Laurel Sherwood Vocal Studio

Vocal Training & Singing Lessons

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What We Do

What We Do

Welcome to Laurel Sherwood Vocal Studio in Ventura, CA!  We provide high quality vocal training and singing lessons to people of all ages, styles, and musical backgrounds. Whether you are a first-time singer, professional vocalist, musician, aspiring professional, hobbyist, or karaoke super star we can help you unleash your full potential as a singer by improving control over your voice using a well-known technique used by professional singers all over the world.  Not only will your voice soar to new heights and build confidence in your singing but you will learn to sing using a technique that is healthy for your voice and learn to sing with ease erasing any bad habits you may have acquired over the years.

About Laurel

Laurel Sherwood is a vocal coach and performer in Ventura, CA with a long history of singing in various bands ranging from cover bands to original rock as well as writing and recording her own music.  She is a classically trained actress with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from California State University, Northridge and has starred in several musicals and plays in Los Angeles as well as Hawaii where she lived most recently before returning to the mainland. She has also worked as a professional actress in film and TV and was a voice over casting director for several years with Kalmenson & Kalmenson Voice Casting.

Laurel was the lead singer for The Jukebox Rockers for several years, which was a top cover band in Ventura County and Los Angeles County. Laurel has also been a guest singer for the popular 80's cover band Bad Habit as well as 80's Invasion and Deep Cover. Laurel was also featured as a guest singer for The Ventura Jazz Orchestra. Laurel has performed at the VC Fair, Downtown Ventura, Copper Blues, NABU Wines, Ric's, Azar's and several private events. 

Laurel was trained by Seth Riggs and several master teachers in a famous vocal technique called Speech Level Singing which helps singers obtain optimum results using exercises specific to their vocal type to increase control and strengthen the mix between head and chest voice.  She has also had extensive training with the Institute of Vocal Advancement (IVA). Once these methods are practiced consistently, singers will be able to sing without straining, cracking or causing damage to their vocal cords.

Laurel is passionate about helping her students release their true voices and unleash their maximum singing potential!

Singing Performances

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Clips

Testimonials

Laurel is a wonderful teacher who is passionate about singing, and I would recommend her as a coach to any singer. I have gone to many different voice teachers, including one of the top celebrity coaches, and none of them were able to pinpoint a small problem I had, except for Laurel. When she pointed it out, it made a big difference in my tone and greatly improved my singing performance. I believe Laurel can take any voice and make it better and better. And she’s very sweet, caring, and she creates a laid-back feel during your lessons. Highly recommend!

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– Shawna H.

School started this week and, thanks solely to you, for the first time in the last five years, I’ve made it through the first week with my voice intact (and not feeling strained in the least). YOU ARE SOOOOOOOOO GREAT!!!!!! I’ve been warming up my voice, starting a few hours before I have class, with all of the exercises (I find the doing scales seem to have the most benefit). Actually, I was being much more conscious of when I was using my “head voice” or tightening up my neck (and shoulders), and would then relax to more of a stomach/chest voice — I could still change pitch, emphasize with differing degrees of loudness, etc. I was smiling, inside (and out, as is normal for me) feeling that I was in more control of my voice. So far this is a million times better than it’s been in such a long time, and I OWE IT ALL TO YOU!!!! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU.

– Robert P.

I highly recommend Laurel as a compassionate voice teacher who has all the patience in the world for people like myself who are uncomfortable with singing but want to learn how. I took several private classes with Laurel and learned a lot about the voice, music and building a voice practice. Whether you are advanced or a beginner Laurel will help you learn and grow.

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– Johanna W.

Laurel was great to work with. She took the time to really understand where I am as a singer and how she can help fine-tune my technique.

– Ashley L.

Amazing. Changed my voice in one lesson.

– Barbara P.

