It is my pleasure to write a testimonial regarding Ms. Anne Bergsma.
Anne was my daughter, Ruth Ann’s private voice teacher for two years. Ruth Ann and I both feel very privileged to have known Anne. She is a wonderful, spirited individual. The growth Ruth Ann experienced during her time with Anne is truly extraordinary.
Musically, Anne is a true technician. She is committed to teaching voice accurately. Anne stresses the importance of musical components such as Breath Support, Posture, Diction and Intonation. She is also very skilled in selecting literature that is appropriate to the individual voice. Another valuable asset that Anne possesses is experience and knowledge of correct pronunciation in several languages including Italian, German, French and English.
Ruth Ann’s experience with Anne Bergsma and other voice teachers has inspired her to pursue a degree in vocal music performance and hopefully establish a career in the Classical and Broadway venues. Ruth Ann also wishes to one day teach private voice. This in itself is a tremendous testimonial to Anne, as my daughter feels strongly that she has been blessed to have worked with Anne and is committed to helping future young vocal students.
Connie S.
Anne and I met for a free trial lesson in the early part of 10th grade when I first truly began to develop a serious interest in singing, and I was very impressed by not only her kind, warm, and always cheerful professionalism but also by her emphasis on technique, doing what feels right, working with your body, and actual scientific, anatomical explanations for how to sing. I was hooked. She is fun and funny and makes vocal practice fun! And I saw results, a change in my own voice and confidence in my own voice. Yes, it did take time, and I studied with her for three years, but I could feel and hear an obvious growth in the maturity of my own voice. She was honest about the harsh realities of the music industry (back when I still contemplated being a music major, but for flute), but she has also been a constant inspiration and gave me the motivation and resources to just go for it all the time.
Teresa P.
I so enjoyed working with Anne. She is so pleasant to be around and I learned so much from her Anne's communication style made is very easy for me to understand the techniques she was teaching. Those, and exercises she taught me, made so much sense to me - they were very simple but so helpful, and right to the point. Anne is great at teaching you about what you need to know to develop, including how to incorporate style into your performance. While Anne challenges you to continually aim higher (literally - in order to hit th ehigh notes more solidly! but also in regards to trying harder) she is very supportive and encouraging. She compliments you when you do a good job, and is constructive when she has feedback that is valuable to learn from. During the couple of years that I spent with Anne (that I had to temporarily suspend only in order to have a baby) I believe my talent increased dramatically. I recommend Anne without hesitation. - Chris E.
I had the good fortune and pleasure to work with Anne a few years back. I had never had a voice teacher, and was quite nervous about it. Anne made me comfortable immediately. She took her time with me. I never felt rushed into anything before it was time, but I also felt I was challenged to see where I could go with my voice. I am not a professional singer, but have always loved music and enjoyed singing.
I looked forward to my lessons. I found that I could actually do some deep breathing, something I always had trouble with and was quite pleased with the way I sang many of the pieces. It was a great experience. It helped me develop my voice, my confidence around singing out loud and with others, and it brought the joy of using my voice to my life. - Chris I.
I took a year and a half of lessons with Anne, and I grew immensely in my technique and musicianship as a vocalist during that time. Although I was struggling with pain from acid reflux, Anne was extremely patient with me and always encouraged me. I am very grateful to her for recommending a throat specialist to me and for generously offering to help me with any vocal issues I had; she even offered to work with me outside of my lesson time. I hope to be a music pastor in a church one day, and I know the vocal technique I learned from Anne will benefit me in immeasurable ways in the future. I highly recommend her as a vocal instructor. - Nichole S.
I started taking vocal lessons from Anne Bergsma in the summer of 2015, never having sung before in my life. Anne was honest and forthright from the very beginning, explaining to me the basics of singing from warming up, to singing with proper support, to ear training and so much more. As a former competitive weightlifter, I understood the importance of being trained by someone who had performed and competed themselves, as experiential learning is not something that can be replaced with classroom or studio work, only supplemented. Anne has these experiences to teach from, as an accomplished and well-traveled opera singer with an impeccable musical pedigree, having been taught by world class teachers herself. I could go on and on about vocal techniques that I've learned from Anne, but I think that it would be more helpful to say that if you are in the market for a vocal coach, your search is over. If Anne can't help you improve your singing, you probably can't be helped. Anne's integrity and dedication to the purity of vocal music are such that I don't think there is an incentive or amount of money that would cause her to be anything but direct and truthful as it pertains to the skills, needs and vocal health of her students. Given the inherent vulnerability in singing, it is imperative to be taught by someone who understands the rigors and ups and downs of performing, as Anne unequivocally does. In just four short years, Anne has trained, prepared and mentored me through several performances and auditions, not to mention in-session vocal coaching for my debut album - always striking the right balance between pushing me to be my best, and making sure I'm not to hard on myself. In closing, if you haven't already gathered it, my advice is to hire Anne! - Steve H.