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Kathryn Kennedy

IVA Master Teacher

Kathy brings over 25 years of real-world experience as a singer to her thriving teaching practice. She has enjoyed a long performance career in the San Francisco music scene. As a lead singer in one of the Bay Area’s most sought-after party bands, she has performed before thousands at corporate events around the world, opening for acts like Sheryl Crow, Donna Summer, and Tony Bennett.

As a backup singer, she has performed with Bonnie Raitt, Elvin Bishop, Ronnie Spector (The Ronettes), Eddie Money, Bill Spooner (The Tubes), and Al Jardine (The Beach Boys). Kathy has also shared the stage with members of Santana, Tower of Power, Chris Isaak, and the Steve Miller Band. She also toured with Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, singing lead as well as backups.

Kathy began teaching voice, in addition to performing, in 1996. Remembering her first experiences with voice teachers who couldn’t show her how to sing high notes with ease, she went on a mission to find more balanced and effective ways of singing. After years of searching and practicing, she was able to find great tools and practical ways to get her voice to blend and mix. She decided she wanted to share these great technical tools with other singers and teachers to promote not only great singing, but also great voice teaching around the world.

She started studying with Seth Riggs, and by 2007 she was asked to join a small eight-person team of Master Teachers of his technique. Now a Master Teacher and co-founder of IVA, she has trained voice teachers and taught public workshops in Europe, Asia, Australia, and Canada, as well as in the U.S.

She greatly enjoys working with people of all levels of development. As a teacher, Kathy has a wonderful ability to meet each student at their level and tailors lessons to what her students' particular issues are to help them reach their desired goals. She can quickly analyze a voice and get it functioning better. Her students rave about how she has helped them develop the technical skills they need to feel confident. Whether her students are total beginners or seasoned pros, she helps singers understand how the voice works and how to get the most out of it.

Have you wondered how style affects vocal balance in the voice? Find out in today's blog post.…

Are you a voice teacher who has transgender students? IVA Master Teacher Kathy Kennedy has some top tips on how to teach effectively in a safe space…

IVA Master Teacher Kathy Kennedy reminds us that good vocal technique is the basis to all styles of singing, and that most styles will require it…