3rd Voice :: Speech Level Singing Voice Training in Toronto

Brandon is an absolutely marvelous teacher… And he’s fast too!

Mr. Brophy shows a strong focus towards his teaching career […] and occasionally also towards various educational capacities for the SLS organization. […] I believe that he will pull into his work the entire musical prowess experienced in his lifelong passionate focus towards his vocal application. […] To my mind, he has the ability to combine not only his performance potential, but also his teachers mind for musical education. Being a complete musician he will not only accomplish success by achieving it himself, but also will also encourage and support others in doing the same. He is one of those peculiar pupils who is so in love with his craft that he wants to extend it in towards others in anyway he can.

Mr. Brophy is an excellent musician and has over the years I’ve known him developed a vocal range that extends to well over 3 octaves. Mr. Brophy not only plays piano well but is also very much aware of the various musical styles that different vocal performers use. He knows that he cannot use the usual tonalities of the original music as it involves changing various elements of it, without going too far. He is fully capable of creating such changes as is desirable to his artistic or academic temperament. His voice is free and has a large vocal range with a developed ability to sing with ease and fulfill the requirements within any style (pop, jazz, r&b, musical theatre).

It is with great confidence and expectation of success that I recommend Mr. Brophy. I myself have been teaching for 52 years, and I must say that Mr. Brophy is the kind of teacher that we should all be fortunate to be able to work with. With a successful teaching career already, he shows great potential to achieve both academic, live performance, and other industry related success. […]

If you need any further information, please see my website www.sethriggs.com.

I’ve worked with various vocal coaches in the past and Brandon is by far the most comprehensive and approachable teacher; he is unique in that he caters his lessons to the individual students’ needs.

You will learn how to strengthen and exploit your voice, how to build your confidence and performance while getting a thorough understanding about the SLS technique and it’s history. One major advantage you get at 3rd Voice is the recordings of your lessons… All that AND he makes it fun!

Brandon is not only a great teacher, but an honest man.

You immediately struck me as a teacher who really has a deeper understanding of the process…

Brandon’s lessons have been invaluable in developing my singing skills. His personable and friendly approach enabled me to feel in a safe environment to let go and take risks with my singing. The exercises he taught me made my vocal development consistent and strong and within a few weeks I felt ready to perform.

I use the CDs that he makes of each class as a record of my progress and any problems that may have come up in a class, I will listen to them for reference and practice. Brandon’s keen interest in music and song make his lessons inspiring and fun.

Even though I have been singing for years and am rooted in bad habits, after working with Brandon for a year, everyone says my singing has improved noticeably. He gives me really helpful exercises and has extended my range enormously. For the first time in my life, I can now sing with ‘vibrato’ which has obviously changed everything.

When I have a problem singing a line and ask him for help, he always suggests a new way of approaching it and invariably sorts me out. I am learning to incorporate this stuff into my performances and imagine what he would suggest before I sing a difficult line.

He records the lessons and burns them onto cd for me so I have something to practice with each week. That has been really helpful and now, I can see the work has really paid off. THANKS BRANDON!

Brandon is an incredible, easy-going person to work with. He really helped me with understanding chest/mix/head voice & perfecting the areas of my voice I was struggling with.

I am able to relate the techniques he taught me to the more aggressive vocal styling used in the band I perform with. With his help I now feel more confident as a vocalist, songwriter, & performer. THANKS BRANDON!

I am so impressed with the results you’ve had in such a short time I’ve begun giving out your number to some of my clients.

Listen as Larenne talks about her experience of working with Brandon:

Larenne performs “It’s Here”:

Larenne performs “Loveblind, Lovedeaf & Lovedumb.mp3”:

For two and a half months before rehearsals started, I took lessons with Brandon and i can’t tell you what a drastic difference it made in my voice. I had issues with disconnectedness and tonal differences between head and chest and not knowing how to blend them…
I came away from that short period of time of working with Brandon, with so much more knowledge, how to practice, so much more consistency and way more confidence. I’m so happy with myself and my employers are really happier with me. Thank you Brandon SO much. Can’t wait to see you next summer.

You have been my saviour, my inspiration, my teacher for a long time now, and I will forever be grateful to you! You have such a spark and flare for inspiring others that I see and know your success will only continue to grow!

You’re a very skilled voice teacher and you’ve helped me to expand my singing knowledge the way I had hoped. I look forward to using every lesson while on the road; you’ve helped me so much! See you next year!

When I first started having lessons I was feeling low. Brandon first made me feel very comfortable which helped gain my confidence. I feel I have improved and learnt so much in such a short time that I look forward to every lesson. Each is full of variety and I always feel I am progressing towards my goals.

