Akiko S
5.0
(2)
Instruments: Voice
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Musical Theater, Funk, Electronic, Showtunes, Spirituals, Reggae, Swing, New Age, Soul, Punk, Avant-garde
Akiko S
5.0
(2)
Instruments: Voice
Styles:
Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Musical Theater, Funk, Electronic, Showtunes, Spirituals, Reggae, Swing, New Age, Soul, Punk, Avant-garde
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 10-80
Master Degree: UC Berkeley, Bachelor Degree: University of Washington
2024 Very Asian Foundation Award
2022 Zoo Labs Fund from Center for Cultural Innovation
2020 Zoo Labs Fund Award from Center for Cultural Innovation
2020 Rock Paper Scissors Collective
I am a musician with 20+ years of performance and recording experience and 5+ years of teaching experience. I currently teach at two Bay Area music schools and am also offering online lessons. I have have toured through the US, UK EU, Mexico, and Europe, and released multiple albums on various record labels with international distribution. I have received formal training, but I greatly enjoy the even more valuable lessons I've learned from the stage and the recording studio to students. I work in styles ranging from pop to country to R&B to hard rock, and I love to help each students find their own unique voice.
I began teaching informally to other musicians as part of my music practice, and found that I had a love of passing on what I've learned. I began teaching voice and beginning piano in 2019, and have kept it up ever since. I have taught pre-K children through adult professionals, with every age and skill level in between. In voice lessons I allow students to pick repertoire - you should learn what inspires you! - and help them identify techniques that can be used to develop their unique voice. Every voice is different and every student is different, but together we can find the best, most enjoyable, and most efficient path towards your musicality.
I work from a whole-body mindfulness perspective on voice. We use our whole body to create and emit sound, not just our lungs and throat. When we work from a whole-body perspective, we are more grounded, we are better able to identify pitch and stay on pitch, our breath flows better, and the act of singing becomes enjoyable and easy. We start from identifying the student's comfortable pitches and range, and then we expand upon what is currently comfortable for a greater range. We do breath exercises, energy center exercises, and vocal technique exercises. You pick your songs of choice, and we will work through them together so that you can throughly enjoy mastering a song, and adding it to your repertoire.
I love teaching, learning, and singing, but sometimes doing the things we love can still affect our nerves! I start first from a grounding and emotional center where we learn to access our own joy and take up our own space. From that point forward, we sing our hearts out! We will learn that vocal techniques that start out feeling tricky can become easier by incorporating mindfulness and full-body movement, and we master some techniques that are most relevant to your style of singing. We then move through learning your choice of songs at a pace that's comfortable for you, and provides you with inspiration and motivation to continue your music journey. You can pick what you want to get out of the lessons - I am here as your guide!
Shannon
I have taken lessons with Akiko and my voice was noticeably stronger on lesson one, and has continued to grow since! I've learned projection, improved my tone, and even learned microphone techniques that help me as a new singer on stage! I love them!
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