APPROACH AND VALUES
Led by award-winning vocalist and teacher Cari Burdett (BMus, MMus), with over 30 years of teaching and performing experience, this work is heart-centered, intuitive, and grounded in long-standing practice of holding safe, supportive spaces for people to rediscover their innate musicality and embodied presence. The work is rooted in music, nature, and community, and shaped by the following values:
- Trauma-informed – prioritizing well-being within a safe, supportive environment
- Gender-informed – respecting diverse gender experiences and identities
- Indigenous allyship – actively supporting and standing with Indigenous communities
- Heart-based connection – grounded in genuine, heart-centered presence and care
- Intentional – oriented toward safety, joy, growth, and overall well-being
- Sacred container – held within a respectful, mindful, and intentional space
- Nature connection – embracing harmony through relationship with the natural world
- Genuine and honest – open, authentic communication throughout your journey
- Kind, loving, and patient – an encouraging teaching style that allows your voice to unfold at its own pace
(in person and online lessons)
- Duration: 60-minute sessions
- Rate: Sliding scale of $80–$120 per session
- Note: If sessions are extended or include additional mentorship or ceremonial elements, pricing may adjust accordingly
- Duration: 45-minute sessions
- Rate: $70 per session
- Booking periods: September–December and February–June
- Payment: Pay monthly per season
Payment may be made at each lesson by cash or via e-transfer prior to the session at cari@cariburdett.com. Paypal is available for students outside of Canada.
“After years of singing with choirs, I longed for something more—so I began one-on-one lessons with Cari. She is playful, insightful, and helps you find the music within. Through creative exploration, she taught me to see and shape my songs in new ways. Cari’s work goes beyond singing—it’s a journey of self-discovery and connection to the heart.”
— Saza
About Cari's One-on-One Voice Lessons
Cari Burdett offers one-on-one voice lessons and vocal mentorship for adults and teens of all levels. Whether you are just beginning, returning to your voice, or seeking advanced training, sessions are tailored to meet you where you are and support your unique goals.
These sessions offer a gentle, intuitive space to explore your natural voice and reconnect with your creative life force. Curiosity, play, and embodied confidence are welcomed, supporting you to sound more fully like yourself. No prior experience is necessary – only a willingness to listen inward and explore what wants to be expressed.
Working with Cari is a place to come home to your voice. Through deep listening, compassionate guidance, and joyful exploration, your whole self is welcomed exactly as you are. Sessions are thoughtfully shaped to support both technical development and deeper personal expression, with care and depth.
WHAT SESSIONS MAY INCLUDE
One-on-one voice sessions are available now and may include, but are not limited to:
- Vocal exploration for those who feel they “can’t” sing and wish to discover their unique voice in a supportive, compassionate environment
- Support for singer-songwriters seeking to deepen technique, breath, range, and performance confidence
- Guidance for teens exploring their voice for the first time, including preparation for school musicals or local performance opportunities
- Advanced training for teens or adults developing classical vocal technique, preparing auditions, or applying to university voice programs, including preparation of arias or art songs in multiple styles and languages
- Sound healing sessions incorporating drums, shakers, voice, crystal bowls, and other instruments, offered by Cari or explored together through shared sound and voice practices
- Exploring and developing your own authentic “soul songs,” learning how to catch songs and shape them for others to sing, including harmony
- Voice and song as prayer, medicine, and ceremony, including sessions in nature when desired
- Werbeck Song / Uncovering the Voice, a therapeutic vocal approach for freeing the natural voice
- Vocal improvisation practices including rhythm, toning, and harmonizing, drawing from approaches such as Vocal River, Rhiannon, Bobby McFerrin, and more intuitive or atonal traditions
- Development of song-leading skills for community choirs, classrooms, organizations, or group settings, including mentorship drawn from over 20 years of experience leading Lila Community Choir, Threshold Singing, and other vocal groups
From time to time, Cari may also offer small group sessions focused on specific themes or areas of study.
GETTING STARTED AND BOOKING
Returning students are welcome to contact Cari directly by email or text to schedule upcoming sessions.
New students who have not yet worked with Cari are invited to book a complimentary 20-minute meet-and-greet to ensure a good fit and to discuss goals before beginning.
Cari Burdett is a vocalist, songwriter, and community arts leader whose work bridges jazz, world, art song, and opera with an expressive theatrical flair. Drawing inspiration from French swing, Spanish gypsy jazz, and Italian ballads, Cari delivers performances infused with passion, heart, and joie de vivre.
Her debut album Magnolia, produced by Grammy and Juno Award–winner Joby Baker, received five Western Canadian Music Award nominations and won two Vancouver Island Music Awards in 2016. Supported by grants from FACTOR, BC Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts, Cari continues to expand her artistry through songwriting, with her forthcoming album of originals, Where Is Love, to be released in 2026.
Classically trained with a degree in Opera from McGill University and a Master’s in Performance Voice from London’s Royal Academy of Music, Cari also brings over 30 years of study in vocal improvisation and intuitive pedagogy. Deeply influenced by her mentors Rhiannon (Bobby McFerrin) and Par Ahlbom, she blends technical mastery with soulful spontaneity, inviting audiences into genuine moments of connection through song.
Based in the Cowichan Valley, Cari is the founder of Lila Music and Nature Centre, where she integrates her lifelong devotion to music, deep nature connection, and community building. A mother of three, she leads choirs, wilderness programs, and nature-based mentorships that honor the land, the ancestors, and the local Coast Salish Elders with whom she continues to learn and collaborate.
