Vocal Coach & Instructor

Jennifer Kelly

Musical Theatre & Acting /Public Speaking/ Speech Arts

Testimonials about Jennifer

With over 20 years of experience teaching acting, musical theatre, and speech and dramatic arts, I am passionate about helping students develop confidence in their vocal expression, communication skills, and public speaking abilities. I also mentor students preparing to participate in local and provincial festivals, supporting both artistic growth and performance excellence.

My students have been recognized for their achievements at the Kiwanis Festival in White Rock, the Mid-Island Performing Arts Festival, Performing Arts BC, Canada West, and Magnum Opus Speech Arts, consistently earning awards and valuable performance experience.

As the Musical Theatre Director for the Qualicum Beach School of Dance, I have directed annual musicals for over a decade, that inspire a love for theatre and the arts in students of all ages.

My passion for the performing arts began in Ireland, where I was raised in a culture rich with music and dramatic storytelling. After immigrating to Canada, I was profoundly influenced by my time at a performing arts high school outside Toronto. These formative experiences not only shaped my own artistic journey but also sparked a commitment to nurturing the next generation of performers. I continue to witness the transformative power of the performing arts in fostering students’ growth, confidence, and creativity.

I hold a degree in Drama and Vocal Performance from Queen’s University, along with a Bachelor of Education. As a professional performer, I served as Principal Singer and Theatre Company Manager for Paramount Show Services aboard Renaissance Cruise Lines, later continuing to perform internationally with Norwegian Cruise Lines. My stage experience also includes work at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton—where I understudied the Bird Girls in Seussical—as well as performances at numerous theatres across Vancouver Island.

Blending my experience as both a performer and educator, I have directed the theatre program at Southridge Independent School in South Surrey, while also teaching music and performing arts in School District 69 for over a decade.

In addition to teaching group and private instruction, I remain actively involved in the local theatre community as both a creative designer, director and performer. My work has been recognized with regional theatre companies and featured at festivals such as the North Island Zone Festival and the Vancouver Island One Act Play Festival.

Please leave a testimonial below in the comment area.

9 responses to “Testimonials about Jennifer”

  1. Clara Chandler Avatar
    Clara Chandler

    Jennifer has been teaching my son August for almost three years now and her influence on him has been invaluable. She has a unique talent for drawing out and encouraging young talent while also expecting discipline and dedication from her students. We will certainly be continuing with her – we admire her very much.

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  2. Pam Vickars Avatar
    Pam Vickars

    Jennifer is a talented and gifted teacher of speech arts, voice, and musical theatre. She is also stellar director and performer as both an actor and a singer. As a mature adult, I began taking acting lessons with Jennifer this year and so appreciate her extensive knowledge, patience, and amazing ability to model what needs to be done just at the right moment. She always shows up with a freshness and genuine enthusiasm for the task at hand. Jennifer does all that she does with such passion and integrity. I had the pleasure of seeing ‘Annie’ in Qualicum Beach last year, and was so impressed with the professional quality of the performance, the attention to detail, and what Jennifer had fostered and drawn from the cast in directing this play. I look so forward to my journey ahead in having the opportunity to continue to work with and learn from her.

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  3. Michael Armstrong Avatar
    Michael Armstrong

    I am a theatre artist with over fifty years experience. I have performed and directed and taught in every corner of this province. I have collaborated with Jennifer Kelly and watched her as she worked as an
    actor, a director, a singer, a sound designer, and, most remarkably, a teacher. She is a passionate and gifted instructor whose care for her students and dedication to excellence is unmatched. I wish I could do what she can with as much heart and patience. She is laser focused when working with youth and clear-sighted in her teaching and direction. If you are looking for an instructor in musical theatre, acting or speech arts, you cannot do better than Jennifer. I unreservedly recommend her.

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  4. Virginia Fullmer Avatar
    Virginia Fullmer

    Jennifer’s encouragement, expertise, and passion for Speech Arts helped my son Karston grow tremendously in both confidence and performance skills. Thanks to her guidance, he qualified for Provincials—an amazing opportunity and achievement. We are incredibly grateful for her support and highly recommend her program.

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  5. Brian Tull Avatar
    Brian Tull

    Jennifer is a unicorn. She’s an extraordinary teacher and mentor, able to focus and cultivate talent in just about ANY individual (trust me). This is in addition to her professional acumen in producing, directing, and performing musical theatre. Her talent on stage is second only to her talent for bringing entire venues to life with the richness of story and song that only Musical Theatre can provide. She is simultaneously a visionary artist, a passionate teacher, and a generous mentor to everyone lucky enough to work with her. So yeah. Unicorn. Except that she’s real! So seek her out and learn from her!

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  6. Gabrielle Avatar
    Gabrielle

    My granddaughter studied with Jennifer while attending Southridge School near Vancouver. She took private acting lessons as well as vocal training. She developed strong stage presence in public speaking, and valuable transferable skills that continue to benefit her today.
    What stood out most was not the awards or achievements in Speech Arts, but the incredible confidence Jennifer instilled in her. Jennifer’s encouragement, expertise, and genuine belief in her students helped my granddaughter grow both as a performer and as a person. We are very grateful for the positive impact she had on our granddaughter’s life.

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  7. Allaina Avatar
    Allaina

    Jennifer has been my performing arts teacher for nearly ten years, ever since I was thirteen. I took her speech arts classes and musical theatre classes every year when I was a teenager and loved it so much that I continued to come back even into adulthood. I started out as someone who had never been on a stage before, couldn’t keep on pitch, and had such anxiety around performing. In just a couple of years I was a proficient singer who could perform complicated pieces, and was entering into acting competitions with several different types of pieces (prose, monologues, poetry). She helped me gain confidence in myself and my abilities with continuous guidance and reassurance, and was always there to provide any extra support. She is a truly gifted educator who works so well with students of all ages. She inspires her students to believe in themselves and pushes them to be the best they can be.

    She is an amazing instructor, performer, and person. I would recommend her to anyone and everyone!

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  8. Jessica Kelly Avatar
    Jessica Kelly

    I started taking class with Jennifer in 2016, and am now living full time in Vancouver as a performance artist with a Musical Theatre Diploma from Capilano University. I can confidently say that I would not be where I am today without Jennifer’s guidance and support.

    Taking speech arts with Jennifer has given me a huge advantage heading into the professional theatre scene on the mainland. My experience with prose pieces, monologues, and cold reading have come in handy more than I can count, and being able to speak clearly in my own voice, as well as several accents and character voices, has found me some success in the voice over industry as well.

    I am grateful to have had such an incredible mentor as a young performer. Jennifer not only set me up for success as an artist, but also as a confident young woman. Her patience, drive, and true love for the arts are all qualities I have looked up to for almost 10 years now, and I cannot recommend her highly enough for emerging artists both young and old.

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  9. Kyle Avatar
    Kyle

    Jennifer has been teaching our daughter since 2023, and Jenna has thrived under her mentorship. Jenna performed in the Mid Island Performing Arts Festival (Speech Arts category) last year, and was chosen to represent our region for her age category at Provincials. It was Jenna’s first time at any sort of competition, and it really helped her grow as a performer. Working hard and developing skill creates earned self-esteem, and the experience has given our daughter more confidence to share her gifts in other contexts – communicating clearly and creatively is applicable to almost any situation!

    Jennifer understands how to balance excellence and compassion – she knows when to push and when to encourage, and is able to bring out the best in her students in a healthy way. She is extremely talented with deep experience in the arts, and we are grateful that she is able to invest in our children.

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