Student testimonials
"Kaine Hayward is certainly a special voice pedagogue with a vast knowledge and a human empathy. I truly owe him a lot for the vocal development that I have made under his guidance in a relatively short period of time. Here I would like to further discuss a few of the qualities that make me appreciate him as a distinguished voice teacher.
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From a technical point of view it has been Kaine‘s ability to address the root of the problem that has helped my instrument to grow up and settle in my body. He is very persistant and demanding, almost rigorous and “fanatic” about certain vocal issues and mistakes; and in the long term, his approach has really paid off. His way of teaching support and breath management has been different from my experiences beforehand and has made a huge impact on my vocal freedom and volume in the middle range as well as given me a secure top and high notes.
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I feel like working with Kaine has made me independent! I neither feel any kind of co-dependency to him, nor sense a kind of “ownership” from him as a teacher. In fact, I see him less frequently by now and am still able to keep myself in shape, do satisfying work on my own and feel (mostly) good and at ease about myself and my voice. Yet, when I do go for that lesson, it is always full of new information and intensive work. We do not go from where we left off maybe a few weeks, or even months ago, but where I am currently on my vocalism on that particular day and moment.
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I would definitely recommend Kaine to singers with funky and/or dramatic voices who desperately seek for answers and especially for singers like me who have trouble fitting in!"
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-Ireene, mezzo-soprano (Germany)
"Kaine Hayward is a very sensitive teacher with no ego but a vast knowledge of not only voice technique but also style and taste. He‘s a fantastic pianist and knows the repertoire which gives him the ability to combine the tasks of an voice teacher and a vocal coach.
I love working with him since we wonderfully exhilarating "speak the same language of sensations of the voice" - he knows what I feel in any given moment. That enables him to quickly correct faulty vocal habits. For me as a professional singer it is very important that he doesn’t waste my time and doesn’t bullshit me. I can, will and did highly recommend him."
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-Michael, tenor (Germany)
Kaine Hayward is a fine teacher, musician, and a true vocal technician! Kaine is someone I would call an expert vocal diagnostician who has helped me refocus after my post-pandemic slump. He has helped me regain confidence and has helped nurture my voice as I face new professional challenges. Not only can he uncover some of your personal vocal struggles almost instantly, but he is also armed with the right tools and methods to help you progress on your vocal journey no matter what stage you are at.
Kaine takes the mystery out of singing and gives you the right advice and skills to help you build a reliable technique, making each day a good singing day. I consider myself fortunate to have such a kind, helpful and balanced guide as him.
Kaine is a real-deal Maestro without any of the histrionics or possessiveness that can be associated with the term. He is genuinely invested in making his students become the best singers they can be. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to a singing career which is why I recommend working with Kaine so that you can begin forging your own unique singing path.
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- Audrey, soprano (Hungary)
"When I began working with Kaine, I was in a dire state vocally. After a period of illness, my voice had ceased to function and my technique wasn't working anymore. Having previously trained as a light lyric soprano, my singable range was reduced to just over an octave in the middle of my voice. That which remained was extremely weak and airy. I had no joy or confidence in singing whatsoever and struggled in this state for some months. I also had a major competition in just over a month and was desperate for a solution.
After just over a week of work, my range was completely restored, if still tentative and disconnected. Within a few weeks, my voice was far stronger and more beautiful than it had been before. I was awarded the first prize in that major competition the very next week after giving what was easily the best performance of my life. Kaine and worked together intensively, almost every day, for the next six months building my voice and laying the groundwork for my new technique. After just 18 months working with Kaine and applying his technical principles in my own practice, I was discovered in an audition. I have now sung several major roles in international A-houses, including Violetta and Mimi."​
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-Daria, soprano (Switzerland)
“Being a dramatic tenor, I used to have problems with nasality, wobbling and forcing my high notes. Kaine has an incredible arsenal of tools in his toolbox and has truly helped me achieve a higher level of singing, which in turn has led to many engagements. He is remarkably intelligent and highly knowledgeable with both technique and repertoire."
