Expert Voice Lessons: Insights from Ivanna Taratula Filipenko, Piano Instructor at Pleasanton Academy of Music
Posted on November 29, 2025
Finding the right voice lessons in Pleasanton or the larger East Bay can be the key that unlocks a lifelong passion for singing. With so many vocal programs available, parents and adult students often wonder: What makes a great voice teacher? How do vocal lessons actually work? What skills will a singer develop at each level?
Voice lessons can have a profound, positive impact on a person’s life, offering life-changing benefits that go beyond music and enrich overall well-being. A strong singing voice is developed through consistent practice and expert guidance.
To help guide families and aspiring singers, we turned to our very own instructor, Ivanna Taratula Filipenko—a Ukrainian-American mezzo-soprano with more than twenty-six years of performance and teaching experience. Ivanna teaches voice lessons in Pleasanton at Pleasanton Academy of Music and is known throughout the East Bay for her warm, expressive sound and classical European training. She has helped many students develop their singing voice, whether they are beginners or aspiring professional singers.
With Ivanna’s training and guidance, students can progress from a novice to a professional singer, gaining the skills and confidence needed to perform at the highest level.
This article explores the fundamentals of vocal lessons, the stages of development for beginning, intermediate, and advanced singers, and what makes vocal study with Ivanna and Pleasanton Academy of Music such a transformative experience, thanks to the guidance of professional vocal coaches.
Why Vocal Lessons Matter — For Children, Teens, and Adults
Singing is one of the most personal and expressive forms of music-making. Unlike piano or violin, where the instrument sits outside the body, the voice is the instrument. Before we learn to sing, we first learn to talk, and speech forms the foundation for vocal expression. This makes vocal lessons uniquely special — and uniquely important. Voice lessons help students learn how to sing effectively through structured guidance.
Professional vocal instruction ensures:
- Healthy technique
- Correct breath support, where breath pressure can influence vocal tone and quality
- Proper posture
- Safe vocal range development
- Prevention of strain or injury
Experienced teachers guide students through the fundamentals of singing, including breathing, posture, and vocal technique. Lessons are tailored to all skill levels, from beginner singers to advanced performers.
A great East Bay vocal coach helps students build confidence, musicality, and artistic identity while nurturing vocal health. There is a noticeable difference between trained and untrained voices, especially in vocal quality and performance. Instruction goes far beyond singing songs — it shapes discipline, emotional expression, performance skills, and lifelong love for music.
At Pleasanton Academy of Music, Ivanna believes every student has a unique voice worth cultivating. Whether you’re in Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, San Ramon, or Danville, voice lessons can help children, teens, and adults grow into expressive and confident performers. Having fun during lessons is important for motivation and steady progress.
Meet the Instructor: Ivanna Taratula Filipenko
Pleasanton Voice Lessons Led by a World-Class Artist
Ivanna Taratula Filipenko is a Ukrainian-American mezzo-soprano, vocal instructor, and music educator whose artistic career spans opera, folk music, contemporary works, and major international performances.
She specializes in teaching:
- Classical voice
- Bel Canto technique
- Musical theatre
- Broadway & Disney
- Pop, jazz, rock, contemporary styles
- Audition and performance preparation
Each lesson is tailored to the student’s individual needs and goals, ensuring a structured and outcome-focused approach to vocal training.
Ivanna offers both in-person and online voice lessons, allowing students to enroll in a course or choose from a variety of courses covering different singing styles, including pop, rock, and jazz.
Ivanna debuted professionally in Europe in 1994 with the Opole Philharmonic in Poland and has since performed major roles including Carmen, Azucena, Olga, Ulrica, Konchakovna, and Halya. Her extensive background brings unmatched depth to her voice lessons in Pleasanton and throughout the East Bay.
She holds a Double Master’s Degree in Music and Music Education from the Lviv National Music Academy and completed additional vocal training at BASOTI’s Opera Singers for the Future program.
At Pleasanton Academy of Music, Ivanna combines:
- European vocal traditions
- Healthy functional technique
- Student-centered teaching
- Warm, supportive guidance
Identifying a student’s voice type is an important step in customizing their singing lessons to best support their unique vocal qualities and goals.
Her lessons are rooted in the classical foundations of the Bel Canto method — focusing on control, breath, resonance, placement, and artistry, and are available as structured courses to support every singer’s development.
