Voice Lessons in
Elgin, IL
Our Approach to Singing Lessons at Music Education Center
At MECA, voice lessons are all about helping students grow with confidence, creativity, and care! The voice is a unique instrument as it is a part of our bodies! Because of this, we ensure that our teachers have an in-depth understanding of how the vocal cords work—and more importantly, how to maintain healthy technique at every stage. Lessons include warm-ups, breathing exercises, and vocal techniques that support tone, range, and vocal health.
Of course, every voice lesson is going to look a little different—because every voice is unique! Whether you’re learning a favorite musical theatre piece, your most-streamed song, or prepping for an audition, your teacher will shape the experience around your goals, interests, and skill level. We’re here to help you find your voice and use it with joy!
Our Approach to Singing Lessons
GET STARTED01 Voice Lessons Should Be Fun!
Finding your own voice is one of life’s great pleasures – and learning how to use it makes that feeling even sweeter! At Music Education Center, we want every student to LOVE their music lessons and find fulfillment in learning how to sing.
Our voice teachers create a positive and supportive learning environment where you can succeed, no matter your starting point or level of experience. Whether you are singing in a choir, a musical theatre ensemble, as a soloist, or just in the car, our experienced teachers can help you build confidence and have fun, while working on music you enjoy.
02 We Emphasize Healthy Technique
Singing may look simple enough, but the voice is a complex series of systems that form an expressive and delicate living instrument inside of each of us. Perhaps more than any other musical discipline, having an experienced voice teacher to assist you in training these processes to work together is key to a healthy, lifelong enjoyment of singing.
Music Education Center highly-trained instructors will assist you in learning strong fundamentals including proper breathing, diction, resonance, stage presence, and non-verbal expression. We strive to ensure that our voice students become literate musicians, so lessons will also include discussions of music theory, history, and rhythm. Mastering these technical basics will broaden your horizons and allow you to explore many different styles and genres of music in the future!
03 We Care About Your Musical Interests & Goals
We teach all styles of singing, including musical theatre, classical, contemporary/pop, jazz, country, and folk. Your voice is unique—so your lessons should be, too. Whether you’re a beginner, have some experience, or are an accomplished performer looking to grow, our teachers provide personalized guidance to help you meet your goals.
At Music Education Center, we approach every lesson with the goal of inspiring creativity, building confidence, and exploring all the possibilities of your one-of-a-kind voice.
Our Voice Teachers:
Diane Handler
Voice
Diane studied voice for twenty (20) years, starting with Therese Longergan, then continuing with Emily McKnight at Milikin University, Phyllis Curtin at Boston University, and Lucille Halfvarson and Neva Baily at Chicago’s
Zak Reiter
Piano (Beginning & Intermediate), Voice, Guitar & Bass
Zak has played the guitar for over 9 years and classical guitar technique for over 5 and has been teaching for over 5 years. Zak has a degree from Judson University where
Kathleen Sullivan
Voice
Leena has done doctoral work at the University of Michigan in voice performance and received her Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance from the Boston Conservatory. She has taught on voice
Samantha Paige
Voice, Guitar & Bass (Beginning-Intermediate)
Sam embarked on her musical journey at age 9 with voice lessons at MECA, later adding guitar at 11! Sam’s passion for live performance began early through MECA Creates and forming her own band at age 11, leading to hundreds of shows at local venues and events!
Clair Hedrick
Voice, Guitar
I began learning the saxophone at the age of 10, and at 15 I expanded to guitar, and at 18 expanded to voice. Throughout high school I played in both in concert and symphonic band, and in college I sang in the Rockford University choir as a soprano, alto, and tenor.
How it works
Together we explore student musical goals.
We match students with one of our expert instructors.
Start attending lessons! Parents can receive progress reports each week.
We offer a variety of plans to fit
your schedule & budget
Frequently
Asked
Questions
GET STARTED
What Is a Good Age to Start Voice Lessons?
At MECA, we welcome singers as young as 4! Singing is a joyful, natural way for kids to express themselves, and our teachers know how to make lessons fun and age-appropriate for every stage of development.
Younger students focus on playful vocal exploration, pitch matching, and building confidence—while older students may dive deeper into technique, performance, and personal style. Teens and adults are always welcome too, whether singing is your main focus or a great companion to another instrument!
Why Take Voice Lessons at MECA?
At MECA, voice lessons are all about you—your voice, your style, and your goals. Our teachers take the time to get to know each student and create a personalized lesson plan that keeps things fun, motivating, and meaningful.
Whether you’re a young beginner, an experienced performer, or returning to singing after a break, we’ll help you build skills and confidence while exploring the music you love. Most of our students focus on popular music and musical theatre, but if classical training is your thing—we’ve got you covered there, too!
What Styles of Singing Do You Teach?
If you have always wanted to be a better rock, pop, country, jazz, gospel, theatre, or R&B singer, then we have the right voice teachers for you! Voice students spend time each week doing physical exercises to improve their vocal range, ear training, breath control, vibrato, tone production, enunciation and more. All voice students set goals with their teacher to work on sounding like their favorite recording artists, preparing for a theatre audition, or if they prefer, to develop their own unique voice. You will discover our voice teachers are fun and patient when you take voice lessons at Music Education Center.
How Qualified Are Your Voice Instructors?
Our voice teachers come from a variety of backgrounds and bring a wide range of experience to their teaching. Some have extensive performance histories, others specialize in working with young beginners, and many do both!
With MECA’s tiered teacher system, we can match each student with an instructor who fits their learning style, musical goals, and experience level—making every lesson supportive, engaging, and effective.
What will I learn from voice Lessons at Music Education Center?
Voice students spend time each week doing physical exercises to improve their vocal range, ear training, breath control, vibrato, tone production, enunciation and more.
All voice students set goals with their teacher to work on sounding like their favorite recording artists, or if they prefer, to develop their own unique voice. Get started today!