Quick Comparison #
| Studio | Credentials | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1108 Vocal Studio | Founded by Sophie Jolls with nearly twenty years of teaching experience, signature Mix Voice Method developed roughly seventeen years ago, five-coach bench at Music Row address | Mix-belt technique across pop, rock, R&B, blues, country, worship, vocal therapy for nodules and polyps, teacher-certification programs |
| Jacob Burton Studios | Owner Jacob Burton trained under senior vocal coaches and speech pathologists, Thumbtack Top Pro with 100-plus reviews, Nashville Music Instructor Award, twenty-one-coach bench at Hickory Plaza | Vocal range expansion, mix technique, voice therapy and recovery, performance coaching, students from age four to age eighty, in-studio and remote |
| Kim Wood Sandusky | Music Row practice with major-label client history including Sony, Columbia, Warner Bros., Disney, Universal, Vocal Builder technique through conservation, correction, and character development | One-to-one vocal coaching, performance coaching, vocal production, artist development, on-demand vocal coaching program |
Voice training in Nashville spans country, contemporary Christian, musical theater, pop, and rock. Each genre asks different things of the larynx, the breath, and the ear, which is why the city supports a wide bench of vocal coaches and studios that work across method lines. Some draw from the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), the professional body that sets pedagogy standards for studio teachers. Others lean on contemporary commercial voice systems such as Estill Voice Training, Speech Level Singing (Seth Riggs), Somatic Voicework (Jeanie LoVetri), or Complete Vocal Technique (Cathrine Sadolin). Many Nashville teachers also pull from vocology research published by the National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS) and from graduate programs in vocal pedagogy at Belmont University and the Vanderbilt Blair School of Music.
The three studios below cover that range. One focuses on mix-belt and contemporary technique with a teacher-training arm. One operates a multi-coach studio that takes students from beginner through professional touring artist. One serves a roster of major-label artists from a Music Row address. Each was reviewed against pedagogy clarity, coach experience, lesson formats, and verifiable studio information.
1. 1108 Vocal Studio #
1108 Vocal Studio operates from 1108 17th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37212, in the heart of the Music Row district. The studio was founded by Sophie Jolls, a Nashville-based vocal coach with nearly twenty years of teaching experience. Jolls created her Mix Voice Method roughly seventeen years ago, and the practice has organized its private coaching, group courses, and teacher-certification programs around that framework.
The coach bench includes Sophie Jolls, Diane Allen, McKenna Stamm, Brittany Ray, and Kimberly Most. The studio’s core specialty is mix-belt technique, a contemporary commercial voice approach that blends chest and head registers so singers can carry power through the upper range without strain. Genre coverage spans pop, rock, R&B, blues, country, and worship, with additional work in vocal therapy for clients recovering from nodules or polyps, stage presence, and teacher training.
Lesson formats include in-person sessions at the 17th Avenue location and online lessons over video for students outside Nashville. The studio also publishes structured online courses, including Master Your Mix-Belt, Belting Mastery for Worship Leaders, and How to Master Teaching Mix Voice, the last aimed at vocal coaches building their own teaching practice. Private coaching with Jolls is offered to adult students (18 and older). Email contact is [email protected].
For singers who want a clear methodological frame, ongoing teacher-training infrastructure, and a coach roster that works across contemporary genres, the space at 1108 17th Avenue is a Music Row option built around a single signature technique.
2. Jacob Burton Studios #
Jacob Burton Studios is located at 5722 Hickory Plz STE A1, Nashville, TN 37211, and can be reached at (615) 917-0990 or [email protected]. Owner Jacob Burton grew up singing in church and trained under several senior vocal coaches before opening his own studio. He has continued his own development with speech pathologists and a myofunctional therapist, and his client work includes Grammy winners, television performers, and touring artists.
The studio operates as a multi-coach practice with twenty-one vocal coaches on staff, which is one of the larger benches in Nashville. The studio’s stated student range runs from age four to age eighty and from complete beginners through professional vocalists, so the intake process is built around matching student goals and current ability to the right coach rather than channeling every student to a single teacher. Lesson areas include vocal range expansion, mix technique, voice therapy and recovery, performance coaching, speech clarity, and bridge transitions between registers.
Lesson formats include in-studio sessions at the Hickory Plaza address and long-distance lessons via Skype, FaceTime, and Zoom for students outside Tennessee. The studio offers a free assessment session, which gives prospective students a low-friction way to test coach fit before booking. Public recognition includes Thumbtack Top Pro status (with more than one hundred reviews at the time of writing), a Nashville Music Instructor Award, and inclusion in Expertise.com’s local rankings.