What to Expect from Voice Lessons at Pleasanton Academy of Music
Every person receives a fully personalized experience, including private singing lessons tailored to their skill level. Lessons may include:
- Breath support & diaphragmatic control, with exercises to expand the chest and ribs during breathing
- Proper vowel formation
- Developing resonance
- Expanding vocal range
- Sight-singing and ear training
- Musical interpretation
- Stage presence & confidence building
- Performance coaching with feedback to improve vocal technique
- Repertoire selection
- Recording preparation
- Techniques for auditions and competitions
- Step-by-step guidance
- Regular practice routines
Singing simple, comfortable songs and responding to auditory feedback is a key part of each lesson. Students learn to respond to the sounds they hear by making real-time adjustments to their pitch and intonation, which helps improve their singing with every lesson.
For younger students, Ivanna creates an inspiring, playful environment that builds confidence without overwhelming them. For teens and adults, lessons become more detailed and technique-focused.
Consistent practice and focused breathing exercises are essential for ongoing vocal development.
Beginner Voice Lessons — Building the Foundation
Beginner singing lessons (children, teens, or adults) focus on fundamentals that set students up for healthy long-term vocal development.
Beginners learn:
- How to breathe properly for singing
- Practicing vocal exercises, such as lip trills, to build foundational skills
- Matching pitch, learning to hear and tune their voice to the correct note
- Singing simple, comfortable songs and responding to auditory feedback to improve their singing; careful song selection helps beginners build confidence and avoid common mistakes
- Keeping good posture
- Healthy vocal habits
- Understanding chest voice and head voice
- Building confidence
This stage is incredibly exciting because students see quick progress. Parents in Pleasanton and the East Bay are often amazed at how much their children grow within the first few months. Through regular practice, students experience the satisfaction of having learned new skills and songs.
Intermediate Voice Lessons — Growing Range, Style & Expression
Intermediate singers begin exploring more advanced skills while experimenting with different styles. Students may begin singing:
- Jazz
- Pop
- Broadway
- Disney
- Classical
- Musical theatre
Intermediate lessons include:
- Expanding vocal range with breathing techniques that expand the chest and enhance vocal flexibility
- Stronger breath control
- Exercises for intonation, rhythm, and phrasing, including maintaining tempo during performances
- Introduction to vocal runs and vibrato
- Building performance confidence by collaborating with other musicians and learning to play instruments in group settings
- Exploring stylistic techniques
This stage is where singers start feeling like real performers. Intermediate lessons help students enhance their skills and play music with others, fostering teamwork and musical growth.
Advanced Voice Lessons — Technique Mastery & Professional Development
Advanced singers benefit from Ivanna’s deep expertise as a performer and instructor. Advanced students may aspire to become professional singers, seeking to refine their craft for a career in music. This advanced training is specifically designed to help students achieve the skills necessary to perform as a professional singer.
Advanced vocal training includes:
- Mastering vibrato
- Advanced resonance control
- Refining tone quality across registers, including mastering the production of different sounds and notes
- Learning stylistic nuance and interpreting how notes are sung in various styles
- Complex vocal runs and agility
- Exploring different voice types and developing unique voices
- Performance preparation
- Audition coaching
- Opera, classical, jazz, or Broadway specialization
- Recording studio preparation
- Multi-language diction training
Advanced students often work toward:
- Competitions
- MTAC evaluations
- College auditions
- Carnegie Hall programs
- Solo recitals
- Roles in theatre and opera
Ivanna ensures every advanced student receives the high-level coaching they need to succeed. Advanced lessons are tailored to different skill levels and help students further develop their voices.
Why Choose Pleasanton Academy of Music for Voice Lessons?
Families across Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, San Ramon, Castro Valley, Danville, and the greater East Bay choose Pleasanton Academy of Music because:
Many students have heard positive feedback from friends and family about their progress and improvement.
World-class instructors
Personalized private lessons
Proper vocal technique from professionals
A supportive, inspiring environment
Multiple performance opportunities
Multi-genre training
Strong preparation for auditions & competitions
Whether a student wants to sing Disney songs, Broadway shows, pop hits, jazz standards, or classical arias, Ivanna helps them grow with healthy technique and artistic confidence.
Ready to Start Vocal Lessons in Pleasanton?
Whether you’re a beginner wanting to explore your voice or an advanced singer aiming for performance-level refinement, voice lessons in Pleasanton with Ivanna Taratula Filipenko offer exceptional instruction and artistic guidance.
Voice Lessons in Pleasanton (Ages 5–Adult) – Classical, Broadway, Disney, Pop, Jazz, Opera – Professional Vocal Technique – East Bay’s Trusted Vocal Coach
Pleasanton Academy of Music welcomes new students who are ready to discover their voice, grow their confidence, and experience the joy of singing with a passionate and dedicated instructor. As part of your learning experience, you can access video tutorials and online voice lessons, including options inspired by courses from Berklee Online. Enroll in a course or choose from a variety of courses tailored to different singing styles and goals.
