ELENA

Elena is the founder of the Sing Jazz International and the main Vocal Coach for the Jazz Singer Platform. Elena specialises in the Jazz Voice Technique, Vocal Mechanics and Classical Jazz Stylistics. Currently based in Cyprus, Elena teaches online and in person providing her lessons to the students of all levels and abilities in English and Russian

Elena Dana is a music educator and a vocal coach who specialises in voice mechanics and classical jazz stylistics. Jazz vocal mechanics are used as a building foundation for all contemporary vocal genres employing elements from such methods as Bel Canto, Speech Level, CVT and Estill Voice Training during all coaching sessions. 

Elena offers tailor-made lessons, which are fun and easy to follow by breaking down all vocal technique terminology into comprehensive components with bespoke teaching methods. Working with piano, guitar or backing tracks, Elena customises every lesson around student's learning goals and abilities. Guiding student to desired outcome Elena is skilfully analyses student's strengths and pitfalls with an immediate recipe at hand for the student to reach their potential in the fastest period of time using holistic, kinaesthetic and academic approach in every lesson she designs.  

To enhance student's learning experience, each session is followed up with a written theoretical outline, a personalised vocal training programme with original exercises, an audio or video recording from the class and a list of suggested external resources for systematic training. The aim of these sessions is to keep vocalist's voice in healthy condition while taking their singing ability to their own highest level.

Educated to a Master Degree in the City University London U.K. in Cultural Policy and Management, trained as a Music Educator at the British Academy of New Music East London U.K. and as a Performing Artist as a Vocalist & an Actor at the Kiev Performing Arts School, Elena has been practicing the craft of singing for over three decades whilst teaching, coaching and performing. Elena has taught Vocals in Performing Arts Schools around London, facilitated Singing Workshops and Vocal Jazz Masterclasses in England, Scotland, Netherlands and Cyprus, and outreached herself as an Events Organiser, Promoter and an Arts Manager (more here).

After building up a good run-up of live performances as a jazz vocalist and a songwriter, Elena has conducted a ten years academic research on vocal mechanics based on hands-on practical experiences, which started in 2013 with her original Pop Up School idea which introduced singing workshops around East London extending its services to the Netherlands and later to Cyprus turning into a digital SJI platform in 2020. 

About Elena's Songwriting 

Travelling around the world with her own songwriting material from 2007 up until to 2011, and meeting many inspirational people along the way, Elena has acquired much influence from the world music genre. Dana has generously shared her heart-felt lyrical compositions in her singing performances while touring around the UK, USA, South America, India and Europe. Blending the jazz and gypsy music genres together, Elena has introduced a cinematic sound to her original songs, while interpreting jazz standards in elegant forties style. Elena has published her solo album on all digital platforms in the summer of 2023.

Teaching Credentials in Detail

For the last ten years Elena has coached hundreds of professional and aspiring singers via private sessions, group workshops and online classes. As a part of her Teacher Training Programme Elena taught singing for 16+ at the British Academy of New Music in London in 2014, facilitated a number of vocal training workshops for a number of local projects and clients, such as Dash Arts at the Latitude Festival, the Rich Mix Dacha Festival & the Midsummer Festival, Bodens PA, Theatretrain, Make Believe, Spotlight and Stagecoach, the Arts Council's Johnston Sheard's Kunstraum visual arts project. In 2019 Elena hosted an audition for the ITV X-factor in Edinburgh and produced two jazz singing courses for the City of Edinburgh Council adult education department. 

In March 2020 during the lockdown Elena has set up SJI with the aim to unite jazz vocalists who are teaching voice or wish to transition into a teaching profession to master craft of teaching online through continuous professional development in a group of likeminded professionals who can also support each other during new times. Since its creation the mission of SJI collective has  always been to preserve the vocal jazz as a genre through teaching and performance.

During the last eight years, Elena has produced five pop up schools of vocals, two in London, one in Edinburgh, in The Hague, and the latest one is currently running in Cyprus. Previous four pop up schools consisted of over thirty individually devised workshops, masterclasses and courses featuring dozens of contemporary vocalists and musicians from the current music scene, including Norma Jean Martine, Meg Cavanaugh, Allegra Mullaney, Adam Bridges, Ellie Westbrook and many more.

Music Industry Background

Prior to teaching Elena run regular Open Mics for songwriters such as Ed Sheeran, played many gigs with local songwriters such as Kal Lavelle, who also generously contributed to Elena's academic research on how songwriters in London make living out of their music, for her Culture Policy & Management MA, and organised many jazz gigs with local jazz musicians, and cross-arts showcases. 

As a youngster Elena has won national laureate awards from singing competitions such as Morning Star, StarFall, Fortuna, and Chervona Ruta in Ukraine and was a regular guest at many local concerts and festivals from the age of five, moving to working under a supervision of local jazz vocal coach from the age of thirteen and singing collaborations with the jazz orchestra Chaika. 

Online Training

From September 2019 Elena's vocal training project is documented and shared in a video format on Patreon for continuous self-guided training for vocalists and teachers alike. 30 Day Challenge is a new Vocal Technique online Programme designed for anyone who wants to digest the Vocal Technique, enhance it and cement the knowledge of it in order to improve the healthy voice production.