Eli Conley Vocal Music Studio

Super supportive and passionate teacher and singer!
I have been a professional singer/​songwriter for thirteen years but have never taken an actual vocal lesson. When I got my first Off Broadway musical call back I figured it was time to step up my game. Eli helped prepare me, working with my range and providing me with warm ups to enhance my vocal endurance. I was getting feedback from people overhearing my audition piece noting the positive influence my time with Eli had on my voice.
I would recommend Eli Conley to beginners and advanced students alike, he really met me where I was at in a super supportive way!

Have been getting private lessons with Eli for 4 months now, and can already tell a difference. Highly recommend him as a voice teacher. He has really helped me to improve my confidence and is really validating in a very authentic way. He teaches a wide variety of methods and the hour passes by so fast each time. If you have been considering voice lessons contact him, it is so worth it!

I decided I didn’t want to suck at singing anymore.
I’m three or four lessons in with Eli, and I can definitely hear a difference in my voice. It’s really exciting to feel progress already. Eli is an amazing singer, but don’t be intimidated one little bit. He’s a kind, supportive, and honest teacher. He focuses on how your posture and body work together to create sound, and suggests exercises for better control. He’s friendly and open to questions– clearly wanting to tailor the lessons to your individual needs. I’d recommend him to anyone — especially if you think you’re shy and uncertain.
Don’t wait — do it! Learn how to sing.

Eli is a phenomenal teacher! I’m a trans guy and although I sang regularly before starting to take testosterone, I stopped singing when I transitioned four years ago. I was very nervous about starting to explore my new vocal register and couldn’t have been more delighted to have come across Eli’s teaching practice while searching on Unilocal!I took several private lessons from Eli this summer and although I have never posted a review on Unilocal before, my experience with him was so positive that I am eager to share my enthusiasm.
I’ve received instruction from voice teachers and choir directors before, but Eli is a standout teacher. He not only listens with precision to pinpoint specific trouble zones in a song to work on, but he also has a knack for offering suggestions to improve your singing. The unique visualizations and tips he offered were not ones that I had heard from prior teachers to open up my tone, reach higher notes, or achieve a more resonant sound. Eli’s guidance helped me grow as a singer and expanded the skills I have to develop my voice on my own.
Eli is professional, kind, and a gifted teacher. I am so appreciative to have had a chance to work with him and am excited on behalf of his future students!

Eli rocks! Not only is he an absolutely wonderful teacher and gifted musician, he is also just a really great guy. My lessons with Eli were the first voice lessons I’ve ever taken. Although I’ve loved singing in the shower, in the car, and to Rock Band for years, I felt a little intimidated about taking voice lessons, thinking they were for «real» singers. Well, from our first session together, Eli helped me feel that I, too, could sing! He structured our lessons so that they were accessible to and fun for me, providing just the right mix of theory and instruction (e.g., explaining how to make certain sounds). Had I practiced more (my own bad!), I believe I would have progressed even more quickly, but even after a few lessons and some practice, my family noticed a marked improvement not only in my singing, but also in my speaking voice. I loved that Eli was open to helping me to learn any song I wanted (he even helped me to learn one of his own songs!!), and I was consistently impressed by how well he could hear where I needed to make improvements and how able he was to parse out what I needed to do to make a phrase, a word, a vowel better. No matter who you are, if you are thinking you might like to take voice lessons, go to Eli!

Eli is the best. I took vocal lessons from him for a few months and learned a ton about singing and my own voice. Very friendly, very knowledgeable, highly recommended!

I’ve been taking singing lessons from Eli for months now and HIGHLY recommend him to anyone. He is warm, professional, down to earth, and creates a safe comfortable environment in which to practice singing.
My lessons with him helped me work through and overcome blocks around shyness and insecurity. I never used to sing with or in front of others. He really helped me take the risk to really get to know my voice.
He went above and beyond, sending me online files to practice between lessons.
He was always prepared and had a big range of songs for me to practice with. He was also open to new requests.
All around, could not ask for more in a singing teacher. Eli is someone who is passionate about music and excellent at what he does.

If you live in Berkeley and you’re shopping around for singing lessons, look no further. Eli not only is an excellent singer, but also an excellent teacher. He is supportive and attentive, and will provide honest feedback both on the aspects you do well as well as the aspects you need improvement on. Finally, his lessons are personalized and customized according to your needs. He adapts very well to any requests on techniques, theories, song styles, etc.
⁵⁄₅ I would recommend him for just about anything.

I can’t say enough good things about Eli’s singing class and voice lessons! I took Eli’s singing class, it was my first time ever taking a singing class or singing in front of other people. Eli was so warm and helpful and made me feel totally comfortable. I really appreciated how thorough Eli was in preparing for every class and voice lesson– sending audio files of practice exercises and my song so I could practice at home. In my private voice lessons, Eli was really attentive and helped me move through my stage fright.
I can’t wait to take another singing class with Eli and would recommend him to anyone looking for a muscial/​creative outlet!

Eli is a super friendly yet super helpful teacher which can be hard to find. It seems like everyone is too nice to offer any advice or too intimidating to work with. Eli is for sure the perfect balance and because of his teachings I was able to make my school musical, Hair. I for sure would recommend him to a friend and he’s pretty inexpensive too! I was a complete beginner when I started and now I can confidently say that I know a thing or two about music, Thanks Eli!

