Vocal coaching with Marcia Richards
Your voice.Your sound.Draw it out.
One-to-one coaching from a West End performer, for first-time singers, developing performers and artists finding their sound.
- Trained at ArtsEd
- West End: including The Lion King · Dirty Dancing · Hairspray
- Backing vocalist, The X Factor
- 20+ years in the industry
- DBS checked
A place for your voice
Every voice holds more than it shows. My work is to draw it out.
Technique that feels easy in the body. Encouragement that makes you brave. Coaching shaped around your voice, your goals and the music you love, whether you're singing for the first time or preparing for your next stage.
Singing lessons
Wherever you're starting, let's move you forward.
Start singing
Always wanted to sing? Explore your voice in a warm, encouraging space, at your own pace, with no pressure to be perfect.
Begin here →
Develop your voice
At college or recently graduated? One-to-one time gives your individual technical challenges the focused attention group training can't always offer.
Find your next step →
Refine your sound
For emerging pop, soul and jazz artists, musical theatre performers and professionals. Bring technique and expression together and find more freedom and consistency.
Talk about your goals →
Meet Marcia
Serious about your voice. Full of joy about singing.
Singing should feel joyful. It shouldn't hurt, and you shouldn't spend the song worrying whether the next note will be there. When singing feels like a struggle, it's usually because no one has shown you how your voice really works. That's what I'm here for.
I'm Marcia. I trained at ArtsEd and have spent more than twenty years in the industry, performing in West End shows including The Lion King, Dirty Dancing and Hairspray, and singing backing vocals for artists on The X Factor. I know what it takes to deliver, night after night, and I bring that knowledge into every lesson so you can sing with freedom instead of fear.
What we'll work on together
- Expand your range and smooth out the breaks between your registers
- Build strength, stamina and authority in your sound, without strain
- Release tension so high notes and long phrases feel easy
- Prepare for auditions, performances and recording your own songs
- Find your own style across soul, gospel, pop, R&B, jazz and musical theatre
- Quiet the nerves and self-doubt that hold your voice back
Singing is a physical skill, like sport or dance. Once the coordination is in place, power, resonance and flexibility come naturally, and you're free to focus on what matters most: your style, your story and the joy of performing.
My teaching draws on the methods and teachers I've studied and admire:
- Estill training
- the technical shifts that let the voice move with ease
- Speech Level Singing
- keeping the voice balanced and connected from bottom to top, as easy as speaking
- Roger Love
- simple, effective exercises and breath control
- Andrew Byrne
- finding what's out of alignment in the body to unlock breakthroughs
- Cheryl Porter
- agility and strength, practised over soulful backing tracks
Marcia
On stage
Twenty years under the lights.
The experience I bring into every lesson comes from the stage itself: eight shows a week, live bands, and audiences who came to be moved.
Your first lesson
Fifty minutes, all about your voice.
We listen
We talk about what you love to sing, where you want to go, and what feels difficult right now. Then I listen to your voice.
We map it
Together we find what's working, where effort or tension creeps in, and the small shifts that make the biggest difference.
You leave with a plan
Exercises that suit your voice and goals, so you know exactly what to practise before we meet again.
Student voices
It was my first visit to Marcia and she was so welcoming and put me immediately at ease… The lesson felt safe, lots of fun, and I made strides of progress from my baseline in just one hour!Sana · Superprof review
Best vocal coach I have met. She is very thorough, patient and engaging. I learnt so much and had the best time. Can't recommend her enough!
The most comfortable I've felt vocally by a long shot! Simply because of how much freer I feel through the range.
Marcia has been truly impactful in not just my singing but my overall confidence. She is knowledgeable in what she does, enabling me to create sounds I never thought possible.
Marcia is a very friendly teacher and she has discussed the pros and cons of my daughter's singing ability and how to improve.
Marcia creates a positive and safe environment to learn in. Her knowledge and effective methods of teaching have helped me to excel at a fast pace.
Marcia has helped me form healthier habits. I cannot recommend her enough. I always leave my lessons on a high!
Lessons & prices
Make time for your voice.
One-to-one, 50-minute sessions in Croydon or online.
The six-session journey
Commit to six sessions and pay for five. Real progress comes from steady work over time, and you can book the sessions at a pace that suits you.
Student rate applies to anyone whose main activity is attending school, college or university.
Beyond singing
A speaking voice with presence.
Voice coaching for public speakers and business professionals. Speak with clarity, warmth and authority, without strain, whether you're presenting, pitching or leading the room.
Does this sound familiar?
- People ask you to repeat yourself, or talk straight over you in meetings.
- Speaking up feels like shouting to you, so you hold back. To everyone else, it simply sounds clear.
- Your voice sounds airy or breathy, with no edge, so it fades before it reaches the back of the room or gets lost on calls.
- Or the opposite: you've been told you come across as loud or abrupt, and you'd love to sound warmer and more empathetic without losing your authority.
- When nerves kick in, your voice shakes, you start to rush, and you run out of breath mid-sentence.
- You've been told you sound flat or monotone, and you can feel the room drifting away.
- A cry or wobble creeps into your voice, so you sound emotional or insincere even when you mean every word.
- Your throat feels tight or tired after a long day of talking.
- You cringe when you hear your voice on a recording or video call, and you'd love to actually like the way you sound.
You're not alone.
These are some of the most common things speakers tell me, and none of them mean there's something wrong with your voice. They're habits of coordination, and habits can change, often faster than you'd expect. Most people simply have never been shown how.
Together we'll work on:
- Projection that carries the room without pushing
- A clear, focused tone with the edge to cut through
- Steady breath and calm under pressure
- Expression and variety that keep people listening
- Warmth and authority that sound like you, so people listen and believe you
- Presentations, pitches, interviews and meetings
Questions
Good to know.
I've never had a singing lesson. Is this for me?
Absolutely. Many students start with no experience at all. We go at your pace, and lessons are a friendly, judgement-free space to explore what your voice can do.
Where do lessons take place?
In person in Croydon, South London, or online by video call. Every lesson is one-to-one and lasts 50 minutes.
What styles do you teach?
Soul, gospel, pop, R&B, jazz and musical theatre, from first songs to auditions, performances and your own original material.
What happens on the free 15-minute chat?
We talk about your goals, I answer your questions, and we work out the best next step together. A full look at your voice is saved for your first lesson.
Do the six sessions need to be weekly?
No. Book them at a pace that suits your schedule.
Who qualifies for the student rate?
Anyone whose main activity is attending school, college or university. I hold a current DBS check, so parents of younger students can book with confidence.
A friendly first hello
Curious? Let's talk.
Book a free 15-minute call. Tell me about your voice and your goals, ask anything, and find out how we could work together.