any questions you still have.

What happens in a lesson?

The simple answer is: it all depends! Andy doesn't have a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to his lessons. Every pupil, every voice is unique and deserves individual attention. Andy will select and tailor exercises to address whatever needs you have - adapting, changing and extending them as your voice grows.

At an initial lesson, Andy will take the time to ask you what you're looking for from the process. Following an intense, but enjoyable, assessment, he'll help you to understand where you're starting from and how you can achieve your goals, with an indication as to how long you may need to get there.

An ongoing lesson would start with a review of your work between lessons, to ensure your private practice is efficient, and a clarification of any issue that may have cropped up. Always referring back to your development plan, you can both then decide whether you need to reinforce your technical understanding to date, or move forward by introducing new concepts.

If you've booked a one-off audition preparation lesson, Andy would work with your existing knowledge and skill, refining where necessary to ensure you can make the most of your opportunity, but without trying to make any drastic changes. If Andy thought further work would be beneficial, you would discuss that once the audition process was over - drawing up a development plan to address any issues.

How long do lessons last?

Normally, an hour. This gives time to review, consolidate and extend your practice regime. But Andy is happy to be as flexible as you need him to be, so can extend the lesson in 30 minute segments. Especially for clients travelling a distance, where travel adds an overhead of a couple of hours or more, Andy recommends attending less frequently but for longer - maybe a 2 hour lesson every 2 months. But as with the lessons, it's as individual as the client.

How much do lessons cost?

Lessons are £60 per 60 minutes. Longer and shorter sessions are charged pro rata e.g. a 45 minute lesson is £45, a 90 minute lesson £90, and two hours would be £120.

How often do I have to attend?

You never have to attend! It's Andy's aim to make the lessons as enjoyable, challenging and fun as possible so that you look forward to the next one, but there's no compulsion to attend every week or every fortnight. In fact, many students find that a singing lesson every 4 to 6 weeks suits their needs. So long as you practice between sessions, that is normally more than enough. At each lesson, Andy will help you to devise a practice regime that you can focus on before the next lesson.

Do I need to pay for a block of lessons in advance?

Absolutely not. Andy wants his clients to attend because they're looking forward to continuing their development, not because they've paid up front!

Will I need to take Grade exams?

No, not at all. Whilst Grade exams can be beneficial for instrumentalists, in Andy's experience, the singing Grade exams do not look at the voice with a sufficient understanding of the physiology involved, often expecting and encouraging pupils to sing repertoire beyond their physical ability. If you're taking Grade exams as a compulsory part of a school or college syllabus, Andy can help you with the technical elements, but Grades are not something you have to do at Vocal Skills.

Do I have to learn Classical styles?

Not unless you want to sing Classical styles! There's a school of thought which says that if you're Classically trained you can sing any genre. This is completely wrong. Classical training, if done properly (most of it isn't) will enable you to sing Opera, Choral etc, but will not allow you to sing Pop, Rock, Music Theatre etc. In fact, many of the Classical techniques would be detrimental to those styles.

Andy, as a Certified Estill Voice Training™ trainer, can explain the specific requirements of any type of singing - and show you how to achieve them, quickly and simply. Whether you're looking for Musical Theatre singing lessons, Opera singing lessons, Pop and R&B singing lessons or Rock singing lessons, Andy will tailor your lesson to give you what you need, when you need it.

Do you teach beginners?

Absolutely! Although Andy works mainly with professionals and aspiring professionals, he passionately believes that all singers deserve the best tuition. This especially applies if you're fairly new to singing, but serious about your future. At this stage, it's vitally important that you're taught the basics - and taught them properly.

Do you teach children?

