Voice Teachers
All of the teachers at Mode Music Studios are working musicians getting paid to write, perform and record. Our teachers also have a passion for what they do.
We feel fortunate to be able to pass that down to the younger generation and get them excited to play music in the same way we have been throughout our careers.
All Mode teachers have passed a Washington State background check.
Meet our voice teachers
Jen Wood grew up in Seattle and was raised by two moms in a blended family where music was always in the forefront. At the young age of 15 she formed the band Tattle Tale with Madigan Shive (Bonfire Madigan) during the era of the Riot Grrrl movement. Wood’s musical journey took off quickly and she continued on as a solo artist and guest vocalist. Wood has released 5 full length albums and a slough of EP’s on various indie record labels and most recently released an album with her dance pop project called GEMZ and an independently released EP with her other project called SYNERTIA.
Known widely for her collaborations with The Postal Service (“Nothing Better” and “Such Great Heights”) and her featured work on Netflix’s Carole & Tuesday, Jen finds the light in the shadow and shares it with a rare vulnerability.
Jen currently lives in California and teaches online lessons in Voice, Guitar, Piano, Ukulele and Original Songwriting.
Claire Palmer is a dynamic singer/songwriter from Ellington, Connecticut. Her musical upbringing began in a family band, and later grew to her participation in the Connecticut Children's Chorus Primi Voci, playing various instruments throughout high school, performing original music with her own band, attending Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, and working as a Cantor for Saint John’s Episcopal Church. Her diverse experiences cemented a communal approach to both music making and instruction.
She graduated summa cum laude from Rider University with a BA in Music Production, and throughout her undergraduate studies, she frequently worked with musicians across genres in the pursuit of storytelling. From folk, blues, r&b, jazz, pop, rock, punk, indie, etc., Claire believes that music truly is the universal language.
She worked as an Assistant Music Director at Camp Calumet in Freedom, NH, interned at Lakehouse Recording Studios in Asbury Park, NJ, sang at jazz jams in Paris, produced over 50 jingles for 107.7 The Bronc WRRC, and even sold a song!
In 2025 she moved to Seattle, WA to connect with more musicians, and learn as much as she can through teaching, writing, and living new musical experiences. Claire believes that we are all meaning makers, and that art is our most valuable tool. As an instructor, she hopes to instill in her students new avenues to channel their self expression through the transformative practice of creating and learning music.
For the past 25 years, Joe Simpson has poured his heart into piano, voice, and guitar lesson instruction. Over those years, he’s taught students age 5 through 83. He has 13 years of classroom experience, teaching K-5 General Music, as well as middle and high school choir. He spent 4 years in the 5-time Gold Medal winning A Capella Barbershop Chorus, The Ambassadors of Harmony in St. Louis, Missouri. From 2022-2024, prior to relocating from St. Louis to the PNW, Joe was the Executive Director and Instructor at his own non-profit studio, JoReMi Inc. Between high school, college, and adulthood, he spent a total of 18 years on the stage, singing, dancing, acting, and music directing. 12 of those years were in the community theatre community in St. Louis. For 17 years in Ohio, and 23 years in St. Louis, Joe was singing, playing piano, and/or music directing bringing joy to the folks in the pews in the Catholic Church. Somewhere along the way, he squeezed in 20+ years in the Social Service industry, as a counselor, case manager, therapist, and student support specialist, which he brings into his music education, because music is about community, joy, healing, and growth.
Joe’s goal is to take you, or your child, on a journey of exploration, discovery, and development into the magic of being a musician for self improvement, healing, and community connection. Come join the fun and discover the joy of building new skills, doing something you thought you never could, and making the world a better place, one note at a time.
“It started early for me. On one hand, as a small child music just seemed to call me. While I was no prodigy, it just rang out in my soul. As I discovered its joy, I realized quickly it was also a healing escape from the trauma I was experiencing. Fast forward to my high school years, when I joined concert choir, show choir, and theatre, it literally saved my life. When I performed, the madness stopped storming for a few hours and I realized joy in my heart again.” -Joe Simpson, Instructor
Lauren is a 20 year old professional musician who is currently working on her associates degree for vocal performance at Shoreline Community College.
After this year she will complete a Bachelor’s in music education, and pursue a career as an elementary school music teacher.
Lauren has always been moved beyond words by music, and is thrilled to share that joy with her students.
She’s focused on positive self talk, feeling music through your body, and truly connecting to the songs you’re singing. She believes children can do anything with encouragement and self love.
Lauren will work with you on pieces that you feel confident singing. Learning to feel comfortable in your body and voice is her top priority!
Bjørn started writing music and performing with bands when they were 15 at local teen centers and all age venues, largely thanks to the Vera Project. After high school they interned at a local recording studio (fastback recording studios) and have been pursuing music ever since.
They perform in the pnw monthly with several groups, toured the west coast with Catch Rabbit, and to date have composed for films that have gone on to be shown at the historic TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, the Film Academy Museum in LA, and the Smithsonian Museum of the American Latino in DC.
Bjørn also spent 5 years working as a paraeducator and deeply values making music education accessible to all neurotypes and learning styles.
Andie Ades (they/she) is a musician hailing from Kent, Washington and based in Central Seattle. She has been singing since she could talk and storytelling since she learned to write.
They are a recent graduate of Pacific Lutheran University, where they studied vocal performance and creative writing. From singing in operas, theatrical productions, choirs and acapella groups, to performing with rock n roll bands, jazz bands, and producing independent synthpop projects—Andie has experience with a broad variety of music and is thrilled to share her knowledge and love for music with the brilliant and brazen younger generation.
