Testimonials

I am a full time professional singer and have been having voice lessons with Kate for over 10 years, especially on the lead up to a long tour so I know I’m physically ready. I know I make it through the long tours because of my lessons. Being able to take online vocal lessons is fantastic as I can take my lesson wherever I am in the world, no different to in person. Having singing lessons is very important to me and I’m so glad I’ve found the right teacher in Kate. Kate is patient, very knowledgeable and highly skilled in what she does

Kate is the best singing teacher out there! I have seen so many improvements in my voice and also the many people I have recommended to Kate. I used to get a tired, sore voice quite often but now it feels much healthier and able to sing anything. I did 90 nights of live singing online during lockdown without straining or losing my voice which I know had I not have had regular lessons with Kate I would have never finished without losing my voice. I am always astounded by what Kate can get out of a voice, even the most talented, already amazing singers and even after one lesson. Thank you Kate!!

I started having lessons with Kate Hollands when I was 12 years old. I believe my first lesson with Kate was a pivotal point in my musical journey; not only has Kate helped me become a strong singer with a big range and flexible voice, she has also provided me with brilliant opportunities to perform. Through giving me these opportunities and believing in me from such a young age, Kate has helped my confidence massively. 6 years later, Kate’s lessons are still something I look forward to every week. She explains everything very clearly and is a fantastic, dedicated, reliable and trustworthy voice teacher who brings out the best in me and keeps growing my instrument.

As a professional, full time singer the demand on your voice is great. On-going voice lessons are an essential part of my career. Kate is very good at what she does and helps to keep my voice in shape as well as developing it further. She is extremely thoughtful and knowledgeable in her advice and comments and I have noticed my ability and stamina improve greatly night after night.

When I started having vocal sessions with Kate Hollands at Pro Voice Studios I was embarking on my acting career in theatre. Even though I had done several professional acting jobs, I did not have much confidence in my vocal ability. I started having vocal sessions with Kate because I wanted to be able to sing any song I was given in a job with ease and grow my technical singing ability. This would allow me to broaden my scope of acting work and I even dreamt of being in a musical one day. After a year of vocal training with Kate I landed the lead role in the smash hit musical ‘Dreamboats and Petticoats’. I received critical acclaim for my vocal work and went on to play the lead in two of Bill Kenwright’s musicals, ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’ and ‘Dreamboats and Miniskirts’ and several lead roles in many musicals and plays since. My voice has strengthened in all areas so I can now smoothly cover my range with ease and without breaks. I gained a deep understanding of my voice and how to sing to consistently and move smoothly and from low to high in one, solidly. My schedule is demanding, with eight shows a week and touring, so I take online singing lessons with Kate every week. This allows me to stay healthy vocally, avoid any bad habits developing whilst still building and strengthening my voice. I am now singing challenging material that I never dreamt I’d ever be able to do. I love my singing lessons and would highly recommend Kate to anyone wanting to develop their singing ability in any way. The techniques Kate teaches are fantastic and has worked better than any other style of training I have ever tried. Here are some reviews I have received since I’ve been with Kate: The Stage – “Liz Carter does excellent work as a wholesome, sweet voiced but strong Wendy who sings beautifully” The Chronicle “Her vocals were the strongest and of the highest quality” The Northern Echo – “a sweet, angelic-voiced Elizabeth Carter”

Kate is a fantastic vocal coach and very friendly! I have been having lessons with her for a few years and she has helped me get my voice to a professional standard. My vocal range, stamina and strength have all improved and increased massively making it possible for me to take on leading roles in two musicals touring the UK. I would and have recommended her to any vocalists looking for professional training.

I have been taking voice lessons from Kate for over two years now and she has taken my voice from being burnt out with no top end to a stronger more confident voice. I cannot recommend her enough on her teaching skills. She is friendly, professional and committed to getting the best out of her students. As a professional singer who sings on a regular basis, Kate is an invaluable part of my business. She helps me maintain my voice, whilst tweaking faults and constantly helping me improve my technique. I would highly recommend Kate to anyone who is looking for a voice teacher to take their voice to the next level.

