Who is Heather Baker?

Heather is a world-renowned singing teacher and vocal coach with over 25 years of experience working with contemporary singers.

Her clients range from Award Winning Recording Artists to West End and Broadway performers to Complete Beginners and everything in-between! She is a Founding Director of The Institute of Vocal Advancement and has amassed over 10,000 followers across her social media platforms.

Heather holds a Masters Degree in Vocal Pedagogy and has completed years of ongoing training and study on the voice. She is an expert in her field and has a passion for helping singers develop their true potential and achieve the results they deserve.

  • Heather has continuously studied the art and science of voice-teaching and vocal pedagogy since 2000, attending ongoing training with organisations like IVA, BVA, AOTOS, NATS, VASTA and VSC.

    In 2012 she became the first and only British teacher certified as Level 5 (the highest possible level) in SLS (Speech-Level-Singing).

    In 2013 she collaborated with a selection of high level teachers across the world to set up the teacher training organisation, The Institute for Vocal Advancement (IVA).

    In 2024 she received an MA with distinction in Vocal Pedagogy through the University of Wales (Trinity St. David).

    Her personal singing career started from the early age of 12 when she performed alongside Darren Day and Philip Schofield in ‘Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dream coat’ at the Bristol hippodrome. Since then, she became fascinated in the art of singing, and singing teaching and her thirst for knowledge has increased.

    She has learnt from some of the greatest teachers in the world including Seth Riggs, Dave Stroud, Greg Enriquez, John Henny, Wendy Parr, Dean Kaelin, Jeffrey Skouson, Spencer Welch and many others.

    Heather remains committed to her own learning, which drives her passion to share her knowledge with others.

  • Heather teaches from her custom-built private studio in Sandbach in the North of England as well as online. She Specialises in most contemporary genres of music such as Pop, Rock and Musical Theatre. She is also an IVA Teacher-Educator, delivering training to voice teachers globally.

    Her private clients include Broadway and West End singers, Award-Winning Recording Artists, Gigging Musicians, Songwriters, Television Personalities, Community Theatre Performers, Cruise Entertainers and all sorts of Enthusiastic Amateur Singers.

    She has taught at performing arts institutes and music schools as far away as China, Japan, South Korea, Malta, Israel, USA and Australia. She lectured regularly on the Music Degree Course at Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) between 2010 and 2012.

    Heather has taught at the legendary Seth Riggs Summer Vocal Programme in LA, the SLS international teacher’s conference in Salt Lake City and The Institute for Vocal Advancement’s teachers conferences in California, Edinburgh, Vienna, Munich and online and has presented her research on the voice at Academic Conferences in Finland, MexicoUK and online.

    Heather also runs Cheshire Pop Choirs (www.cheshirepopchoirs.co.uk) which focusses on getting everybody singing for the pure pleasure of it!

  • Heather has presented at a variety of Singing, Voice and Music conferences including:

    • ISME Conference Finland (2024)

    • AOTOS South West UK (2024)

    • IVACON Edinburgh (2024, 2018)

    • VASTA Mexico (2023)

    • IVACON Online (2023, 2022, 2021, 2020)

    • The Music Education Solutions Conference (2022)

    • IVACON Vienna (2019)

    • IVACON California (2017, 2015, 2014)

    In 2019 she delivered a TEDx Talk on the Joy of Singing.

    She co-hosts the Vocal Advancement Podcast and has travelled extensively delivering training in vocal technique, as well as providing consultation for nation-wide music industry books and local news articles.

    Her research interests include the Cognitive and Neuroscience of Singing, pitch problems, gestures to enhance the voice, and general vocal pedagogy.

What People Say About Heather

  • “Heather has an incredible ability to set you at ease, diagnose the areas in your voice that need improvement and work with you at your own pace using a blend of vocal exercises and the songs that you like to sing. The lessons are both fun and productive, with each one teasing out something different. ”

    Ian Davies | Singing Student

  • “I would recommend Heather to anyone wishing to make the most of their voice; she has the knowledge, skill and patience to make a real difference.”

    Alan Burton | Professional Solo Vocalist

  • “Heather made it easier for me to reach the higher and harder notes. She also helped me sing songs I would never imagine singing!“

    Sophie de Battista | Junior Eurovision Finalist representing Malta

  • “I can honestly say I owe most of my success to Heather Baker. My progress in the past few years is amazing. I still get so much from each lesson and I’m so glad I found Heather. My teaching has also improved drastically and Heather is always there to help me develop my skills!”

    Aramat Arnheim | Singer-Songwriter and Voice teacher

  • “I cannot express in enough words how grateful I am for having met Heather and having her train me…my vocal life has TOTALLY changed, and I am so excited for what more I can achieve with her.”

    Martin Kaye | Jazz Lounge and Cruise-Ship Singer

  • “Heather is simply the best singing teacher I’ve ever worked with. She has a rare talent – expertly listening to your voice and sharing techniques that completely transform your confidence and performance. I cannot recommend her highly enough – whether you are a beginner or professional performer, you won’t have more fun or find a better and more inspiring mentor.”

    Nicola Dunbar | Singing Student

  • “After every lesson with Heather I feel as though I have grown as a singer but also as a performer. The friendly and fun atmosphere that Heather creates makes every class fun and relaxing to partake in.”

    Helen Burke | Musical Theatre Student and Singer

  • “Her knowledge and understanding of the subject is beyond compare. There is no real substitute for a one on one teacher like Heather.”

    Callum Hood | Performer on UK and European Musical theatre tours and Cruise liner show teams

Start working with Heather today