Thanks again for another amazing lesson yesterday. I’m still reaping many benefits from it — my breathing feels fuller and deeper than it has ever been. I feel much more solid and grounded inside myself. Up til now I have been singing (and living!!) mostly up in my head because it sounded “prettier”. With your help and encouragement to move down into my chest voice, I’m finding that making those “not so pretty” sounds feels wonderful and strong and powerful.

I can hardly wait to just “dive in” to this method. It offers so much more than just singing songs.

Brandon was able to pinpoint my vocal issues in our first lesson. After the second lesson, I spent hours at home singing songs that previously were beyond my abilities!! I had always believed it would take months of vocal instruction before I noticed any improvement. In just three lessons, my range has exponentially increased. Now I’m looking forward to all the years of pleasure I will get from my voice!!

I love singing!! Thanks to Brandon at 3rd Voice, my abilities no longer feel ‘random’. Previously I would ‘choke’ at times and not be able to get the sound I wanted out, especially in front of people. By using the techniques from my lessons, I can confidently sing with power and range I did not believe I had!

From a young age, I always desired to be a professional singer. Being heavily influenced by early Eastern Church music, Gregorian and medieval chanting, it was my desire to become a theorist and practitioner of Byzantine Music. Over the past twenty years I have studied under several renowned vocal instructors, both in Canada and overseas. Although they were excellent teachers, all of them assigned me to a specific vocal range, and I was only permitted to do pieces that were within my range. I was continuously told that it was impossible at my age to expand my range. Thus, with my voice not being challenged, I reached a dead end in my music career. That was, until I met Brandon Brophy in May of 2007.

In our first conversation, Brandon gave me much hope for my music career. He explained to me what Speech Level Singing was, and how the exercises would help me to transition smoothly between bridges. He was clear that with hard work and determination I would be able to master each of the bridges, which in turn would give me the ability to effortlessly execute the high notes. When I had asked him to what vocal range he would assign me, he refused to answer. He also told me that with time, I would be able to master the Vibrato, something which all my previous instructors worked hard at, but with no success.

Working with Brandon for 1 thirty minute session per week, it was not long before the results became evident to me and those listening to me. Within the first couple of months everyone at church started to notice a big difference in my voice. I was able to hold the notes for a longer duration, and my range was quickly expanding. Within six months of continuously practicing with the previous week’s recorded session, which Brandon provided me with, the results were astonishing. For the first time in my music career, I was able to smoothly enter the second bridge and hit the high notes. My excitement can not be described as the other members of the choir looked at me, asking how I managed to do that. To finish everything off, Brandon also taught me how to do Vibrato. Without making me lie down on the floor doing an array of pointless exercises, Brandon instructed me on how to focus and visualize the oscillation of the vocal chords as the air was being released from the diaphragm. Within moments I managed to do what my heart had desired for so long.

There are no words which I can use to properly describe the gratitude I have towards Brandon for all that he has done for my music career. In addition to being one of the greatest music instructors I have ever met and worked with, he is also an excellent human being. He is very kind and warm hearted. He works hard with his students and does not allow them to become disheartened when their voices are not cooperating. He gives his students hope to go on. I highly recommend Brandon to anyone wanting to study any genre of music. I strongly believe that there is no challenge big enough for Brandon, and I consider myself blessed for having worked with such an awesome vocal coach. Thanks for everything!

Brandon is not only a wonderful teacher, but a wonderful person as well. He is very enthusiastic, encouraging, and an experienced instructor, also very knowledgable about the music business. I had such a great time studying with him that I’m going to miss him in Vancouver!”

After trying many different styles and techniques I can finally say I found the way to good vocal technique. Brandon’s positive attitude and charisma, his in-depth know-how and energy are exactly what I was looking for. The studio is so cozy and the way the light comes through the window is so inspiring, the whole ambiance, amazing. I came to the right environment and the right person which will help me gain that elusive confidence in my voice. If I lived in Toronto I would be there every other day!

I just wanna say Thank-You so much for being my voice teacher over the last year. It really has been the starting of a journey for me and I can only put that down to your teaching methods […] Technically and just as a singer I really feel you’ve helped me to take massive strides […] All the progressions kept me working hard and discovering new things.

It is obvious how much you want your students to prosper and how much thought and care you put into as their music teacher. I really can’t thank you enough.

I’ve worked with various vocal coaches in the past and Brandon is by far the most comprehensive and approachable teacher; he is unique in that he caters his lessons to the individual students’ needs.

You will learn how to strengthen and exploit your voice, how to build your confidence and performance while getting a thorough understanding about the SLS technique and it’s history. One major advantage you get at 3rd Voice is the recordings of your lessons… All that AND he makes it fun!