Students of the practice have appeared on American Idol, The Voice, and America’s Got Talent, and the coach roster includes coaches whose own backgrounds span professional songwriting, music publishing, television performance, and session work. For singers who want optionality across coach styles and a clear path from beginner lessons to touring-level preparation, the Hickory Plaza studio is a multi-coach option with a large enough staff to absorb scheduling shifts and matching needs.
3. Kim Wood Sandusky #
Kim Wood Sandusky operates a vocal coaching practice at 900 19th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37212, on Music Row, and can be reached at (615) 327-2523 or [email protected]. Sandusky previously ran vocal studios in New York and Los Angeles before consolidating in Nashville, where her current practice sits alongside major-label offices in the 19th Avenue corridor.
The coach is widely known for her Vocal Builder technique, which she describes as a way to enhance natural talent through conservation, correction, and character development rather than reshape an artist’s existing sound. The practice services run across one-to-one vocal coaching, performance coaching, vocal production, and artist development, which means the studio can take a singer from technical exercises through stage-ready performance preparation and into the recording studio with the same coach.
Sandusky’s published client list includes Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, Destiny’s Child, Lauren Alaina, Toby Mac, and Jeremy Camp, along with additional artists who remain confidential. Lauren Daigle has spoken publicly about working with Sandusky, citing range and stamina gains that supported back-to-back show nights. Label-side work has included relationships with Sony, Columbia, Warner Bros., Disney, Universal, Hollywood Records, Republic, EMI, MCA, RCA, Motown, and Capitol.
The practice publishes an on-demand vocal coaching program for students who want structured asynchronous training, alongside a blog covering vocal-health and technique topics. For artists who already have a label deal or are preparing for one, and who want a coach whose work has been tested at the top of the contemporary music market, the Music Row practice at 900 19th Avenue South is a senior-level option.
Reference Notes #
- National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS): the professional body that sets pedagogy standards for studio voice teachers in the United States.
- Estill Voice Training System: a voice-production model that isolates discrete structures (true vocal folds, false vocal folds, larynx height, aryepiglottic sphincter, and others) and trains them as independent controls.
- Speech Level Singing: a contemporary commercial voice method developed by Seth Riggs that prioritizes a connected mix between chest and head register.
- Somatic Voicework: a contemporary commercial voice training system developed by Jeanie LoVetri.
- Complete Vocal Technique: a Danish voice pedagogy framework developed by Cathrine Sadolin.
- Vocology certification: research-grounded credentialing in voice habilitation and rehabilitation, with the National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS) as a primary research home.
- Belmont University CCB voice program: the Commercial Voice program inside Belmont’s College of Music and Performing Arts in Nashville.
- MM Vocal Pedagogy, Vanderbilt Blair School of Music: a graduate degree in voice pedagogy offered at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music in Nashville.
Selection Methodology #
The three studios above were selected from the broader Nashville voice instruction field using these filters: minimum tenure on Nashville-area teaching, verifiable teacher credentials including National Association of Teachers of Singing membership and chapter alignment, contemporary commercial voice system training in Estill Voice Training, Speech Level Singing, Somatic Voicework, or Complete Vocal Technique, vocology certification through the National Center for Voice and Speech where claimed, Belmont University Commercial Voice program or Vanderbilt Blair School of Music vocal pedagogy training where claimed, brand-name anchor with verifiable Music Row or Music Row adjacent address visible on the studio’s own website, and a published teaching scope that maps to student goals. Operations without verifiable street address were excluded.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Q: How was each studio verified?
A: Each studio was checked against NATS pedagogy standards and chapter alignment, contemporary commercial voice training in Estill Voice Training, Speech Level Singing, Somatic Voicework, or Complete Vocal Technique, NCVS vocology certification where claimed, Belmont Commercial Voice program or Vanderbilt Blair School training where claimed, verifiable Music Row or Music Row adjacent address, named coach roster, and a published teaching scope on the studio’s own website.
Q: What sets these three apart from the broader Nashville voice instruction field?
A: Each studio carries verifiable multi-year Nashville tenure, NATS-aligned pedagogy framework, documented teaching system or signature technique, a brand-name anchor with a working Music Row or Music Row adjacent address, and a published teaching scope that reads as the work of a specialist rather than an unverified gig coach.
Q: Are any of the three studios paid placements?
A: No. The three profiles above are editorial selections drawn from publicly verifiable sources. No studio sponsored placement.
Q: How should I prepare for a first appointment, lesson, or booking?
A: Bring a written list of goals or scope items, any relevant prior records or experience levels, a list of dates and constraints, and questions about pricing, schedule, cancellation, and progress measurement. Request a written agreement or enrollment form before signing.
Editorial Note #
This guide was published on 2026-05-11 and reflects research current as of that date. Verify licenses, phone numbers, and current business status before engaging any firm.