At the end of an audition I was told I had ‘a good voice, a good foundation to build on, so I should consider singing lessons’. I did not want singing lessons I thought they were for people who couldn’t sing and I was slightly offended. However, I heard about Kate and decided to give this Institute for Vocal Advancement thing a chance, even though I had no idea what the technique was. I thought my voice was pretty good initially but looking back now, I know it wasn’t. I like science and so Kate was able to explain the technique very well to me, like the effect it would have on my cords and other things if I didn’t sing correctly, as well as everything I already did well. She even helped me get rid of my acid reflux, which I wasn’t aware of or the effects it was having on my voice. Kate is such a great teacher and the technique really works. She is committed to learning more, continually learning from the best teachers and therefore she keeps getting better and better as a teacher. I’ve had singing lessons for more than 4 years now and my voice is so much better and stronger I almost don’t recognise it. It’s got so much more power and my range has increased dramatically, allowing me to be able to sing a vast array of songs. I still have singing lessons because I believe there’s always more to learn. I have and will continually recommend IVA to everyone I meet. Thank you Seth Riggs and thank you Kate for bringing it closer to home and making it more accessible. I’m now part of 2 bands and loving it, and taking my singing further. Things I would never have considered before!

I have been having regular lessons with Kate ever since I graduated from The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in July 2013. I am now working as a professional vocalist and financially rely entirely on my voice. Having studied vocals for three years I wasn’t sure how to continue developing but Kate helps me to maintain good vocal health whilst building on my technique and ensuring my voice is in excellent condition. I feel my voice has improved a lot since having lessons with Kate and is now a lot more durable and consistent in quality. Having regular lessons with Kate is a hugely important part of my career as without these lessons I would struggle to perform at a professional standard on a regular basis. Thanks Kate!

When I first began singing lessons with Kate I had damaged my voice after taking a singing job on a cruise ship. Having to sing through Illness and using bad technique caused a ‘vocal tear’ on my cords. However, following the fantastic instructions of Kate, after six months I was not only singing better then I had before, but extending and building my range and looking to sing things I would not of even considered. Kate is an exceptional teacher who has the ability to help you understand how your own voice works. Rather then just giving you an overall review of the voice in general, you learn how to improve upon your own singing ability and focus on your own specific needs. Most importantly, you learn how to achieve all this safely, keeping your voice as far away from damage as possible. If you require a singing teacher then you can stop looking.

I have found lessons with Kate at Pro Voice Studios so valuable. As well as helping me gain confidence in my own voice, the lessons and exercises have helped to strengthen and protect my voice, increasing my stamina and song delivery. Having the help of Kate during studio sessions has also allowed me to get the best out of my voice when recording. I would definitely recommend Pro Voice studios.

Taking lessons with Kate has been massively helpful for me, it gave me the encouragement and help I needed to start singing live with bands and to begin to properly develop my voice. She made the lessons very natural and relaxed and is really clear in showing what the next step is for growing your singing voice. I would recommend her for sure!

It’s been just about a year since I began my lessons with Kate & the progress I’ve made is irrefutably the fastest progress I’ve made in anything in my life. I have a heavy stash of recordings dating back to my earliest days of singing & the difference in my vocal quality and control over the past 12 months is so acute that I barely understand how there was once a time where such problems in my voice existed. Lessons are efficient, effective and thus the changes in my voice have felt rapid and motivating. I’ve had a lot of music teachers in my life, some only for a few lessons, some for a few years & the one fundamental flaw in the majority of these teachers has been what I consider a lack of engagement. Not to the attention of the lesson but to the passion, motivation and emotions of the student. Kate has been there to answers all sorts of questions, she’s always very interested in what’s going on with me, been at the end of a phone call whilst I’m freaking myself out pre-performance and managed to figure out that I was being vocally debilitated by acid reflux. That’s what I would call genuine engagement… Being a friend as well as a teacher. My goal is to be able to sing how I want to sing, without poor technique getting in my way & with Kate I’m starting to get close.