“When you hire a vocal coach, you think you’re getting someone who will teach your child how to hit the high notes without cracking, or how to breathe in a way that doesn’t make them sound like a vacuum cleaner. You don’t think you’re signing up for someone who will change your life. But then, you don’t know Jac Grady.

Surreptitiously, we found Jac through an AirBnB guest, which feels like the kind of story you tell years later at a dinner party when everyone marvels at how random and perfect life can be. At the time, all I wanted was someone to help our naturally talented, introverted middle schooler learn a little technique and maybe, just maybe, feel more confident about singing in front of people. What we got was Jac—smart, funny, talented, and so deeply empathetic you’d think they were moonlighting as a therapist.

Jac lives in New York City, we’re in the Bay Area, and yet, with their uncanny ability to connect across pixels, they made it feel like they was right there in our living room. For three years, Jac coached our tween, but coached is the wrong word. They guided, they encouraged, they believed in our kid when she couldn’t believe in herself.

And then COVID happened.

If you’ve never lived with a middle schooler during a pandemic, let me paint you a picture: the house got quieter and quieter, not in a peaceful way but in a “my child has stopped talking to their friends” way. The walls felt closer. Time dragged. And in the middle of all that, there was Jac.

Jac didn’t just keep showing up; they kept us tethered. Our kiddo's weekly lessons became the one thing our daughter looked forward to, and honestly, the one thing I felt good about. Jac held online recitals that turned our Zoom screens into stages. They gave this struggling young person a reason to get dressed, a reason to practice, a reason to keep going. Jac didn’t just teach our daughter to sing; they reminded our kid how to be herself.

Here’s the thing about Jac: they aren't just a vocal coach. They are wise and funny and know exactly when to push and when to let up. Jac’s the kind of person you feel lucky to have met, and then luckier still that they stayed.

So yes, Jac Grady will teach your child how to sing. Yes, Jac is talented and can nurture talent in others. But what Jac really does is make you feel like the world is just a little less overwhelming, one note at a time. And if that’s not worth shouting from the rooftops, I don’t know what is.” - Heather Gioia