When I arrived for my first voice lesson with Merrily, I was so absolutely petrified to sing in front of her (or anyone) that I almost didn’t do it at all. Through patience and positivity, she brought me from that terrified place to my first sing club with other students and a piano player. My knees knocked and my voice shook, but I did it! Now, I look forward to them. Recently, I actually performed at a party. She’s given me the gift of my own voice, and the joy of sharing music with other people. She’s amazingly talented at what she does and I am forever grateful.
/// Sarah Rooney 2016
I began taking voice lessons with Merrily 6 months ago, thinking I was just going to shake some nerves so I could sing more comfortably in the shower, car, and in front of my young son. But I've gained so much more than vocal exercises! My voice is stronger and clearer. I feel more confident and self-aware, and above all I've gained a friend; someone I feel completely open with...and I found that in finding my singing voice! Thank you for EVERYTHING Merrily!
/// Elizabeth 2016
“In the fall of 2012 my seven year old daughter was involved in a theater class in a musical and wanted to improve her singing so I started looking into singing lessons in Austin and found Merrily. By then my daughter was finalizing her class and her show was just around the corner. All semester long I had been struggling to help her learn the songs for her part and silently thought it would be good if a singing teacher could help her ‘learn to carry a tune.’ My daughter is a natural on the stage and has an excellent memory. However, I could see that she felt less confident about her songs despite all the encouragement she received from her theater teacher and me. Then she began lessons with Merrily and my whole unvoiced inner world view about her singing abilities changed. On the basis of three to four lessons, my daughter nailed her solo in the show and her confidence during the song matched her confidence in the rest of the play. There was not one dissonant note and one could hear every word of the song! This when the theater teacher had been telling my daughter all semester long to please be louder!
Through Merrily my daughter has in the past six months developed a truly lovely strong singing voice and additional dreams. Every lesson strengthens my daughter further and opens up a whole horizon of possibilities for her. Merrily nurtures not only my daughter’s voice but her dreams and hopes as a person. My daughter now not only dreams of singing in plays but of being a singer, making records, becoming a singer teacher like Merrily and doing something in music and thanks to Merrily these dreams are not just dreams but achievable dreams. I do not know what my daughter will do professionally when she’s grown but I do know that Merrily has made singing a part of her life forever and that she has given my daughter an invaluable gift that will bring her joy the rest of her life. I always tell people that the singing lessons with Merrily are one of the best things I have done for my daughter. A bonus is no more boredom during car rides. We can always do our singing exercises and practice our songs not to speak of the fact that the voice is an instrument we can carry with us anywhere we go and that can pass the gift of joy to others. Sometimes one is lucky and finds a teacher as special as Merrily. “
/// Julieta v. Schimonsky
“I love the vocal sessions I've had with Merrily. With her help, I was able to fine-tune some specific performance skills I was hoping to develop. Merrily is a pleasure to work with!! Plus she's just so darn nice!! :)”
/// Kris Krause
“I began taking voice lessons with Merrily 6 months ago, thinking I was just going to shake some nerves so I could sing more comfortably in the shower, car, and in front of my young son. But I've gained so much more than vocal exercises! My voice is stronger and clearer. I feel more confident and self-aware, and above all I've gained a friend; someone I feel completely open with...and I found that in finding my singing voice! Thank you for EVERYTHING Merrily!”
/// Liz Bailey
“Merrily brought the best out of me and my voice, by following her lessons and advice I have rapidly grown my vocal strength and ability to sing with precision and confidence. She has a unique understanding that each person has their own voice and tailors the way she coaches to you. I couldn't have made my journey to becoming a professional singer without her. She is simply the best.”
“Merrily has a wonderful touch for coaching both the technical and emotional aspects of vocal technique. More than once I've gone to her when something simply wasn't making sense to me and come away with a good solution. “
/// Brook Schaaf
/// Marino Petriccione
Success
Stories
Celebrating the hundreds of people who
transformed their lives with the help of “The Plan”
"Merrily makes me feel so relaxed and comfortable that I'm not afraid to try anything and through that my voice has matured and become so much stronger"
/// Jasmine White
