Testimonials
If you can’t feel the love, then walk out the door! With Shelly, her passion and love for music speaks for itself. She teaches compassionately from her heart and soul.
The vocalizing that I have done with her has changed the way I sing today! I was a Grammy nominee for Best Male Vocalist in Gospel Music. My voice is my life, and I can think of no one that I trust more with it than Shelly Franklin.
Shelly is a gifted voice teacher. I don’t use that “gifted” word lightly. She is a real student of voice, and, coupled with her other superpowers she can crawl into a singer’s head and rewire them for success. I am a music producer in Nashville TN today and I know better than most how difficult a singing career can be. I wish all my singers were taught by Shelly Franklin. They would have a much easier path.
I met Shelly when I was 12 or 13 years old. I cannot say enough good things about Shelly. She gave me the tools, skills and awareness I needed to become better at singing and writing. I still use all of these tools now in my music career. I teach it to others as well. Aside from being a beautiful person, her love for singing sines through everything she touches. I am so lucky I had her at such a young age. Her lessons will be with me for life:) Thank You Shelly!!!!!
I had never had voice lessons after 50 years of singing, and sought Shelly out because my voice was aging and I was losing confidence. My music is primarily a church ministry leading a small folk-type choir. I found Shelly to be patient and very understanding of my ministry since she shares that passion. She has helped me to learn to take care of my voice like an instrument, and I’ve seen my confidence come back as I learn speech level singing. She is truly gifted and loves what she does. She is also very sweet and easy to work with – although she is very honest, and expects you to work.
I came to Shelly with bunch of songs I’d written that I wanted to sing – with no confidence in my voice; I was unable to sing even the simplest line due to overthinking coupled with not very good vocal coaching I’d had in the past.
Over the years – I’ve been with Shelly for over 10 years – we built my voice, my abilities and my confidence as a singer. The best part is that Shelly never stops growing as a teacher and a singer, excitedly sharing during our afternoon lesson what she herself had learned in the morning. Her passion and enthusiasm is contagious. She truly cares for each and every lesson, and wants to make sure I’d leave better than I’d come in. I’m extremely critical when it comes to my own voice and playing, so If it wasn’t for Shelly I wouldn’t be able to record my albums, and wouldn’t be able to sing live and enjoy the process.
The best part is Shelly doesn’t try to change or adjust my natural style – which leans more towards pop, pop/rock; she enhances it and takes it to another level where the growth and improvement never stops.
I’ve been a voice student for 41 years, and I’m also one of the top voice teachers in South America. I’m 55 years old; I started studying voice when I was 15. I’ve tried almost every technique, and have taken lessons with the best master teachers in the world.
Sound it Out Singing gets my students’ voices – as well as my own voice – to a speech level.
Shelly Franklin’s method – Sound it Out Singing – is a balanced, effortless path to singing which all of of us long for. Sound It Out Singing is the fastest, easiest approach I’ve ever experienced and I can say the same for my students.
I’ve performed for many years and released many albums and have three certified gold albums,
The amount of love, passion, and depth of Shelly’s knowledge, and the microscopic approach she takes with my voice is awesome. She is, by far, the best voice master teacher I have ever known. Shelly is helping me discover parts of my voice that no one – not even the most famous voice teachers – is able to show me. She’s not only the most gifted singer and voice teacher ever, but she’s also the most generous, funny, witty, caring, person I know.
I thank God for putting her in my life, and I’m also honored and grateful to be her friend, her student, and colleague.
I’ll say it again: I’ve taken voice lessons with the cream of the crop. Shelly Franklin is the best!
I will always be grateful to you for giving me the key to what seemed impossible. Love you.
Both my girls take lessons from Shelly. They have completely different sounds, and she pulls the best out of each of them. In fact, it struck me even more when we went to a recital of Shelly and her students. Each one wad unique, and Shelly brought forth in a loving way the best from each performer. Even more important, Shelly is a loving, positive, giving woman who cares about my girls and all of her students and their families. We are blessed to have her.
My 11 year old daughter has been working with Shelly for only 4 months and it is amazing how much progress has been made. Shelly really teaches how the voice works, how to care for it, and how to use it properly. Shelly’s instruction is so personalized, and she is so supportive and patient. My daughter is inspired to practice and she excitedly looks forward to her lesson every week. Shelly is fabulous.
I’ve been taking lessons from Shelly for several years. I can sing songs now that were previously impossible. Shelly is not just the best vocal teacher I’ve ever had, but also one of the very best teachers of any subject I’ve ever known. She has a seemingly endless number of tools and techniques, and is always trying new things. On top of that, she is an amazing singer, and knows what it is like to be a performer.
