New York Vocal Coaching was established in 2005 by leading vocal technician Justin Stoney. We firmly believe that everyone can — and was meant to — sing and make music. Our renowned vocal coaches and staff members execute our vision every day.
We teach students of all ages from all walks of life local to New York City out of our Midtown Manhattan studio, as well as through online/Skype sessions.
Click on a staff member to learn more.
Founder and President
An internationally-recognized voice teacher and vocal coach, voted one of New York City’s "Best Voice Teachers and Vocal Coaches" by Backstage readers.
Senior Voice Teacher, Head of Vocal Development, Co-Director of New York Acting Coaching
One the leading instructors of Contemporary Voice in New York City, with clients ranging from Broadway performers to Classical and sacred music singers to professional rock & pop artists.
Director of NYVC Australia/Senior Voice Teacher Associate
Zac’s clients have reached the Top #10 on the US Billboard Charts, have been featured in Hollywood Films, Television Shows & Commercials and have worked as backing singers and band members for Mariah Carey, Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Hall & Oates, Tina Turner and Dave Brubeck.
Senior Voice Teacher Associate
A Senior Voice Teacher Associate specializing in voice technique for Musical Theatre, Pop/Rock/R&B and singer/songwriters, and Classical music.
MA CCC-SLP, Senior Instructor and Head of Corporate Training
Brendan specializes in corporate training with an emphasis on fundraising, pitch decks, sales calls, presentation delivery, and negotiation & persuasion tactics. His clients come from Google, Disney, Forbes, Nasdaq, Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Capital One, MetLife, and Amazon, among others.
Senior Voice Teacher Associate
Kristy specializes in teaching Contemporary Commercial Music styles such as Pop, Rock, Musical Theatre, and R&B.
Senior Voice Teacher Associate, Musical Theatre Career Consultant, Resident Music Director
Andrea is a Broadway music director, arranger, composer, and voice teacher with a
focus on developing new work.
Voice Teacher Associate, Songwriting Instructor, Head of Artist Development
Kacey Velazquez is a seasoned vocal coach, songwriter, and recording artist from New York City. Kacey has been involved in the arts her whole life, getting her start in musical theatre.
Voice Teacher Associate
Abby Payne has been teaching and performing in New York City and beyond for nearly 20 years. She holds a bachelor of music from SUNY Purchase (Jazz Studies) and has completed the NYVC Voice Teacher Training and Certification program.
Rock Distortion Specialist
Nicolás Hormazábal is a teacher of Vocal Distortions and Extreme Vocals with an emphasis on Rock and Metal styles. A pioneer in teaching vocal distortions in Chile, he has trained many singers of the South American metal scene. He is also a graduate of the NYVC Voice Teacher Training & Certification program.
Voice Teacher Associate
An NYVC Voice Teacher Associate, Tim Rosser specializes in Pop, Contemporary Musical Theatre, and Classic Musical Theatre styles.
Associate Instructor
Joel Rainwater comes to New York Speech Coaching after previously working with The Promentum Group as a speech coach, delivery consultant, and speech content creator for former professional athletes, CEOs, and keynote speakers.
Associate Instructor
Courtney Armstrong (MS, CCC-SLP) is a speech-language pathologist with extensive experience in accent modification training and public speaking. Her technical degree and research background combine with her love of interpersonal connection to provide holistic client-centered therapy.
Associate Instructor
Daniel Reece is a speech instructor with over ten years of experience in education. With a background in performance, Daniel fosters authenticity in his approach to voice and speech. He works with clients to explore their instrument with curiosity and guides them toward a visceral, full-body consciousness of their range and power.
Associate Instructor
Joti Patel is an Executive Coach with a multifaceted career in business and the arts with communication as the common thread. Her unique skill set has served as an ideal foundation for providing high-value communication for global organizations across legal, finance, retail, tech, health, and service sectors.
Associate Instructor
Brontë is invested in helping clients develop a sense of authenticity, generosity, and confidence in their communication.
MS CCC-SLP, Associate Instructor, and Head of Company Communication
Currently residing in Savannah, GA, Tricia is an associate speech coach, able to reach clients virtually all over the world, and Head of Georgia Speech Coaching. She is a certified bilingual speech-language pathologist.
Associate Instructor, Head of Instructor Management Team and Education
Caleb specializes in confidence in presentations, vocal depth and strength, leadership in speech, and accent acquisition, Caleb has coached professionals from Uber, Google, Unilever, Shearman & Sterling, the Department of Education, and the Swedish-American Chamber of Congress, among others.
Musical Theatre Acting Coach
Arbender Robinson is currently the Musical Theatre Coaching Associate at New York Vocal Coaching, and Co-Director of New York Acting Coaching. No stranger to the stage, Mr. Robinson has appeared in ten (10) Broadway musicals.
Monologue & Acting Coach
Grant MacDermott is our head acting coach and Co-Director of New York Acting Coaching. Grant has been a professional working actor for most of his life. He began acting professionally at the age of thirteen in commercials and live theater.
Head of New York Guitar Teachers
Director of New York Guitar Teachers with clients having major success in the film/television industry, as well as in the recording industry and on Broadway.
Executive Operations Manager
As each student pursues their own vocal journey, it is Meredith’s job to ensure that they have the best experience possible.