Brandon made me aware of what I had been missing: I was not enjoying singing – I got that back! I had no confidence in my ability – got that back! I didn’t know when I wasn’t using my voice correctly – I do now!

Brandon showed me, by using vocal exercises in Speech Level Singing, that you can accomplish alot. I must say, it has been a joy and a privilege to work with him, and I hope we get the opportunity to work together again soon.

I came to Speech Level Singing (SLS) a bit of a virgin, a bath-tub singer, if you like. So Brandon, with his informal teaching style, was perfect for me… Brandon makes SLS appear quite simple when it’s clearly a dependable and thoroughly thought out system. He tailors the method very carefully to my individual body’s particular needs, getting me to feel the experience of the different ways my body can produce sounds. The endless array of games and tricks up his sleeve makes our lessons end up like Dr Seuss’s “Fox In Sox”.

Brandon’s got a light touch but also an insistent focus. He gives me a fun way to make solid progress in singing and all along – without any special effort and without even noticing it – I’ve made massive strides, particularly in gaining confidence.

Brandon’s positive affirming spirit and brilliant understanding of music and the voice has helped me conquer all the obstacles in singing that I’ve battled for years. I have been singing principals in west end shows as well, something that has been a lifelong dream of mine.

In just under 2 years studying with Brandon, I’ve made phenomenal progress, expanding my range to 4 octaves, building strength in my voice, and giving me the ability and confidence to sing any song from opera to R&B. Brandon’s lively and friendly persona makes my every lesson a real joy to go to every week. Every lesson is fun and relaxing as well as enriching and inspiring.

As a software developer, I’ve had extremely limited musical training. Though engineering was my background, singing was my passion. Singing through my breaks was something that I could only dream of before coming to Brandon. Not only did he assist me in developing proper co-ordination for singing through my bridges, but he was also very sincere and complete in responding to all of my questions regarding SLS and how the voice works. In just three lessons with him, I was able to sing into my mix.

Seeking Brandon for help was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. He provides a very casual and welcoming learning environment, but more importantly, he delivers promising results in short time. I strongly recommend Brandon to all because he has worked miracles on me, and I have confidence that he will too for many others.

I can’t thank you enough Brandon.

“I’ve been to many different vocal instructors and they always tell me not to use tension when I sing but they never explained how to do this. Brandon explained exactly how the voice worked and taught me excersises to help remove tension from my voice.
Within ten minutes he had me singing in head voice, something I had been working at with other vocal instructors to no avail. I would recommend Brandon and Speech Level Singing to anyone who is serious about improving their vocal skills.”

Brandon does a terrific job of zero-ing in on exactly what you need to do to progress and was able to immediately determine the path I need to take. He then presents that in a framework so that you know exactly where you are, what you are doing, and what lies ahead to improve even more. He is also very articulate and communicates his intentions well. He’s fantastic at seeing where I have strength and how to get me to improve in the areas where I am struggling.

Recording the lesson has been a huge help for me because each time I listen to it I learn something new as I continue to improve.

I was able to hear the results within days, and now know that there is a clear and achievable path forward. There’s no wasted time or uncertainty about whether progress is being made or not; which is great!

I cannot thank you enough for helping me to become a strong singer. Being able to sing through the bridges of my voice has made me unique… Without your help, I wouldn’t be in the music industry.

You were a huge help with assisting me in bringing out the power and uniqueness in my voice. As I continue to practice, not only have I noticed the drastic change in the sound of my voice, but my entire family has noticed it too and have been very impressed. Thank you very much!

On behalf of my 12 year old son, I would like to recommend 3rd Voice as it is a great school. Brandon has not only taught my son singing but through his patient and caring efforts he has helped my son’s confidence as well.

Brandon is very genuine and shows great care for his developing voice. This is important at age when changing voices can make it difficult for young boys to fully express themselves.

I’ve just had one lesson with Brandon and already I can see what a skilled Singing Teacher he is. I’ve been so impressed by this man’s ability to diagnose my vocal problems/weaknesses in just one little lesson. In that same lesson he showed me what I need to do to eliminate those weaknesses. And he makes it all look so easy but then I guess that’s the mark of a true professional. Brandon is a real gentleman. I look forward to the next lesson.

I’ve only had one lesson with Brandon and he’s already gotten me to a register that I never knew I could even reach! He gave me exercises to do at home and I’m already noticing my voice become accustomed to a wider range than before. The recorded lessons are also very, very helpful, I love that. He is knowledgeable, very polite and an amazing teacher. Can’t wait til my next lesson!