Information About Sophie - Forest Hill teacher -
(11 reviews)

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This is how 2 referees rated Sophie:

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Instruments Taught

Sophie offers a discount of 25% on their first / introductory lesson!

Singing	Hourly Fee
Beginner	£35.00
Intermediate	£35.00
Casual	£35.00

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Personal Description:

Hi! I’m Essie - a vocal coach providing fun, supportive and inspiring singing lessons. Do you love to sing but feel low on confidence, encounter difficulties with vocal control and are struggling to harness your voice's full potential? I'm here to help! I've got years of experience working with students facing the same challenges. Together, we've developed their vocal strength and knowledge, empowering them to sing their favourite songs with a newfound confidence and enjoyment.

About me: I'm a professional actor, who has performed in the West End and on national and international tours. I trained for 3 years at The Oxford School of Drama and also have a degree in English Literature and Drama from The University of Sheffield. I have been teaching singing for 5 years and am deeply passionate about fostering creativity and confidence in all of my students.

Please check out my 'reviews' section (bottom of the page) for testimonials from current and past students.

Tutoring Experience:

My experience in teaching, mentoring, and workshop leadership has honed my ability to bring out the best in my students. As well as my singing teaching and acting coaching, I've led acting workshops at Pineapple Studios and ran a workplace choir for 3 years.

I teach from my home, a few minutes walk from Sydenham station, which provides a calm and friendly working atmosphere for my students. I also offer Zoom sessions for those who prefer to work remotely.

Tutoring Approach:

I view singing in three main areas: Technique (breathing, posture, range, tone), Theory (sight-reading, aural skills, understanding music), and Performance (emotional expression, character portrayal, stage presence). Whilst all these aspects play a role in enhancing singing ability and confidence, I recognise individual priorities. I'll tailor lessons to help you achieve your personal goals and develop the tools and techniques necessary to empower you to sing with greater freedom, skill, and joy.

THE FIRST SESSION: I offer 25% off our first-ever lesson, which will be an opportunity to get to know each other and for me to find out more about your goals, interests and any vocal challenges you feel you’re facing. After a chat about your musical preferences, which can range from broad to highly specific, we'll engage in warm-up exercises and sing a song of your choosing. To finish up, we'll map out a plan for our ongoing work together.

ONGOING LESSONS: Lessons start with a warm-up followed by scale-based exercises to enhance your range and refine technique, establishing a solid foundation for a healthy singing voice. I customise these exercises to suit your needs, integrating them into the song we focus on during the session. Together, we’ll select songs that both suit your level and resonate with you.

During lessons, I use backing tracks as accompaniment, enabling me to be fully engaged with your progress, and the keyboard to assist us as we learn new songs or focus on refining technique.

Whether you're taking your first steps into singing or have prior experience, my focus is to make lessons enjoyable, inspiring, and tailored to your unique goals. If you have any questions or are interested in trying out a lesson, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I can't wait to hear from you and start working together to bring out the best in your singing!

Tutor Resources: (free to download)

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Native Language: English (British)
Availability: Weekdays (all times)
References Available: Yes (✔ On File)

Qualifications:

The Oxford School of Drama (2017) - 3 Year Professional Acting (Professional) (✔ On File)
The University of Sheffield (2014) - 2:1 BA English Literature and Theatre (Bachelors) (✔ On File)

Sophie's Feedback

Total Amount Of Feedback:	11
Total Positive Feedback:	11 Av. 5.00/5.00

From Alice (5/5): After a year with Sophie, I can confirm that she is exactly the tutor whom I needed. I wanted to start singing in my 40s, would not sing aloud, and did not know where to start. The journey has been great and I now enjoy singing. Both the classes and singing on my own have helped a lot through this lockdown period. Sophie knows how to turn the hour into a very nice moment, even through Zoom, and I am making a lot of progress… even according to my kids!

From Harriet (5/5): Essie is lovely to work with. Before you start lessons with her she sends through a questionnaire asking what you would like to achieve and what music style you prefer.

I admit that I am new to singing (30 years old) so we are covering a song I prefer and doing some exercises to strengthen my voice.

If you have any questions about singing or how your body reacts to somethings she is very happy to stop, explain and discus. I couldn't ask for a more patient teacher.

From Calum (5/5): Essie is a great teacher, knowledgeable, patient, fun. Our lessons were a good mix of practice and learning new techniques and she was always happy to focus lessons on my own personal goals. Would definitely recommend!

From Iza (5/5): Excellent teacher, technical and very willing. Have already recommended to friends and clients.
Only suggestion would be not to remind students of how long left in each lesson - singing can be a great relaxation tool and life outside singing is already hard pressed at all - but I do understand the need to set boundaries!

From Charlie (5/5): Essie is an excellent teacher. My first lesson was really exhilarating and I've finally ticked off something that's been on my to-do list for years! Looking forward to continuing my lessons and building my confidence.

From Scott (5/5): Really open and welcoming, fantastic at breaking down nervousness

From Ignacio (5/5): Essie is an amazing teacher. Her classes are very professional and super funny. From the very beginning she found the best way of teaching me and I'm improving a lot, while learning and working the basics properly. Would recommend her 100%!

From Dominic (5/5):

From Louise (5/5): I am incredibly impressed with the thoroughness and professionalism of Essie’s instruction. Not only is she giving my daughter a real boost through her teaching but Essie has also take. The extra measure to combine my daughter’s vocal training with her piano playing.
My daughter is delighted and so are we to have found Essie… 5 stars!

From Alexa (5/5): Essie is a fantastic, patient and talented tutor. She helped strengthen my voice and make significant, noticeable changes in just a few months. Her methods are great as she uses helpful imagery to describe areas of the voice and singing that I’d never understood before. With her background she also takes a holistic view to the rest of the body’s impact on the voice, which has made a real difference. She also makes you feel relaxed and confident to try new things and see how it sounds. I would highly recommend Essie’s tutoring.

From Paula (5/5): Essie is an excellent music teacher. Always smiling, always encouraging. She has so much positive energy that even when I arrive to the lesson exhausted, I leave smiling and singing. She's a great teacher for beginners, like me, as she knows some magical tricks how to get a reasonable sounds from us :) What I like about Essie's approach is that she chooses different exercises and focuses on different aspects of singing each time, so that it never gets boring. Definitely a good choice!

Tags: Forest Hill Singing teacher, Forest Hill Beginner Singing teacher, Forest Hill Intermediate Singing teacher, Forest Hill Casual Singing teacher