Eli Conley is stellar both as a voice teacher and a musician. He is very well-​trained in diverse genres of music and is more than capable of providing the proper techniques, instructions, and guidance you need to grow as a vocalist.
Personally, my main focus with Eli was musical theatre but I also had a chance to learn the basics of other music genres I was never trained in such as classical and jazz. Eli helped me develop a foundation in all genres of music. His critiques and guidance are dead on to catching what you really need to work on and are applicable to every song you work on.
What makes Eli different from other voice teachers is his attention to detail and care. He sends you a recording of your voice lesson as well as an instrumental version of the song you practice with him (he personally plays the instrumental version on the piano). This helped me tremendously to make the most of my practice time at home.
I had several university musical theatre/​music auditions and Eli was of incredible help to me. Not only did he provide me with audition tips and song choices but he went outside the box. He suggested that I get a professional accompanist so that I may get a feel for how the audition would really go down. Eli is incredibly kind and actually cares about your success as a vocalist.
If I could give him ten stars, I would. Eli is so kind and makes you feel comfortable with any material you work on with him. I am definietely recommending him to anybody that’s looking for a voice teacher.

Eli is phenomenal! I had several individual lessons with him (I’m only stopping because I’m moving away, alas) and I loved them. Some reasons why:
— I’ve been classically trained (years of choirs and voice lessons both), and Eli clearly has been, too; he’s got a great grasp of the kind of technique classically-​trained artists use (breath control, enunciation, etc etc etc) and is wonderfully able to actually *convey* this to his students in a way that makes sense.
— He’s also not just a «learn to sing classical» kind of guy; he’s a firm believer in being able to use as many styles and techniques as you can or want. So he had me trying my hand at pop right off – which was hard for me, but he didn’t judge, at all! Anything but, in fact; he made me feel quite comfortable. And he was able to break down the techniques that make one style of singing different from another in a way that I could understand.
— He not only gives you photocopies of his warmup exercises, so you can practice at home, but he records each lesson, and sends you an mp3 of it, so you can study it that way. Awesome!
And if this weren’t enough, he’s just lovely and charming and entirely personable. I can’t recommend Eli highly enough. :)

I took a group class and was inspired! Eli has many skills: time management keeps the class upbeat and interesting; there is a good balance between personal instruction, guided breathing and exercises that are just as good in a group as by oneself; and I learned a lot also from hearing Eli’s coaching of other people. Plus, learning and practicing in front of a group adds the bonus of learning how to perform and fight the nervousness. By the time we got to the recital at the end of the 8 weeks many classmates were becoming friends or at least feeling genuinely supportive of each other and proud of each other’s improvements. The class covers a huge range of topics and I have many things to practice on my own now. Eli holds the space and creates an environment that feels totally comfortable, non-​judgmental, and is able to offer coaching that doesn’t feel negative at all, which is pretty amazing for such a scary endeavor of learning to sing.

Eli is great! Since working with him for about a year, I’ve noticed a ton of improvements. In general, it is so much simpler to find to the place in my voice and body where a note is and deliver it. He’s also helped me gain confidence to go into areas of my voice that I was afraid to work with before, i.e., my head voice and using that to develop a mixed voice quality. He has navigated this with creative ways to explain finding a note or pitch and with what is clearly impecable training and a deep understanding of the voice. Another thing is he has great time management. My instructor in the past would talk away a lot of our time, and I’d have to re-​direct us to the music. This has never been a problem with Eli, which allows for really digging into technique.
Lessons with Eli are fun, helpful, and professional. I particularly enjoy the quick stretching, breathing and silly vocal warm ups that he incorporates before doing piano vocal warm ups. These really get me into my body and remind me to get grounded in my whole self as an instrument. He is always finding new music that compliments yet challenges my voice, and makes sure to ask for what I’d like to work on as well. Overall he’s a really great instructor and I totally recommend him to anybody of any level.

I took vocal lessons for a short time between 2010-​011; maybe five or six lessons that’s all. In this short period of time I noticed a marked improvement on my vocals and range. I look forward to continuing with Eli as soon as my schedule allows.
Eli is very accessible and he will work to help you improve in a variety of voice and vocal presentation areas. He is friendly, responsible, and his approach to teaching is specially tailored to fit your individual needs. He will help you learn at a pace that feels most comfortable and his pricing is above reasonable.
If you ever wanted to sing, or you are already a singer, have fun and learn some new vocal approaches with Eli!

I’ve only had one lesson to date, but liked it so much I felt inspired to write a review immediately. Eli is down to earth, non-​intimidating and a really great teacher. His knowledge is obvious from the beginning when you sit down to talk about goals, background, etc. He has an eclectic taste in music and can probably translate well to anyone’s needs. Personally, I’m interested in musical theater and in one session he got me singing a song I absolutely love… without judging myself… sort of… I can’t help it. Despite being super scared to begin vocal lessons, I left feeling encouraged and excited about coming back.

I had studied voice somewhat seriously some years ago, I was interested in finding a teacher that could help me with a variety of styles. Eli’s approach is easy-​going, direct, and concrete. His training is grounded in traditional techniques but incorporates a variety of other pedagogies. He quickly identifies areas to focus on and has a supportive, encouraging teaching style.

I was taught by Eli over the summer of 2009 and I learned so much, so quickly, about the voice and how to use my own. I went to him for folk-​singing but I hear he does other types as well. I thought I would feel nervous/​timid singing but he made it fun. At the same time, he took the work seriously so I noticed an improvement in my singing in a matter of weeks.