Dave Stroud

Vocal Studio

Human connection, the work and a little bit of magic.

My Approach To Vocal Development

Human Connection

While I travel with groups and bands and have travelled the world teaching master-classes, my passion is the 1:1 work.

Singing gives us one of the most important and real experiences as humans; a deep sense of social inclusion and connection.

Great singers are the ones we believe when they sing. It’s important to sing for a coach who can witness your performance and guide you towards being your most authentic when you sing so that you develop the capacity to deeply connect with and move the listener.

The Work

Voice lessons don’t work. The work you do in between voice lessons, works. Voice training is a consistent, regular process with me that adds on to the work and challenges the singer. But using that regularly, is what works.

I will give you exactly what you need, specifically for your voice and the stage of your vocal journey. You will record each session with me so that you get a workout that I will strongly encourage you to do twice per day.

But you have to do the work because when you do the work, magic happens.

The Magic

“Wow I can’t believe how easy and light my voice feels!”


”I’m amazed by how good my voice felt on that recording session!”

“I’m blown away by how connected to the song I feel because I’m not worried about my voice.”

It feels like magic, suddenly you’ve the voice you dreamed of, but it was weeks/months in the making. It was you consistently showing up for your voice twice a day, trusting the process and not second guessing whether you’re going to do the work or not, just doing it.

Master-Class In Performance

By Natasha & Daniel Bedingfield

Natasha and Daniel have been students of mine for many years and I have loved working with them both. Additionally,I have learned more from them than they do from me! That is just me being honest.

This rendition of Ain’t Nobody demonstrates everything I believe makes a vocal performance, great. This is a master-class in performance, vocal control, and stage presence.

Houses of Knowledge

The four pillars that guide my approach to coaching any artist.

Pillar #1

The understanding of acoustics,

physics, physiology, and research:

Expert such as Brad Story, Ingo Titze, Ken Bozeman, Voice Science Works (David Harris - Irene Laurel), and others.

This is important, as it’s the foundation of every voice.

Pillar #2

Vocal Instruction:

This is daily use of the voice through pedagogy and focused practicing that create synapses and strong myelin wrapped nerve response.

This requires techniques that support the knowledge of pillar #1

Pillar #3

Vocal Coaching:

Bringing out the uniqueness and artistic potential in singers.

This is often in direct contradiction to the information and knowledge that was gained in pillar 1 and 2, yet it is the most important element to being successful in the contemporary world of music.

Pillar #4

Psychology of Singing

This is the art of staying centered, focused and balanced in stressful situations so as to bring all the houses of knowledge to the stage or studio. This includes managing stage fright or adrenaline.

Expert such as Ayanna Sealy and others are great resources.

What The Artists 

Have To Say

I’ve been lucky enough to be able to work with a multitude of artists from a variety of genres.

Natasha Bedingfield

“Somehow just working on the voice with Dave becomes a kind of therapy.”

Ben Folds

“I've had the privilege of working with Dave over the years as my vocal coach and as a co-host of my songwriter camps.”

Mike Posner

“He is the real deal.”

Annie Bosko

“He is the vocal shaman, master and healer.”

Arnel Pineda (Journey)

“My utmost respect and gratitude to you my voice mentor and most of all, my friend, Dave.”

Matt Scannell (Vertical Horizon)

“My career has been improved by our lessons and my quality of life.”

Alex Shipp

“He’s the only one I trust to refine my technique and protect my gift!”

Terry Ellis

“I can sing for long periods of time without ever getting tired.”

Salem Darling

“He knows just the right exercises to help strengthen your voice in areas of difficulty.”

Bryce Soderberg

“He genuinely cares about the artist's struggles and well-being.”

Trev Lukather

“Makes the process of building your voice, no matter how far along you are, easy and fun.”

Ethan Bortnick

“Dave is not only the best vocal coach but one of the best people I've gotten to know.”

Kara Britz

“Dave has quite literally carried me on his back through the scariest times of my career.”

porter robinson

“Dave always considers the human and the artist first and foremost.”

“When anyone asks me for a vocal coach recommendation, the answer is always Dave Stroud.”

"It's a lot of scales, it’s just like working out in gym" - Billy Crystal

"I hired a vocal coach, Dave Stroud, and I just worked my ass off on it" - Mike Posner

About Dave

From the moment Dave first heard John Denver, something inside him clicked. Denver’s voice wasn’t just music—it was raw, unfiltered truth that resonated deep in his soul. As a wide-eyed teen from Utah, Dave knew right then and there: he was destined to be a rockstar. This drive led him to San Francisco in his early 20s, where he started performing. But soon, Dave realized that the "dream" he’d been chasing was far more seductive than the harsh reality of the grind. It was from this disillusionment that something powerful emerged: a new love that would become the focus of his life—learning.

The Bay Area in the '90s was a hotbed of musical revolution, a place where raw talent like En Vogue, Santana, Green Day, and 4 Non Blondesthrived. Dave’s time on stage opened doors to some of the biggest names in the industry, including vocal coach Seth Riggs, whose clientele included superstars like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Whitney Houston. Dave became obsessed with the science of vocal technique, and when the opportunity came to help turn Seth’s groundbreaking Speech Level Singing method into a formal, teachable program in 2000, Dave took the reins. What followed was nothing short of revolutionary.

Explore My Vocal Projects

  • Sing Talk Podcast

    Listen to us talk with some of the world’s greatest singers, vocal coaches, songwriters, managers and other members of the music industry. We explore vocal development and voice anatomy, unraveling the art and science behind great singing.

    Our special guests also share with us the stories, wisdom and experience from their incredible careers, revealing what it takes to make it in the music business.

  • VocalizeU

    VocalizeU is a global artist development & education company for beginning, emerging, and professional singers.

    We provide vocal and artistry education through training products, live events, workshops, masterclasses, vocal experts, industry mentorship, and an international community.

  • SingPro

    SingPro is the first and only fully mobile vocal training and vocal lessons program that works right off your phone, tablet, laptop and desktop computer! It is easy to use and will increase your vocal range, power, tone and pitch.

    Singers from all over the world use SINGPRO to warm up for a show, practice their songs, train with their teachers and build their voice.

  • Vocology In Practice

    ViP’s global network includes singing teachers, vocal coaches, songwriters, producers, music industry professionals, speech and language practitioners, ENT’s and laryngologists.

    We exist as a community committed to continuous professional development, education and networking via in person training, one on one mentorship, research, educational events, seminars, webinars and articles.

  • Spectrogram Analyzer

    I’m deeply interested in the ongoing scientific research of the voice and how the use of technology can support a singer’s growth and development.

    The spectrogram analyzer I created is a visual representation of the voice. It’s a software program that allows singers to see their unique vocal fingerprint in real time. To see “under the hood” and identify the sweet spots of their unique voice. Click on the link to use it and feel free to message me if you need help to understand its functions. p.s. - it's free :)

  • If You Believe

    If You Believe was a fundraiser for the West Coast Songwriting Association. It featured 75 of my voice students, it was written and directed by Dean Altit and a handful of Michael Jackson’s team produced it.

    The song charted no. 32 on the adult contemporary charts bringing together an amazing group of vocalists and creating visibility for the West Coast Songwriting Association. 

Get In Touch

Connect with personally using my information below:

If I can help, I’ll let you know. If not, I’ll be sure to have an alternative recommendation.

Email

dave@davestroud.com

Text

+1 (310) 818-9176

(I prefer text over phone call).