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-John, tenor (Sweden)
I first started working with Kaine in 2023, and it was one of the best decisions of my life to make that investment and connection with him. His approach might seem a bit unorthodox to some, but it is rooted strongly in tradition. More than that, what he does actually works, and is personal to where everyone is at, and the particular issues they face.
I've also worked with him as a vocal coach and on some of my one-woman shows as a pianist and he is unfailingly kind, supportive, collaborative, focused and insightful in his feedback, which is never delivered in a less than 100% professional way. I trust him implicitly as a sounding board not just on all things vocal, but also how I've presented myself to the opera world and he has proven himself, time and time again, to be a vital part of recent successes I've had in the opera world. I know a lot of people will say this, but he really is the secret weapon in many a professional opera singer's artillery - he certainly is in mine!
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-Gráinne, contralto (Ireland)
“I met Kaine in October 2019 and quickly realized that he knew more about the vocal mechanism than anyone I had ever met. I've remained with him ever since. I sang for many years as a coloratura, but as my voice matured it became clear that I needed to move into heavier repertoire. Unfortunately, the technique I had been using did not allow my voice to shine convincingly.
With Kaine's guidance, I was able to significantly increase the size and warmth of my low and middle range, as well as to develop powerful squillo. I am now an award-winning Verdian soprano and have just signed a contract to cover a huge specialist role with a major A-house in the UK."
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-Jillian, soprano (USA)
"I have been working with Kaine for about 1.5 years. Through our work, I understand much better how the voice works as an instrument and have developed mine in a way that allows me to feel confident and secure while performing. And most importantly I have found my lost love of singing and practicing!
Thank you Kaine for helping me to realize my potential as a singer. You are a treasure!"
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-Georgia, soprano (Greece)
"My name is Jennifer, I am a mezzo-soprano. I studied at many music conservatories, including the conservatories in Berlin, Leipzig and Lyon, and had many teachers during this time, who unfortunately could not really really help me with my singing technique. Especially the low notes, which are so important for a mezzo, and the middle register as well as the passagio were a problem, and so were the high notes. None of my teachers had taught me any real craft, one of the teachers even said that one should not use the chest voice. Completely useless for a mezzo-soprano. For baroque arias in the middle register, my voice was quite suitable at the time of my graduation in 2019, but for the classical and romantic repertoire I started to have difficulties. So I didn't have a solid technique after I graduated, nor did I know how to warm up specifically.
Kaine gave my voice exactly what it was lacking within a few weeks. I met him in August 2020 and have been working with him ever since. Especially during the Corona time, we worked intensively on my voice and technique. Already in the first lesson he was able to tell exactly what my
voice needed and what the causes of my technical deficits were. Surprisingly for me, my problems with low and high notes were due to a weak middle register. No teacher had been able to tell me that before. I always thought that the middle register ran naturally. However, my voice lacked the necessary closure of the vocal cord there, too much air was going through, which is why I was forcing and the voice did not have enough strength.
Therefore, we trained the vocal cord closure, the low register, chest voice and the passagio with targeted exercises. In addition, there was body work, how to support properly as well as the connections between diaphragm, loose jaw, the correct lip position, vowels and consonants.
The continuous work with Kaine led to rapid improvement and also expansion of my vocal range. Suddenly I could sing Bel Canto repertoire like Rosina's Aria without getting vocally tired. The voice since working with Kaine, is more sustainable, more carrying, more flexible, my timbre has gained warmth, the voice has much more focus and is technically more stable. Also, the passagio in the low and high notes is now hardly noticeable and much more balanced. In addition, I finally know how to warm up properly, depending on my daily shape and the repertoire, with exercises tailored to it.
Kaine is a very talented singer and coach who thoroughly understands his craft and also the anatomy of the vocal apparatus (unlike most teachers at colleges). He enjoys teaching and is passionate about it. He has a good ear for listening carefully to weaknesses and technique problems, and always has the right solution ready.
He approaches each singer and their vocal constitution and challenges individually. I can only recommend working with him!"
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-Jennifer, mezzo-soprano (Germany)