Working Producer and HKU Master of Music Technology graduate teaching music production and artistry in Utrecht

As a musician, having a complicated relationship to singing, was an almost daily source of frustration. Javier very gently but professionally helped me do just the right physical warm-up and simple vocal excercises. Even in just two sessions, he managed to make me progress immensely, and gave me back the much needed confidence! Javier doesn’t just listen to your voice, but to how you ’tick’ and will adapt his teaching methods to whatever works for you. And he’ll make it enjoyable along the way. Not adhering to the classical teacher-student kind of vibe, Javier makes a session feel like going an exploration of using the voice together.

During one of my studio sessions, I hired Javier as a vocal coach for a very insecure singer I was working with. He guided him through singing his own backing vocals for the very first time. By taking the time for a proper preparation, and then steadily building the confidence of the singer, he got him into a super inspired spot which yielded great results. Javier knows what to say and what not to say.

I’d recommend Javier to anyone struggling with confidence or other mental issues blocking the joy for singing.

Javier as a vocal coach has been crucial to my training. Being a musician myself for 17 years, it has been the first time that I experienced this kind of training and care within a vocal session. Javier works with the student on a technical level, but also on a mental and somatic level. He has a gift of being able to observe the shifts that occur on those levels, and he's able to meet the student with compassion and safety. The most important thing for me has been to be able to be open and feel safe. This, in my opinion, is one of the most effective ways of training, and I can't recommend it enough.

As a beginning singer who can get in his own head a bit too much, Javier coached me into becoming a more relaxed, grounded performer. All throughout our lessons he demonstrated dedication and care, helping me get to know my own voice and confidently hone its strengths and uniquenesses.

I started as a vocal student with Javier after having had a few vocal teachers who had not been able to help me improve.
I have a lot of challenges surrounding the muscles around my mouth and throat, and a speech disorder, which gave me very specific hurdles to overcome to be able to sing the way I wanted to. After the first few lessons with Javier I finally had the feeling that I was starting to improve as a vocalist, which I had not had in years.

What I specifically enjoy about the way Javier teaches is that he has a wonderful combination of patience and curiosity. He takes the time to get to know the person in front of him, their goals, their musical interests, and their challenges and strengths. He then combines this with a deep and broad knowledge of singing and musicality, and genuine care for the improvement of the student. He is a very enthusiastic teacher, which helped me in wanting to put the effort in to improve. He has a very flexible approach, and easily manages to latch on to the thing that seems to be working for the student, instead of stubbornly trying to stick to what has worked with other students.

Even though life got in the way, and I didn't get to take nearly as many lessons as I would have wanted, the lessons I had with Javier have already made a lasting impact on both my skills as a vocalist and my relationship to my voice.
I would recommend Javier's lessons to anyone, and have in the past. Specifically, I feel like people who, like me, have a more complicated relationship to singing and their voice, especially benefit from the way Javier teaches.