“We just finished 15 months of touring on three different continents performing for audiences between 2000 and 80,000. Every night I sing hard for two hours and repeatedly hit F above middle C. It’s a grueling schedule by any standard. I’ve never sung stronger. People actually say I sound younger. My band’s backing vocals are also consistently in better pitch.
I’m back with no strain in my voice and ready for the studio. I credit this to working with Heather. Her technique is simple and intuitive. She made it much easier for me to find pitch power without changing my style. From working with Heather, I sound more like me really. I think it’s a great idea to work with Heather whether you are an aspiring beginner or planning big recording and touring projects.”
— Stephan Jenkins
Third Eye Blind
“It can often be intimidating to take vocal lessons, they have so much to do with vulnerability, but Heather puts you immediately at ease. Her bright energy is infectious, and she guides you effortlessly through the many hurdles of unlearning bad habits and mastering good technique. Before every single performance and studio session, I pull out the recording that she made for me of one of our lessons, and run the warm up along with it. I saw her to give my voice greater longevity during tours, and to lengthen the upper reaches of my range, but I ended up learning so many invaluable techniques that I use every day. I was having so much trouble with one song in particular, and Heather went over it with me line by line. After just one lesson with her, I sang it in one take in the studio the next day. She's a tremendous asset to any artist, and just a great person.”
— Mike Deni
Geographer
“The imagery and language Heather uses to lead her vocal workouts are the most concise and helpful I have ever experienced. She utilizes every second of our lessons to my advantage, which I really appreciate. Having known her first as a singer, I was curious to learn her technique, and she is clearly one of the best.”
— Beth Hirsch, Singer/Songwriter
Air, Moon Safari (co-writer/vocalist)
“I've spent many hours in the studio with Heather on a variety of projects. Having a vocal coach present is an incredible upgrade for any recording session, and Heather is the absolute best! Working with Heather allows me to focus on the integrity of the recording process while she helps an artist refine the intricacies of a vocal performance. She acts as a 'translator' when I'm hearing something different, but can't quite articulate to an artist how to perform it, and is remarkably shrewd at solving problems and navigating the trickier parts of a vocal take. On top of that, her vocal arrangement skills are top-notch. Working with Heather in the studio makes the often-laborious process of developing backing vocals fast, spontaneous, and fun. Whenever I have a client looking for help or direction with their voice, performance for recording, or writing and arranging backing vocal parts, I immediately direct them to contact Heather.”
— Beau Sorenson
Producer/Mixer/Engineer
Death Cab For Cutie, Tune-Yards, Bob Mould, Sparklehorse
“Heather has a way of bringing out the gold in me! I was not confident in the way my voice sounded on recordings and Heather helped me relax and get the best sound out of my instrument without straining. I would recommend Heather to any singer wanting to take their voice to the next level, live and in-studio.”
— William Robert
Singer/Songwriter, Text Me Records
“Before working with Heather, I hadn’t taken a voice lesson in many years. She really helped me smooth out my voice. Heather helped me develop a solid middle voice and trained me to transition through my vocal registers without a noticeable switch. She's also great at understanding different vocal textures and how this corresponds to specific genres that her students are pursuing. Because she understood my sound, she connected me with a fantastic producer, (Beau Sorenson and the folks at Tiny Telephone Recording) and then joined us for recording sessions, where she helped me track my vocals. I cannot recommend Heather enough! She’s an incredible vocal coach and now a lifelong friend.”
— Lyrah
Singer/Songwriter
“Heather's been the most incredible vocal coach. She cleaned up my vowels, tailored technique to my individual needs on how to get from chest to head, rasp safely, pull in and out of vibrato or sing wispily without losing strength or key. All this while being kind, gentle, funny and my biggest champion. Whether for support at the recording studio or before a big live performance, I couldn't recommend Heather more for voice work!”
— Aish Divine
Singer/Songwriter/Performance Artist
“When I first reached out to Heather, I was dogged by insecurity from negative performance experiences, struggling with maintaining vocal power and consistency live, and terribly afraid a vocal coach would turn my charmingly imperfect ‘indie’ voice into something from Broadway and eradicate everything interesting about it. Heather was patient, very kind and authentically interested in what I was trying to do. She helped me so much with live power, confidence and preventing strain. I started getting compliments about what a ‘great singer’ I was — something I never ever thought I’d hear in my life. She is truly a phenomenal person and I count working with Heather as one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself, personally or professionally.”
— Heather Larimer
Corvair, Eux Autres
“I first came to Heather five years ago, an emerging artist who felt completely overwhelmed. I needed someone who would stand alongside me, champion my unique artistry, and teach me to find the confidence to shine as a singer, songwriter and performer. Through her guidance, she continues to help me do this every step of the way.
Heather has been my vocal producer through countless recording sessions, when I am tracking lead vocals, background vocals, and vocal loop arrangements during ten-hour studio days. She always knows when to re-balance me with scales and intuitive vocal relief techniques. Her knowledge of vowel articulation, especially to provide support for my hard-edged singing style makes me feel fearless when I have to hit the top of my bridge at full voice. I now have a B flat to A flat jump up above my chest voice for live shows, and it feels so effortless!