Andy doesn't normally work with younger children, but often gets requests from parents who have an interest in their child's future. In those cases, Andy is happy to arrange a consultation lesson, where he works with the pupil and draws up a plan of action to ensure a proper, safe development. Andy believes that it's important that younger children sing for enjoyment (school choir, glee clubs, theatre groups etc). Proper vocal training doesn't need to begin until the voice is physically mature. But there are always exceptions, and he has occasionally taken on younger pupils. Andy also works with a network of teachers (who he has personally trained), some of whom specialise in working with younger pupils. He could recommend one of those to you, and they would then keep him in touch with progress, until the point where they feel the pupil was ready to work with him.

Do you teach other teachers?

Yes, happily. Andy is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience, in the hope that every pupil gets the best possible tuition. Andy has trained a network of teachers who are each working in the industry at various levels.

It requires a lot of trust for a teacher to place themselves in the position of being a pupil and Andy ensures that all teacher training is undertaken as a collaborative, supportive process, designed to use, build on and refine your existing skills.

Can I record my lesson?

Yes, no problem. If you want to record your lesson (either the entire session or specific sections) or just have a recording of your performance to take home, simply bring along a USB memory stick and Andy can record you directly through the system. You'll have a high quality .wav format recording which you can then burn to disc or upload. If you forget your USB, no problem - Andy can burn it to CD or send it to you via Dropbox.

Can I buy a Singing Lesson Gift Voucher?

Yes, of course. If you're looking for an ideal 'experience' gift, a lesson with Andy would give any singer the confidence boost they need, no matter what their level - from complete beginner to enthusiastic semi-pro. What's more, it would be a fun and entertaining glimpse into the world of professional voice coaching and singing - ideal for anyone looking to make a career from music. Buy a Gift Voucher here.

What are your teaching hours?

Monday: 0930 to 1930 Tuesday: 0930 to 1930 Wednesday: 0930 to 1930 Thursday: 0930 to 1830 Friday: 0930 to 1730 Saturday: Closed Sunday: Closed

Ready to take the next step?

If so, click to contact Andy, and book your lesson now

Book a session

Stephanie Kirkham - Vocal Skills pupil

Before meeting Andy I’d written lots of songs but not done much performing. I’d been fortunate enough to sign a record deal on the strength of a capella demos but I think that was more about my song-writing than my singing ability (I had a very quiet voice) Anyway the album ‘That Girl’ was released and then another ‘Sunlight On My Soul’ and that’s when I met Andy.

Having a quiet voice but wanting to go out and sing my songs live, I knew I needed expert advice to not only get more volume but also to protect my voice in order to sustain my performance ability.

Before I met Andy I used humming as a warm up and I sang well enough to record my songs but I knew I needed help if I were to be able to sing more frequently and to improve my skills.

Andy taught me about the workings of the vocal cords (folds) and throat, the muscles and the way we make sound and how small changes can make a huge difference in not only volume but quality.

He showed me techniques to strengthen what I was already doing and also showed me areas I did not know existed, providing me with not only a wider range but also the ability to hold notes longer and more powerfully.

The new songs I began to write were a bit stronger and I wanted to go out and sing to an audience but I knew I needed a bit more strength vocally and also a bit more courage. Andy helped me feel I could do it and I felt like I had someone on my side. I became more aware of what I was doing while I sang. The exercises were great and my voice improved.

Psychology plays a huge part too and Andy helped me with grounding and centering myself and I became more confident. He has a calm, gentle nature and I felt comfortable and at ease and I can’t recommend him enough.

I have moved to Cornwall now, so unfortunately too far away to continue my lessons with Andy. I’m happy to say the guidance and teachings passed on to me from him, continue to help me to improve, sustain and take care of my voice. When my third album ‘Tiny Spark’ was released, I played some small gigs and a radio tour. I’m now working on my fourth album.

Whether you’re a singer, performer, actor or speaker – it’s essential to get the best out of your voice and to know how to properly take care of it. If you have the opportunity to work with Andy Follin I recommend you take advantage, as the information learned now can serve you for a lifetime. Best wishes on your musical journey!

Stephanie Kirkham

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