“Thank you for your inspiring ways and endless patience I am now achieving something that I have always wanted to do and never believed I could. With much affection and gratitude.”

Pat Dunkley

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 "My main focus being on the process of coming together whilst at the same time developing vocal skills and, within the context of performance, aiming for the highest standards."  read more

Carol O'Neill

I am passionate about the effects of harmony and what is possible when a group comes together to sing, even when the participants are unsure of their voices.

My heart lies in teaching aurally so that one becomes reliant on the self rather than the intellect and to that end I rarely give out sheet music. From an early age I loved to sing and with no formal music training I follow a life-long passion.

My Scots father was a great influence and instilled his love of music into his children. We were a family of eight who grew up singing Caruso and Wagner. Jim Reeves and Perry Como. Dixie and Barbershop. Rogers & Hammerstein. A diverse mix that my father would reproduce with gusto on the mouth organ and spoons!

Folk and Country music became my great love, and inspired by Simon & Garfunkel in the early 1970’s I learned to play the guitar and began song writing. Joni Mitchell influenced my singing style at that time and then I turned to Irish session music, learning to play the whistle and bodhran. I toured widely for a number of years as a solo performer before turning to teaching.

I have worked with many inspiring people including Black Umfolosi, Edisher Garakinedse, countertenor Michael Harper, James D ’Angelo, The Bisserov Sisters, Johnathan Goldman and Dessislava Stefanova. Working with schools, Adult Education, Norfolk Music Works and the WEA, has also enabled me to develop my teaching skills and further my education in the field of voice work and singing.

I reason that understanding myself first is a gateway to understanding others and I also discovered that working with groups is both complex and fascinating. Taking three years to complete a part time course I gained, in 2001, a diploma in person-centered, psychodynamic counselling. I continue to explore myself, that I may be more effective with people and life.