Testimonials

Stuart can bring out the best in others with his calm, humor and genuine interest. Vulnerability is important to be able to sing well, to really show and feel what you are singing. Stuart knows exactly how to pinpoint where there is room for improvement, and because of his respectful attitude and calm questions you soon get in better touch with your own feelings, which helps you sing better immediately. In addition, he has great knowledge of singing techniques, which he knows how to convey clearly. Stuart is a good one.

Krista

As a Singing teacher:

It may feel like quite a challenge to approach somebody like Stuart Sides and sing

with him listening, but it is so worth it.

He has helped me in various ways, some solutions would never have come to my mind! There were simple things like getting prepared, planning necessary steps as a quartet before getting started. He solved other more serious issues like my lack of breath. He pinpointed the reason for it, suggested an exercise and ... I can breathe freely now. I collected passages from our songs that I found difficult, either because the vowels sounded strange, the resonance was gone or the rhythm was intricate. After the lessons I always felt like Stuart had given me some new tools to fix the problems. My vocal range has changed, I can sing lower and higher notes than ever before.

In General:

Should you be looking for somebody to discuss music with, our roles as artists and our freedom, Stuart truly listens and helps to overcome self-doubt and unjustified criticism.

He seems to have a solution for any problem I have come up with and there were many, like vowels, resonance, rhythm, pitch,... I just love his mixture of patience and perseverance, this is what I need to thrive. His joy when the sound improves, is the best motivation :-) and he is so polite and considerate, takes my ideas seriously.

Monika

Stuart knows how to meet all my individual needs as a student and to encourage me. And all this with a fantastic mix of tranquility, high technical, pedagogical and psychological competence as well as the crucial pinch of humor. Highly recommended for imitation! 😊

Katrin

Stuart is in staat om snel zangtechnische problemen te zien/horen en een oplossing aan te dragen in een heel ontspannen en positieve sfeer. Een aanrader!

Ghislaine

On-line zangles genomen om de uitvoering van een specifiek nummer te verbeteren. Enkele goeie tips ontvangen, heel blij mee!

Cas

Stuart has taken our choir to the next level. He provides all sorts of voice exercises that not only allow the choir to grow as a whole but also allow each member of the choir to improve individually. His enthusiasm and drive are infectious. Stuart is professional, yet with a personal touch and a good sense of humour. During corona times it has also been very valuable that he is innovative and tech-savvy.

Willemijn

Stuart made quite the first impression a few years back, teaching a workshop during our annual choir weekend. He got many people in tears ten minutes in - and that was a good thing! We needed more storytelling, more energy, more emotion in our singing. And for that, we had to tap into our own emotions and experience. In just an hour, Stuart made us feel how we could improve. Naturally, we were very curious where he would take us as our new choir director, a few years later. And boy are we not disappointed. Stuart is driven, professional and so enthusiastic, it is contagious. He provides clear feedback and is not afraid to show his teeth in front of our ‘pack’ of women. Stuart has wonderful chemistry with our pianist as well. And he not only sees the choir as a whole, but each individual as a valuable part of it. Stuart pulled our choir to a new level – and beyond!

Popkoor Heart & Soul