Sarah Vela
About
Sarah Vela is a singer/songwriter born and raised in the Bay Area. She is a graduate of the renowned Oakland School for the Arts and was a founding member of two-time national a cappella champions Vocal Rush. Sarah is the recipient of both the 2012 International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) Outstanding Soloist award and the 2013 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) for Best High School Soloist.
Sarah currently majors in Songwriting and Music Production at Berklee College of Music and is working towards completing her degree. Along with songwriting, Sarah gained a passion for arranging and singing background vocals and performing world music with international friends she made. From Afro-Beat to Musical Theatre Sarah has an eclectic experience with music and loves the challenge of emerging herself into new styles.
Sarah’s hope is to be able to aid all types of people regardless of age and experience to live out their dreams of singing. She believes music to be so powerful and is humbled to be able to not only create it but to lend her experience to other musicians.
My teaching style is laid back yet goal oriented. I hope to create an open and comfortable space for my student to learn and challenge themselves. I like to teach using a workshop method where the student picks a certain song or two they are currently working on and we spend the lesson on that tune. I know and appreciate that there are many different types of voices that exist in the world and I want to celbrate those voices. My goal is to help individuals develop their gift into their own personal style and for us to work on technique along the way.
Founding Member and Lead Singer for Oakland School for the Arts Vocal Rush; Third Place Finalist on NBC's The Sing- Off Season 4
Recipient of the ICHSA (International Championship of High School A Cappella) Best Soloist Award; 2012
Recipient of the CARA (Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards) Best Soloist Award; 2012
Major in Songwriting and Music Production at Berklee College of Music; 2015 - present
No current texts required. Will be decided based on initial lesson.