Executive Assistant
Becky is thrilled to be on the team as the Executive Assistant at New York Vocal Coaching. Originally a Pittsburgh native, Becky attended the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where she earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance.
Piano And Songwriting Associate
A renowned pianist, composer and arranger who has written music, performed & recorded with the proverbial who’s who of jazz, pop and rock over his illustrious career.
Recording and Videography Services
Josh Couvares is a recording engineer, singer-songwriter, and musician based out of Brooklyn. Josh delivers NYVC clients polished mixes that are the standard in today's media landscape using the highest quality equipment in a hybrid analog/digital recording rig.
Customer Relations Specialist
Manny Cooner has been a part of the New York Vocal Coaching family from the very beginning. His extensive training and expertise as a Customer Relations Specialist has served to put many singers at ease and has assisted them being at their vocal best.
Joel Rainwater comes to New York Speech Coaching after previously working with The Promentum Group as a speech coach, delivery consultant, and speech content creator for former professional athletes, CEOs, and keynote speakers.
Clients at New York Speech Coaching include those from Amazon, Nasdaq, Deutsche Bank, Google, Pinterest, Spotify, Spiegelworld, Morgan Stanley, and E*TRADE, as well as in fields ranging from private equity, technology, advertising, medicine, law, media, publishing, education, research, entertainment, clergy, journalism, and funeral directing.
Joel coaches speakers in proven physical and practical public speaking techniques which improve composure, articulation, and vocal projection. He also guides his clients toward significantly reducing the compulsive verbal and physical habits that compromise effective communication. This approach gives his clients confidence in themselves and credibility with the listener, whether it's a single interviewer or an audience of hundreds.
Joel is a seasoned Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theater performer. He received his BFA in theater performance from the University of Evansville in Indiana, and his MFA in acting from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Joel is also a Harlaxton College presidential essayist. He specializes in executive presence, speech clarity, vocal production, presentation skills, interview technique, audition preparation, and accent reduction.
I believe that technique is the safety net for the failure of inspiration.
I would highly recommend Joel Rainwater as an executive presence coach.I connected with Joel soon after landing a new job that required me to take on a leadership role with clients, internal stakeholders, and junior talent. From our first phone conversation, I was impressed by how well he understood my specific goals and challenges. Joel demonstrated a professional and creative approach to our sessions. He had an agenda for every session, although he was also flexible to change our focus depending on my work needs. Joel engaged a wide variety of tools to help me craft my executive presence including visualization, breathing exercises, physical movements and real life situation simulations. Joel was plugged into every minute of our session, he was always spot on his observations, his tactical advice and thoughts. Joel made a significant difference to my professional life. I have been able to leverage our sessions into being a more impactful leader at work with clients, internal stakeholders, and junior talent. While I still have a long journey ahead of me, I am genuinely excited and happy to continue working on my executive presence with Joel Rainwater.
A.K. Financial Service
Finding Joel remains one of the big highlights of my professional and personal life. I came to NY Speech Coaching seeking a lofty and rather conceptual goal. I wanted to max out my full potential to be a great storyteller and a charming, persuasive communicator not just with my clients and colleagues but also with my husband, family and friends. Joel is an EXPERT. He knows the meticulous science of voice projection, tone, resonance and more and he teaches you ways to maximize your full body as a vocal instrument. Additionally, Joel is holistic in his teachings. He does a fantastic job of marrying your body and mind through breath work, visualizations and warm up exercises. Lastly, what I love about Joel's coaching style is that he preserves your individual personality and character instead of teaching cookie cutter methods.
Hana Hurst Associate Director of Acquisition Marketing Thinx Inc.
Investing in NY Speech Coaching with Joel Rainwater is one of the greatest gifts I’ve given to myself. My progress was palpable almost instantly, and within just a few sessions, I was owning my executive presence, learning how to manage the power of breath, and elevating my confidence in all communications. Joel’s commitment to his students’ improved performance is second to none. Perhaps the greatest gift is that not only will my advancements reverberate in my own career and personal life as I continue my lessons with him, but they’ll also impact countless more that read this testimonial and to whom I refer NY Speech Coaching with Joel. I feel incredibly grateful to have him in my arsenal of continuous personal and professional improvement and I guarantee that you will too.
Julia Klein Freeman HR Tech Sales
There are not enough words to thank Joel for what he has given me. I simply cannot overpraise his thoughtfulness, attention to detail, and practical wisdom. My students and coworkers have all benefited from his fine observation, care -- and, in the words of Bellow, first-class noticing. I came to N.Y.S.C. with essentially no speaking experience whatsoever -- with, in short, only a deep love of my subject -- and, with his help, I have been able to share that reverence and endearment with others. Thank you, Joel.
Matthew Morrison Physician, Lecturer
I'm an immigrant with speaking, listening and self-confidence issues. Yet, my job, personal life and career ambitions require me to interact with many people. Voice coaching classes with Joel have been one of the most transformative undertakings of my life. Joel helped me identify exact areas for improvement and we've been systematically addressing them through in person classes and occasional homework assignments. After each week, I have been noticing improvements: I have to repeat myself less, I get better rapport with people and public speaking has been less terrifying.
Namik Abdulzade Co-Founder and AVP of Engineering Operations Wunderkind, formerly BounceX