I have been with Laurel for close to 2 years and she has been great. I had done some of my own vocal work in the past, but felt like I was not improving like I wanted to. Upon taking lessons with her, very quickly I saw many areas of my vocals improve. I used to think I needed to strain my vocal chords in order to reach those higher notes. But now I'm able to get to those higher notes with much more ease. Not only has my vocal talent grown, but my performance anxiety has considerably lessened. I performed in one showcase she put on, as well as a cover night at a wine bar that she hooked me up with. She is very encouraging and supporting and always wants me to reach out whenever I do an open mic. I would highly recommend her to anyone that wants to improve their vocal talent or start taking lessons!

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- Austin B.

I'm so glad I found Laurel! I've been taking lessons with her for a few months and I notice a huge difference in my singing voice already. She's super positive and encouraging. Every minute is fun and she makes you feel comfortable while you're singing. I would highly recommend her to everyone.

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- Bella M.

Laurel is an amazing vocal coach! She’s a wizard when it comes to assessing and giving exercises to strengthen your voice! I’ve been able to tell such a difference in what my voice was at the beginning of my vocal journey to now and I am so much more confident! She’s an amazing vocal coach and an amazing person! She’s very organized and professional. I definitely recommend her to anyone who wants to learn how to sing❤️

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- Jade B.

Rates & Policies

Pricing for Private Voice Training (In Person only)
Half Hour: $50 | 45 Minutes: $70 | Full Hour: $90

Cancellation Policy

Please cancel your lesson with a minimum of 48 hours notice. Same-day cancellations or cancellations with less than 24 hours notice will be charged the full lesson fee. 

Payment Info

Once a lesson time slot is requested by student, payment must be sent within 24 hours in order to hold the time slot. Payment can be submitted via Venmo, Zelle or Paypal. In the event of a late cancellation or rescheduling (less than 24 hours notice) or a no-show, the prepaid lesson fee will be forfeited.

Rescheduling Policy

If a prepaid lesson is canceled with notice of 24 hours or more, the student will be able to reschedule their lesson time within the same month. There are no refunds.

Frequently Ask
Questions

We strongly recommend recording all lessons so you can practice along with the lesson at home so if the lesson is in-person we recommend bringing a digital recorder or if by Zoom there are several free software programs you can download in order to record your lesson.

During your first lesson, we will discuss your singing and musical background and goals as a singer.  Then a specific musical scale will be used to assess your voice and determine your vocal type.  From there we will go through a series of different vocal exercises to find out which ones yield the best results for your specific voice.  If there is a song you wish to work on right away, Laurel would be happy to work on it with you however depending on how far along you are in your singing, it is advisable to practice the vocalizations and allow your voice to develop further before applying the technique to a song.  Essentially we wish to eliminate any poor vocal habits first.  This could take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months depending on your voice’s current condition, natural ability, and commitment level.  Most students notice an improvement during their first lesson.

I encourage you to treat your voice like a musical instrument. For instance, if you take guitar or piano lessons, the only way to grow your skills is to practice consistently in between your lesson days. I recommend scheduling your practice time at the beginning of each week for a minimum of 20-30 minutes every other day. Or if it's easier for you to practice in shorter increments daily, that is fine too. It's all about creating a consistent habit of singing as often as you can so you can become a master of your own voice. To practice, simply play the pre-recorded voice scales that I send you customized to your voice and follow the practice exercises I give you in a follow up email after each lesson. The more consistent you are with your practice, the faster your voice will grow!

YES!  It is best to start preparing for the audition as far in advance as possible so you feel comfortable with the material.  We recommend bringing your background music to the studio.  If there will be an accompanist at the audition, we recommend having a pianist record the audition selection and can offer a few suggestions of people who do this at a reasonable price.  Also as a performer and former casting director, Laurel will be able to assist you with bringing out the emotions of the piece in an authentic manner and finding specific moments which will make you stand out from the crowd.

This highly depends on the individual and different factors such as past vocal study, the condition of the voice, genetics, and commitment to developing the voice through education and training.  Some people notice a difference in only one lesson while others may notice an improvement in a couple of weeks to a couple of months.

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