Singing Lessons in Shoreditch
City Vocal Coach started in Shoreditch. Our first studio was in the basement of Holy Shot, a well-known coffee shop on Bethnal Green Road near the top of Brick Lane. We ran our early songwriting courses there after hours, grabbed bagels from the famous Brick Lane bagel shop at lunch, and built the early community of the school in that corner of east London. We outgrew it. Six years ago we moved a few streets north to 128 Hoxton Street, N1 6SH, where we've been ever since. But Shoreditch is where CVC began, and plenty of the students who joined us there have stayed with us. We still feel a genuine part of the Shoreditch creative community, not least because the studio itself is furnished almost entirely from Shoreditch shops. If you're based near Shoreditch High Street or anywhere in the area and looking for singing lessons, the studio is around ten minutes on foot.
The studio
Step inside and the first thing you notice is that the light doesn’t feel like a basement. A large skylight runs overhead, flooding the space throughout the day. The mid-century modern furniture came from Atomic Antiques on Shoreditch High Street. The candles and plant pots came from Labour and Wait on Redchurch Street. The house plants themselves came from Columbia Road Flower Market, a short walk from both Shoreditch and the studio.
It’s a space that’s been put together deliberately, and it shows. Two fully equipped vocal pods sit inside, meaning two lessons can run simultaneously without disturbing each other. The space is shared and most of the time it’s busy. Students arriving cross paths with students leaving, the same faces each week. Conversations happen, friendships form, and the community that started in a Shoreditch basement has grown into something considerably larger.
Take a closer look on our studio page.
Getting here from Shoreditch
Cycling: the quickest and most direct option. Lime bikes are available throughout Shoreditch and easy to find. If you’re coming on your own bike, you’re welcome to bring it into the studio so it’s safe during your lesson.
Shoreditch High Street Overground: from the station, walk north up Shoreditch High Street, continue onto Kingsland Road and turn onto Hoxton Street. Around ten minutes on foot.
Old Street: a well-signposted walk of around 14 minutes through the backstreets.
Walking from Shoreditch: the most direct route from the heart of Shoreditch is straight up Hoxton Street, around ten minutes at a comfortable pace. If you have time, Redchurch Street is worth the slight detour: good coffee, independent shops and some of the best street-watching in east London. Coming from Liverpool Street, the walk up through Spitalfields Market is a good one, or take the 149 or 242 bus, both of which stop on Kingsland Road at Hoxton Station, a short walk from the studio.
Parking: the studio is on Hoxton Street, where paid parking is available during the week. On Sundays parking is free and you can almost always find a space right outside.
The neighbourhood
Shoreditch has been a creative neighbourhood for long enough that it barely needs an introduction, though it has changed considerably since CVC’s early days in the Holy Shot basement. The independent coffee shops and studios that defined it a decade ago have been joined by a more polished layer of bars, restaurants and boutiques, but the creative energy is still there.
Redchurch Street, which sits between the studio and Shoreditch High Street, is one of the best streets in east London for a wander. Labour and Wait, at number 85, has been at the heart of it since 2010: functional, well-made homeware in a former Truman Brewery pub with the original tiled facade. The street is lined with similarly considered places to eat, drink and browse.
Columbia Road Flower Market, a short walk away, runs on Sunday mornings and is one of those London experiences worth building a morning around, especially if you’re coming for a Sunday lesson.
Folklore on Hackney Road is an independent live music venue where we have held some of our student showcases, a short walk from the studio and worth knowing about if you’re looking for somewhere to see live music in the area.
Shoreditch has always had a strong music identity, from the warehouse venues of the nineties to the wave of independent labels and studios that followed. That history is part of why CVC felt at home here at the start, and why Shoreditch students have remained a consistent part of the school’s community even after the move to Hoxton.
Who comes from Shoreditch
Students from Shoreditch and the surrounding area make up a significant part of the CVC community. When we moved from our original Shoreditch studio to Hoxton Street, most of our students came with us. The two neighbourhoods are close enough that the journey barely registers, and new students from Shoreditch, Old Street and Bethnal Green continue to find us.
What they tend to want is the same as students from anywhere: to sing properly, with a good teacher, in a space that takes the work seriously without being intimidating. Some are complete beginners. Others have been singing for years and want to go further. A number have come specifically for songwriting, which has been part of what we do since those early sessions near Brick Lane.
Lessons and prices
We offer one-to-one individual singing lessons with foundation and advanced coaches, beginner singing lessons for those starting from scratch, and one-to-one songwriting lessons with Sam Marlow.
Foundation lessons start at £80 per hour. A block of five costs £350 and a block of ten costs £600, working out at £60 per session against £80 for singles. Advanced lessons are £105 per hour. A block of five costs £475 and a block of ten costs £850, working out at £85 per session against £105 for singles. Full pricing details are in our 2026 singing lesson price guide.
Open mic nights and showcases
Beyond the lessons, CVC runs regular open mic nights and student showcases, including at Folklore on Hackney Road. In sixteen years of teaching we’ve found consistently that students who perform between lessons develop faster than those who only sing in lessons. The performance consolidates what the lesson introduces in a way that another lesson simply can’t.
Our Open Mic Ready course is a five-week programme designed to take singers from the practice room to a live performance, in a group of no more than eight students. It’s the most affordable way into CVC and one of the most effective ways to build confidence quickly.
Book a free discovery call
The studio is around ten minutes on foot from Shoreditch High Street. The best way to start is a free fifteen-minute discovery call, a relaxed conversation about where you are as a singer and where you’d like to get to. No audition, no commitment, no singing required on the call.
Also see our Singing Lessons in Hoxton page for more on the studio and what’s around it.
FAQ
Is City Vocal Coach based in Shoreditch?
The studio is at 128 Hoxton Street, N1 6SH, around ten minutes on foot from Shoreditch High Street. CVC started in Shoreditch, in a studio on Bethnal Green Road near the top of Brick Lane, before moving to Hoxton Street six years ago. Many of our Shoreditch students made the move with us and remain part of the school.
How do I get from Shoreditch to the studio?
From Shoreditch High Street Overground, walk north up Shoreditch High Street and onto Kingsland Road, then turn onto Hoxton Street. Around ten minutes on foot. Lime bikes are available throughout Shoreditch if you prefer to cycle, and you’re welcome to bring your own bike into the studio. The 149 and 242 buses also stop on Kingsland Road at Hoxton Station if you prefer the bus.
What kinds of singing lessons do you offer?
We offer one-to-one lessons for beginners and more experienced singers, songwriting lessons with Sam Marlow, and our Open Mic Ready group course. Lessons are available in-person at the Hoxton studio or online. Foundation lessons start at £80 per hour and advanced lessons at £105.
Do you offer performance opportunities?
Yes. Regular open mic nights and student showcases are a core part of what CVC does, not optional extras. Our Open Mic Ready course ends with a live performance and is a good starting point for anyone who wants a structured path to the stage.
020 8050 8009
Call us for a friendly chat about your singing ambitions