Professional Singing Lessons in St Helens, North West England

Professional singing lessons in St Helens

One of the UK's most respected and sought-after vocal coaches, Andy Follin is located in St Helens. As the only Estill Master Trainer working in the St Helens area, and as one of the longest serving certified Estill teachers in the UK, with over 20 years of teaching experience, Andy is proud to offer this revolutionary vocal method of learning to singers in St Helens.

Modern techniques

Singing lessons with Andy will give you complete control over your voice, allowing you to sing in any style, in any repertoire, all with complete skill, understanding and control.

If you've ever wondered why your voice always seems to do the wrong thing, or if you don't know what's going to happen from one gig to the next, singing lessons with Andy Follin could be just what you need.

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 it, quickly and simply.

Learn more about:

Become the singer you've always wanted to be

Discover your true potential and take control of your future

Get Started Now

Singing Lesson FAQs

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.

Vocal Skills Studio

Andy's teaching base is a custom-built studio in the Theatre Buildings, St Helens. Overlooking the town centre and civic buildings, the studio is light, airy and spacious.

A Victorian property, the Theatre Buildings retain much of their original charm and character, with features such as a wrought iron staircase, ornate fireplaces and polished wooden floors.

The teaching room itself is modernised and fully equipped to record your lessons.

NB Please be aware that the studio is on the top floor, up two flights of stairs. If you have accessibility issues, you can still work with Andy via online Zoom lessons.

Address

Vocal Skills
Top Floor
Theatre Buildings
8, Corporation Street
St Helens
WA10 1DZ

Vocal Skills - how to find the studio

The Vocal Skills studio is situated in St Helens town centre.

If you're driving, it's easily accessible from the A58, A570, A571 and A580. There is ample cheap parking available in the town centre, and some 2 hour free parking bays dotted around the nearby streets, including three right outside the studio (subject to availability). Andy can provide a map of parking spaces on request.

If you're travelling by bus, the studio is directly opposite St Helens Bus Station. Buses run from here to all major towns and cities in the North West.

If you come by train, St Helens Central station is just 0.2 miles away, a short 4 minute walk to the studio.

For more detailed directions, interact with the map below.

Coaching designed around you

Andy is a full-time, professional vocal coach, not a school teacher, singer or pianist giving a few singing lessons in their spare time. Unlike a lot of voice teachers, Andy does not insist on long-term tuition, where students have to attend regular lessons, repeating the same exercises until their voice improves. You can attend as often as you like, but there's no compulsion to attend every week or every fortnight. In fact, many students only book sessions every 4 to 6 weeks.

Estill Voice Training™ is known for producing quick results. Quite often, Andy finds that long-standing problems can be fixed in the first few lessons. At your first session, Andy will give you an assessment of your abilities and draw up a plan that ensures you get to where you want to be, as quickly as possible.

If you're ready to take your voice - and career - to the next level, book a lesson with Andy today (see bottom of page).

Vocal Skills Studio

Professional vocal coaching from a fully equipped and modernised studio.

Based in the top floor of a period Victorian building, overlooking the Civic Quarter, the studio is light, airy and spacious.

Specialist Lessons

Musical TheatreAn efficient Musical Theatre (MT) technique should allow you to express subtle changes in mood, regardless of where you are in your vocal range. In other words, you must be able to sing ANY note in ANY tone of voice.
OperaOpera is a high energy form of singing, with huge physical requirements, involving projecting the voice to the back of a theatre, over an orchestra and without any amplification. Opera singers have to undergo specific training to meet these demands.
PopTraditional, Classically-based singing lessons are not appropriate for modern commercial singers. To learn to sing Pop and R&B, you need to understand the very different requirements of each style, and how to adapt your voice to meet those requirements.
RockIn the high energy, high pressure world of Rock singing, it's easy to lose confidence in your vocals. Rock is unlike any other style of singing. And unique styles need unique techniques.

St Helens singing lessons and vocal coaching

Singing lessons in St Helens

Professional vocal coaching and singing lessons in St Helens

Singing lessons in St Helens

Professional vocal coaching and singing lessons in St Helens

Singing lessons in St Helens

Professional vocal coaching and singing lessons in St Helens

Discover your voice