Parent & Student Testimonials
“Shannon is an exceptional teacher. In every session she addresses artistry, technique, and music theory. I have felt myself grow in capability and in confidence under her mentorship. She is truly the most insightful, caring, and motivating teacher that I have had in my 15 years of lessons. It is not easy to find a teacher with such a true passion for teaching!”
– Adrea (23), student
“Finding the right vocal coach that understands you, adapts to your needs and motivates you beyond what you thought you were capable of is incredibly hard. Trust me when I say that Shannon Mercer is the best vocal teacher you will ever find, especially if your passion is opera. Under her tutelage, I was accepted to the Canadian Children’s Opera Company’s principal chorus and had the incredible opportunity to perform in the Canadian Opera Company’s Turandot and Hansel and Gretel productions. She tapped into an unknown potential that I never knew I had, and I am beyond grateful and lucky to have had Shannon as my teacher and mentor.”
– Ashley (14), student
“I’d like to start this off by saying Shannon is the best vocal teacher I’ve ever had. Her patience and guidance have really helped me in the time I’ve been her student. She helped me achieve my singing goals and taught me new techniques which really helped me improve. She taught me how to do runs and how to breathe properly to be able to hold a note. She always believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. Although I’m sad to see her go, I’m grateful for the time she was here, all that I learned and what I have achieved. She is incredibly talented and I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher. Thank you so much Shannon.”
– Kiara (15), student
“Shannon is the best!! Not only is she an incredible teacher, but she is also kind and supportive, and very skilled. Doing vocal lessons with her helped me greatly improve my voice and performance skills. She encouraged me to try new things and was very patient anytime I struggled. Vocal lessons with Shannon are also FUN! Even on bad days, I looked forward to singing and having a laugh with her. I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher and mentor.”
– Emilie (19), student
“Shannon has been my vocal teacher for the past 2 years, and every lesson is a highlight of my week. She has taught me how to greatly improve my singing abilities, has taught me Musical Theory, and has even helped me with acting before auditions. I highly recommend her.”
– Dylan (15), student
“I enjoy working with Shannon because she has helped improve my singing skills. I have become more confident when I perform. Shannon is helpful and supportive, and I am happy to go to my lessons! I have learned a lot in this past session!”
– Addie (12), student
“I have a lot of fun working with Shannon. For the voice part of the lesson, she helps me a lot and we do really interesting warmups before singing. For the piano part I can now play songs on my own and I can read music much better. Shannon also introduced me to things in singing and piano I never knew before and even though I had no idea what most things were, she taught me quickly!”
– Tilly (10), student
“Shannon is the best singing teacher I could ask for. I really became a better singer while working with her. I can sing higher notes thanks to the advice she gave me. I also feel like I have more confidence because of her help. She is an amazing teacher and I couldn’t ask for another person to teach me.”
– Giulia, student
“I love working with Shannon. Not only is she so nice, but she makes the lessons fun. I feel like I have improved so much with her as my teacher. I always look forward to my lessons with her!”
– Kayla (13), student
“I greatly enjoyed working with Shannon as my singing instructor. She helped improve my singing ability and I felt so much more confident going into auditions and during productions because of her help. She also taught me a lot of theory which she made enjoyable and easy to understand. She was an awesome teacher and I would definitely recommend her!”
– Dylan (13), student
“We feel so fortunate to have found Shannon. When my daughter first met Shannon, she was feeling a lot of self-doubt regarding her singing abilities. Shannon saw her potential and worked with her to develop the technique and discipline that a serious vocalist needs in order to reach their goals. Over the course of a year, we watched our daughter blossom from a shy and uncertain singer to becoming a confident vocalist, performing with the Canadian Children’s Opera Company before sold-out crowds at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. We will be forever grateful that our daughter had the opportunity to train with a master vocal coach. Thank you, Shannon!”
– Loretta, parent
“Shannon is an amazing vocal teacher – she is encouraging, supportive and kind! Since working with Shannon, my daughter’s vocal abilities and confidence have soared. I highly recommend Shannon to anyone looking to improve their vocal skills.”
– Adina, parent
“Shannon has been teaching my son singing for the last 2 years. He always looks forward to his weekly lessons.
Shannon is patient, optimistic, caring and fun. She goes beyond just teaching singing , she has taught my son music theory, has helped him before auditions not just with the music, but with acting too!
I highly recommend Shannon; she is amazing at what she does.”
– Audrey, parent
“My girls started music lessons with Shannon Mercer in the Summer of 2020. Being the pandemic, the girls only know Shannon virtually, which is a strange way to start a teacher/student relationship, but it has gone so well! The girls are eager to work hard and practise for themselves and for Shannon and have grown so much within the last 10 months! I overhear the beginning of their online lessons, and Shannon is always warm and cheerful when she greets them. Shannon also communicates with me regularly, so I know the girls are challenged and pushed to do their best and learn proper skills whether working on their piano, voice, or theory exercises. We are so pleased our girls are getting their music education from Shannon.”
– Meghan, parent
“Our daughter always loved to sing but it was after she started taking vocal lessons with Shannon two years ago that her talent started to develop to its full potential. Shannon is fantastic in all aspects that pertain to vocal instructions. She inspires the child and our daughter’s confidence, both with singing and all other aspects of her life, has improved greatly. We feel that with Shannon guiding her vocal development, she will achieve her goal of becoming a great singer one day and will carry the lessons and skills she learned with Shannon for life. We couldn’t be happier and would strongly recommend Shannon to anyone who wants to become a great singer.”
– Monica & Gus, parents
“My daughter has been taking weekly vocal lessons with Shannon for a number of years now and, I can honestly say that her vocal technique and her natural teaching ability has taken Kiara’s voice to a whole new level. Shannon’s supportive, patient and encouraging approach to singing has given Kiara the confidence to audition and gain entry into a vocal program at a Toronto based arts high school and participate in musical theatre troupes. Shannon’s operatic career is an inspiration to Kiara and, given Shannon’s exceptional vocal skills, she is honoured to be taught by a true professional in the field. We highly recommend Shannon and her studio to students of all ages who are interested in vocal lessons.”
– Nancy, parent
“Shannon’s expertise combined with her warm personality made her a wonderful singing instructor for our son, Dylan. Not only did she improve his technical and theoretical skills, but she also increased his confidence and his love of music. We would highly recommend her for any student!”
– Lynne and Andrew, parents
“I just wanted tell you how incredibly impressed we are with what you have taught [our son]. He had to choose a song [for school] that shows feelings of isolation and analyze the song – both its lyrics and its musical elements. He chose the song On My Own from Les Miserables. When he read me his answer to analyze the lyrics, I was impressed by his level of depth but when he went on to explain and then demonstrate the musical elements, my jaw hit the floor. He talked about major vs minor and demonstrated the difference and how the notes would change if it was major instead of minor. He talked about terms that I can’t even remember about tempo. He talked about all kinds of musical terms that I have no idea what he was saying about various elements of the song. When I recovered my power of speech and asked him how he knew all that he said with a smile “Shannon taught me”. All I can say is that you are clearly an incredible teacher – he has clearly understood these terms and can apply his knowledge to new musical pieces- he literally blew me away! Just thought that you should know. I know as a teacher myself, it is always so rewarding to hear when your teaching has made a real impact on someone and clearly you have done just that. I had no idea that [my son’s] understanding of musical theory was at that level. Thank you!”
– Lynne, parent