Danielle Elise (she/her) is a voice teacher, pianist, and co-founder of Innovation Music Studio. Danielle has been teaching voice and piano in Monrovia and the San Gabriel Valley for over 16 years. She holds a Master of Music degree from UCLA, a Bachelor of Music from UC Irvine, and a second master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Danielle’s emotion-focused approach helps students build confidence, creativity, and authentic self-expression while developing strong musical skills.

In addition to her work as an educator and performer, Danielle is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and founder of Palomares Therapy. While music lessons are not therapy, her clinical training informs the supportive, compassionate environment she creates for every student. You can learn more about Danielle’s clinical and therapeutic offerings at PalomaresTherapy.com.

Danielle first stepped onto the stage in her early childhood via musical theater and started her operatic training as a coloratura soprano at the age of 18. She has since trained at Opera Santa Barbara, The Aspen Music Festival, and Central City Opera and is known as a versatile singer capable of fluidly negotiating all styles ranging from opera, pop, musical theater, to soul. Danielle’s passion for teaching took root in 2008 as an outreach scholar and teacher with UC Irvine’s Creative Connections, a program that brings art and music education into schools. After working in several prominent music schools, including UCLA as a graduate teacher, Danielle opened her own studio to offer a more tailored, emotion-focused musical education. Learn more about Voice Lessons in Monrovia.

In addition to her work as an educator and therapist, Danielle has a decade of experience as a professional operatic soprano and an agency-represented model and voice actor. 

Ready to start lessons? Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to see if Danielle is the right fit for your musical goals.

My teaching philosophy has (thankfully) evolved dramatically since I first began working with students in 2008.

Initially, coming from a conservatory-style background, I adopted a highly traditional approach focused heavily on discipline, technique, and a highly formulaic and sequential method. This method of music education pushes creativity and expression far into the future and gatekeeps artistry; only once you learn to read music, develop practice routines, perfect scales, master technique… then you can begin to experience the freedom of expression.

Thankfully, I quickly shifted away from this approach, seeing its negative impact on my students whom often felt bored, dysregulated, judged, stifled, and discouraged.

My approach now is highly emotion-focused, trauma-informed, relational, integrative and creative.

I firmly believe that relationships are what actually matters in the room with students. I’ve seen how impactful safe mentorship can be to both children and adult students alike– when we feel safe, supported and seen, we are more open and available to learn and take risks.

This relationship-focused style of learning is what inspired me to become a trauma therapist. I now fuse my conservatory training with all that I know about safe attachment, the nervous system, emotional-assembly, and expressivity.

My students can expect to leave sessions feeling unconditionally embraced. My students can expect to learn technique, but more importantly, learn how to feel embodied, expressive, and self-attuned. My students can expect to feel like co-collaborators in the learning process––getting curious about how they learn best. My students can expect an integrative and highly tailored experience.

If this sounds aligned with what you’re hoping to experience in a vocal coaching, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Danielle@innovationmusicstudioinc.com.