Testimonials

"Fun and Joyous"

“I was very intimidated to come and sing in public but you made it so fun and joyous I soon forgot my "inability" to sing and found myself swept up in the fun... Thanks for helping me see how great singing makes one's body and spirit feel.” 
~Kristin 

"Priceless"

“From proper breathing techniques to phrasing into capturing vocal clarity, the skill set that a person can learn under her watch is priceless.”
~Lauren

“gifted, caring and inspiring” 

"I sang under Kristen for a number of years in our church choir. We were fortunate to have such a gifted, caring and inspiring leader. It was wonderful to make music with her, and she made us all better at our craft." 
~Gail Green, alto 
St. Michael's Choir 

“... she is adept at finding a variety of creative ways to reach singers of all levels. ” 

“Kristen is a very gifted teacher and choral director, whose musical expertise guides her singers lovingly, patiently, yet effectively. Her presence is of the utmost positivity, and she is adept at finding a variety of creative ways to reach singers of all levels. Her love of music fills her choir room and it’s very difficult not to have a smile on your face as you feel it too.”     
~Andrea Odinov Fuller, alto 
Professional voice, speech, and dialect instructor   
Loyola Marymount University, The Lee Strasberg Institute, Fitzmaurice Institute  

"Kristen made it fun and easy"

"Kristen Toedtman exhibits a versatile virtuosity in her choral work: in my six years singing with her at my church, she blended a choir of amateurs and pros, shepherded children two to 16 to musical mastery, and ran rehearsals with charming yet zealous rigor. I envy those who will benefit from her polymathic musicality; her multifaceted talents—numerous instruments, voice, languages, composition—and nifty computer skills—will bear fruit for all who sing with her.  
"I’m an avid amateur singer with little musical training; Daunting as it was to work with a professional singer and musician, Kristen made it fun and easy. She praised our blend and music reading when warranted, and tactfully corrected our bad habits, e.g. my “scooping” bass notes.  She wove a motley band of pros and amateurs into real music makers who undertook a challenging repertoire." 
~Nick Renton, section bass 
St. Michael's Choir 

“She will ensure that her students, be they adults or kids, come prepared to sing seriously yet still enjoy the gift of music with her warm encouragement.” 

"Meeting Kristen Toedtman is a moment I won’t forget!  Several years ago I approached her one Sunday, shortly after joining the parish community at St. Michael and All Angeles in Studio City, California.  Kristen was the Music Director for church at the time.  Little did I know how busy she was in that capacity on top of everything else she had going on in her various performance groups.  Yet she graciously stopped, listened to my interest in joining the choir and, within a few weeks, I found myself welcome to participate every Thursday night during rehearsal.  I had no idea of the excellence of St. Michael’s church choir and quickly realized that a vast amount of dedicated home study would be needed to attend practice, let alone, eventually get the green light to sing with the choir on Sundays.  Kristen patiently answered many emails I bombarded her with over the following year as I endeavored to recapture long lost singing skills from my college choir years.  Eventually, I was able to join the choir in the loft during Sunday service thanks to Kristen’s guidance.       

As a musician, composer singer and professional stage performer, Kristen is brilliant.  As a choir teacher, the same applies.  Anyone lucky enough to study under her tutelage is going to experience a type of personal growth that goes beyond mere vocal improvement.  She will ensure that her students, be they adults or kids, come prepared to sing seriously yet still enjoy the gift of music with her warm encouragement.  Prompt arrival, having sheet music in order and listening with apt attention are elemental building blocks that Kristen gives her students.  Kristen’s teaching techniques took me way beyond anything I ever experienced in college choral classes.  From proper breathing techniques to phrasing into capturing vocal clarity, the skill set that a person can learn under her watch is priceless.       

I’d like to close with a few words about Kristen as a person.   I’ve seen her extend genuine affection toward parish members at St. Michael and All Angels Church and give generously of her time at charity activities when the church choir sang for seniors at rest homes.  She also welcomed parish families and their children to participate in Christmas caroling, keeping a large group of people together in a leadership capacity coupled with kindness.  Despite an extremely busy life Kristen will always take the time to listen to others so that she can provide service to the community surrounding her."    
~Lauren Wong, soprano    
St. Michael's Choir