Less time stuck in your head.
More time actually doing the thing (aka music).
Voice and songwriting lessons built around you - your voice, your goals, and how your brain works.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Ever feel yourself tense up before the big note you already know how to hit?
Or sing something exactly how you want it in the shower, mid-shampoo, then somehow lose it when there's a crowd of 3 (or 100)?
What about when it’s hard to tell where your influences end and your own sound begins?
If so, hey. You’re in the right place.
Why Work With Me?
Everybody learns differently, and I will lean into what works for you. Lessons aren't predetermined. The right approach can shift. I can have a plan for your lesson. The plan isn’t more important than you.
Built Around You
I translate singer-speak into everyday language. Technical terminology can be really useful, and there’s absolutely a place for it. Sometimes we need a bridge between the words and connecting them to what we're actually doing. I’m here to help you build the bridge so you can cross it yourself. Don’t worry, I’ll still supervise.
Making It Make Sense
When we sing, we aren't picking up our instrument. We are the instrument. (Very deep, I know.) That’s where physicality comes in, because how we move affects how we sing. I make room for instinct and exploration. Movement isn’t just a tool. It’s part of the music itself. Expression doesn’t always come from stillness.
More Than Just the Voice
Imitation is part of how we learn. The fun part is figuring out where imitation ends and where you begin. This is where we shift the question from “How do I do this?” to “How do I do this?” There isn’t one right answer. I’ll challenge what feels like a given and encourage you to experiment with something different. And from there, you get to create something that feels unmistakably yours.
Finding Your Version
Meet Hayley Maeda
I’m a vocalist, songwriter, performer, and vocal coach based in Los Angeles. I’ve been making music for most of my life, starting with vocal and musical theatre training as a kid and eventually making my way through commercial music, songwriting, performance, and approximately a million hours spent thinking about why voices do what they do. I earned my degree in Songwriting from Berklee College of Music as a Vocal Principal, graduating cum laude, and I’ve continued studying ever since because I have yet to run out of things I want to learn.
As a working musician, I’ve worn a lot of hats. My professional experience includes top-lining, co-writing and collaboration, commissioned songwriting, session and demo vocals, live performance, recording, and an early-career sync placement on Syfy’s Helix. I’m an ASCAP-registered songwriter and publisher, and I write and perform my own music as Hayley Mae.
Teaching has become its own very large part of that career. I’ve spent 1,300+ hours teaching singers and songwriters across different ages, experience levels, neurotypes, and goals, working in everything from pop, soul, and jazz to rock, singer-songwriter, musical theatre, and plenty of genre-blurring spaces in between.
All of those different parts of my career shape the way I teach. I care about technique, but I also care about what you’re trying to say, what you want your music to sound like, and whether the tools we’re working on actually help you make it.
Lessons + Pricing
Voice, songwriting, or a little bit of both. Lessons are available individually or in 4-lesson packages, with 30, 45, and 60-minute options.
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30 min · $55
45 min · $75
60 min · $95
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30 min · $200
45 min · $280
60 min · $360
Save $20 on every package (true excitement)
If you've made it this far, you've officially done more reading than I expect from most people on the internet.
Ready to see if we’re a good fit?
Let’s start with Verse One.