Outside of singing and composing, Andie makes collage art, embroidery and enjoys reading short fiction.
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @AmandaAdes8
Born and raised in the Seattle area, Kyle is a classically trained trumpet player and the lead vocalist of the acclaimed local Indie band, Apology Wars. He was born into a musical family and inspired to pursue music by his grandpa, who was a jazz music teacher in Kirkland for 40 years. Kyle started learning trumpet in 5th grade. In college, he played first trumpet in Western Washington University’s 2:00 Jazz Band under Chuck Israels of the Bill Evans trio, and graduated with a multidisciplinary studies degree with a focus in Music Theory and History. Since then, he has sung the national anthem at a Mariners game, performed and recorded with multiple bands, and noodled through Kurt Cobain’s amp while recording with legendary producer Jack Endino at Soundhouse studio. His music has been featured on radio stations KEXP, 107.7 The End, and KISW, and in musical publications such as American Songwriter and Ballard Vox.
As a teacher, Kyle aspires to reinforce his students’ creativity and curiosity in a non-judgmental space tailored to each student’s needs. As a neurodivergent person with ADHD and Tourette’s Syndrome (the twitchy kind, not the sweary kind), he has found music to be an unparalleled therapeutic tool, both for stress relief and a tool for creative expression. Kyle excels at teaching musical fundamentals, music theory, ear training techniques, sight reading, musical literacy, songwriting, lyric writing, and is skilled at diagnosing gaps in musical knowledge and technique.
Kelli Frances Corrado is a experimental singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Growing up in Chicago, she would sneak out during school nights to see hip hop shows and spend weekends with her Czech grandmother learning prayer rituals. She has lived many lives before putting her heart in song: social worker, student, tap dancer, wanderer. This set a unique musical foundation giving voice to her spiritual beliefs and leading her to study voice, poetry, string arranging, ear training, beat making and producing. She received her first grant from The Grammy Foundation, who sponsored her first tour and has had her music featured in The Wire, Bandcamp Daily, NPR, BBC6, Dublab and many more.
Kelli has been a teaching artist for over 17 years specializing in helping the beginner start. She started her teaching career at the Old Redmond Firehouse rock camps and it blossomed into a dedicated passion. Supporting her belief in the equity and accessibility of music and music lessons for everyone. She has taught for various schools and social justice organizations such as Willie Mae Rock Camp in Brooklyn and Delridge Neighborhood Developmental Association in Seattle. And is currently part of the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture Creative Advantage teaching roster. Her teaching philosophy is to create individualized lesson plans for each student based in theory, technique, ear training and student goals with an emphasis on creativity and personal empowerment. Kelli believes music is a language based on listening and personal expression. Whether you are 5 or 70 years old, she can help you.
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @KelliFrances-Corrado / Paypal kellifrancescorrado@gmail.com / Cash App $KelliFrancesCorrado
Nimm Lefcourt is a classically trained vocalist who has been singing and training for 13 years. They graduated with a Bachelor's of Music in May 2021, and have experience singing various kinds of music. Half of their BA was done through the lens of musical theatre, where they performed in various musicals and recitals, and the other half of their BA was done with a focus on opera and modern classical composing. Now, alongside practicing opera, Nimm enjoys learning different renditions of video games and movie scores on the piano. They also enjoy writing music for tabletop role-playing games, and will often do custom themes and songs for various characters. Their interests outside of music are video games, animals, and crystals.
Nimm’s hope is to always help students enjoy music as much as they do, and make sure they are always excited to learn more. They always endeavor to strike a balance between learning music the student has an interest in, and focusing on the building blocks of music. Nimm is also always open to changing their teaching style based on the student’s needs, goals, and learning style.
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @Nimm-Lefcourt
Nik Singleton was born and raised in the Southwest, and has been singing since early childhood. She discovered her love for harmonies at a young age, and spent most of school singing in choir. When she graduated high school, she took her singing out of the classroom and onto the stage, playing in a multitude of bands over the past 15+ years. Specializing in harmony work, she also has many years of experience in the studio and as a session singer and producer.
She has worked with a wide range of projects across multiple genres, sung on many records and live streams, and appeared on season 13 of “The Voice.” She has over 15 years of performance experience, resulting in an abundance of practical application knowledge for live performance, both on stage and in the studio.
Her goal is to instill confidence and expand skill in her students, and encourage artist expression and joy. She aims to create a comfortable space for exploration of the voice, including expanding knowledge of vocal health practices. She has much knowledge to impart on the topics of harmony singing, stage presence, and wants to help you discover you own personal sound and confidence as a performer.
She loves the ocean, and is an avid surfer and scuba diver. She loves to cook, and is happiest when she’s connecting with and meeting new people.
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @NikSingleton / Paypal singnikkising@gmail.com
Erin is the owner of Mode Music Studios and founder of Mode Music and Performing Arts. She teaches piano and voice. Erin started on piano at the age of four. At twelve, she was on stage with the local working musicians at various Seattle venues and festivals. She has written music for and performed with many Seattle bands including: Wesafari, The Exploding High-Fives, The Quiet Ones, People Eating People, Nouela, and Danny Newcomb. Erin has worked and currently works as a hired studio musician since the age of 17 in Bellingham, Seattle and Los Angeles areas. Erin found her calling as a teacher in her early twenties and believes a healthy balance of technique, theory, and arranging in the context of songs the student loves, is the fast track to any student’s success in music lessons.