Heather also introduced me to the amazingly talented professional music community in the Bay Area, including producers, engineers, studio owners, singers, songwriters, and instrumentalists who I am so blessed to know and be connected to today. I have strength, endurance and stability in my voice that I can totally rely on. Working with Heather has truly changed my life!”
— Saintish (Andrew Michael St. Martin)
Singer/Songwriter
“When my band Tidelands needed vocal restructuring, Heather jumped in to help me create the new direction. Even though I do have a formal music education, developing my own voice has been a challenging endeavor, having been traumatized by past criticisms. However, working with Heather is always comfortable and enjoyable. My improvement can be clearly heard in the albums Tidelands has released since 2011. She is there to support me and is enthusiastic about my vocal development in a very kind, yet skilled manner. I would definitely recommend Heather to any other soulful human being wanting to develop their voice.”
— Mie Araki
Singer/Songwriter, Tidelands
“Having never taken vocal lessons before, I was nervous and a little skeptical. But after working with Heather, I can truly say it's one of the best investments I've ever made towards improving as an artist. Heather helped me gain more confidence in my voice and unlock new forms of expression without sacrificing my own personal style. She has an expert ear for vocals and has the knowledge and ability to explain concepts in a clear and approachable way. She was able to quickly understand my goals and push me in a way that was both supportive and challenging to help me elevate my own vocal style. In the studio, she made the process of tracking vocals so much smoother and less stressful. Whether it was helping me warm up, providing feedback on phrasing, delivery, or note choice, or just general encouragement, she was indispensable to have while recording. And on top of that, she's just FUN to have around. Her genuine love for making music is infectious and the perfect vibe for the studio. I would highly recommend Heather to anyone!”
— Nick Ball
Singer/Songwriter, The Air On Earth
“In the middle of the last recording session, I went to my first-ever voice lesson with Heather and it was sort of a revelation. I went back and sang this part — which had been plaguing me— in five minutes, and the album was done. All this time I was afraid a voice teacher would try to change me or tell me I was doing it all wrong, and it was actually amazingly helpful. The technique she teaches works like magic.”
— Kylee Swenson Gordon
Lead Singer/Guitarist, Loquat
“I’ve worked with top-ranked voice teachers, university vocal professors and prominent choral directors across the US, and none of what they taught me ever translated into actual change in my vocal ability. Heather created a real path forward for me. After practicing the exercises every day and listening back to our recordings, I began to find little “aha” moments where new things would click. I noticed certain vowels would help me to glide up into my higher range without a huge shift in the feel or sound and certain shapes would keep me in the right vocal placement, helping me to sing stronger for longer periods of time, all thanks to Heather’s incredible gift of intuitively knowing what I needed, how to get me there, and how to keep me going with a positive outlook and belief in my ability to achieve what I had set out to accomplish. She could see the bigger picture when I couldn’t and she held me up. After a long journey, I’m proud to finally consider myself a singer, and I know that I wouldn’t be here without her. Heather is an all-star musician of the highest caliber and a gift to the San Francisco music scene. I’m so happy to call her my vocal coach, producer, and friend.”
— Ciara McAllister
Singer/Songwriter + Owner, McAllister Music Studio
“As a performer who had just moved to SF from LA, I was interested in finding a vocal coach who could not only help me expand my current style of singing, but broaden my repertoire as well. I am so glad I found Heather! She is absolutely amazing! Never in a million years did I think I could sing an R&B or pop song. Heather’s gotten me out of my comfort zone and I’ve been having a blast learning different styles of music with her.”
— Esther Mira
Actor/Dancer/Singer
“I tried many coaches before I met Heather, and many of them spoke in terms that were either too technical or too abstract for me to really put into use. Heather gets down to singing immediately, and provides feedback in ways you can actually understand and absorb. She also really helped prepare me vocally and psychologically for a national tour that I was nervous about. She's incredibly nice, a great singer and her studio is very relaxing.”
— Caroline Schutz
Songwriter + Frontwoman, Reed + Caroline
“In my search for a vocal coach, Heather really stood out because of her experience as a lead singer in a band. In my six-plus months of study with Heather, my control and singing ability have greatly improved. In addition, she also has practical advice about being a female singer in a band of boys.”
— Rebecca Garza-Bortman
Love Jerks, My First Earthquake
“After advancing through the preliminary round of auditions for American Idol (Season 8), I decided to seek professional training to fine-tune my vocal skills and hopefully move on to the next rounds of competition. I’ve been singing all my life but have never studied any real vocal technique. Heather helped me learn how to belt without hurting my voice, so the songs we chose would really come through and wow the judges—I made it to Hollywood week!”
— Jennifer Samoranos
Singer/Songwriter
“Heather is a gifted vocal coach with the true soul of an artist, the kindness of a loving friend, and the interpersonal skills of a therapist. She taught me to respect and take care of my voice, to deepen my relationship to my instrument, and— most importantly— to never be afraid to just sing. Thank you, Heather!”
— Todd Renschler
Singer/Songwriter, Songs By Dad