I started singing somewhat later in life, in my fifties, so I had a lot to learn. Even though I’m not a professional musician, I get paid to sing in front audiences. At the same time, I sing for my own personal enjoyment, and for the type of challenge that makes life interesting. Shelly is aware that for a singer, you are your own musical instrument, so who you are as a person is something that can be taught to.
Shelly tailors lessons to situations that come up. For example, if I have an especially challenging show to practice for, we can spend a lesson going through some of the songs I plan to sing, and resolving any potential issues. When I had laryngitis and lost most of my voice for several weeks (yet had to perform anyway), Shelly was able to help me figure out how to deal with that, and she helped me recover my voice.
Shelly is an amazing teacher, and I highly recommend her.
Shelly, I just wanted to say a quick thanks for this last round of new stuff (Sound It Out!), which has helped me so much in my teaching and my singing. You are such a great inspiration to me, and I wanted you to know how grateful I am!
Testimonials
Voices of Shelly’s Students
Kat P.2023-10-20 I have been seeing Shelly since I was 8 years old and I am back again at 30 for a refresher to get my voice back to where it was when I was 18 (or close to it), when I was performing at a professional level in musical theater. In my first lesson back, everything came rushing back to me - it's a testament of Shelly's technique and how she instills in all of her students a lifelong way of healthy, powerful singing. Endlessly grateful to her as a teacher and a vocal mentor. Brian R.2020-03-20 Amazing vocal coach! My wife has been her student for years, and Shelly has helped her grow immensely in her vocal abilities. Shelly is not only a wonderful coach, she is a friend, and would recommend her for anyone looking to improve their singing ability, professional or amateur. Mimi H.2019-01-05 Shelly is a gifted teacher who deeply cares about her students. She is amazing at diagnosing problems and offering effective solutions. Coming in to her, I was feeling quite unconfident as I had developed some hampering vocal habits. She quickly helped me rediscover my natural voice and I felt like I got to fall in love with singing all over again! Carlos N.2018-06-05 I drive over an hour to work with Shelly and it is always worth it. Whether its for 30 minutes or 1 hour. After a few short weeks of working with her I have already auditioned and received multiple callbacks for professional productions in New York and other professional theaters because of her. I moved to the bay area looking for THE best vocal instructor possible to help me with my vocal and acting career. After speaking with multiple teachers and telling them what my goals were, most teachers told me that they could not help because I needed a much higher level of teaching. One vocal instructor that I called recommended that I see her voice teacher instead. This is how I was introduced to Shelly. Mariya J.2018-05-03 Shelly is an exceptional teacher and has been a great influence on my daughter age 11. She not only voice trains but also helps her students to truly understand their voice and how to use it. My daughters voice has improved drastically and so has her interest after just over 8 months. She is a dedicated teacher who takes a personal interest in those she teaches! Anya R.2018-03-14 Shelly Franklin is an extraordinary vocal teacher and coach with a rare blend of a gorgeous voice herself, strong technical knowledge along with an innate understanding of the voice, mastery over and the ability to clearly teach methods for improving the voice, including many of her own creation, as well as the skill, temperament, and personality to inspire her students to make the most from their natural abilities. I have been taking lessons from Shelly for over a year now, I leave every lesson excited and invigorated, and I am loving what she is teaching me and the solid improvement in my singing. Shelly is a professional's professional, with career performers and vocal coaches included among her students, but, based on my own experience and observation, I believe that any person of any age and at any level would thrive under her tutelage. I highly recommend her. David H.2018-01-15 I'm a Nashville songwriter, living and performing in a town full of the greatest performers and teachers in the world. But as instructors go, none can touch Shelly. I call her when things go wrong. She is truly a wizard with decades of experience and a surgical ability to figure out vocal problems fast. Robin S.2016-10-11 I've been Shelly's student for over a year now. I'm a 25 year old male singer/songwriter and frontman of a Indie/alternative rock band. She has helped me build my mix and sing in a way that is sustainable and consistent. Her understanding of the voice blends the two realms of science and psychology; she will know physically what is causing a singing problem and she will masterfully help you "troubleshoot" your way through it clarify and ease using various techniques she has developed personally. She will take away the stress you experience when you sing and will help you sing in a way that not only feels natural and sounds natural but is YOUR sound. Personal testimonial; My band is preparing to record our first EP and I always feel comfortable bringing my music to her for consultation. Her feedback has helped me become a professional vocalist and has given me strong incite on how to professionally approach song arrangement and the recording process to fit me personally. For example, I was having issues not being able to isn't a particular song of mine without reaching and she helped my find the right key to shift the song into to be able to sing it comfortably. All in all, she is THE expert of voice in the Bay Area.