About Confident Performance Coaching
Where Confidence and Skills Grow Side by Side
At Confident Performance Coaching, we help children, teens, and adults build confidence and skills together in a calm, supportive environment. Our programs are designed for learners who thrive with encouragement, clear guidance, and consistent practice — and who want to grow with confidence, clarity, and ease.
We believe learning works best when students feel supported and celebrated as they grow. Through thoughtful coaching and practical instruction, confidence and ability develop steadily over time.
Our Confidence-Building Philosophy
At the heart of our work is the belief that how students are coached matters just as much as what they are taught.
We use positive suggestion and encouragement, because students build confidence and skills more quickly when they feel supported, capable, and motivated. Our coaching blends mindset and mechanics, helping students learn how to think and what to do at the same time.
Grounded in the science of learning and neural plasticity, our approach is based on the understanding that everyone can learn, improve, and grow with consistent effort over time. We actively support and celebrate each step of progress, helping confidence and skills strengthen together in a way that feels empowering and sustainable.Â
Meet the Team
Melissa Boher Jacobson
Founder • Confidence Coach • Performance & Communication Specialist
Melissa is a confidence coach, performer, and educator with more than 25 years of experience helping children, teens, and adults communicate, perform with clarity and confidence.
She teaches public speaking, communication, acting, singing, and audition preparation, with extensive experience producing and directing theatre education programs for both children and adults, and has produced over 100 professional theatrical productions working with acclaimed artists like Donna McKechnie, Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, Renee Taylor, and Joe Bologna.
She a sought-after performer and speaker and a highly regarded vocal and presentation skills coach, having worked with Broadway performers, contestants from American Idol and America’s Got Talent, Miss America contestants, and individuals preparing for high-stakes auditions, interviews, and presentations.
She is known for her calm, confidence-first approach, helping students build strong skills in singing, speaking, and performance while developing the self-trust and emotional steadiness needed to succeed.Â
Best for:
Public speaking • Singing • Auditions • Anxiety-aware confidence coaching
John Lariviere
Drama Teacher • Vocal Coach • Acting & Audition Specialist
John Lariviere is an experienced drama teacher, vocal coach, and teaching artist with over 20 years of experience teaching private and group classes to children, teens, and adults.
He is the Drama Teacher at Arthur I. Myer Preparatory School. Leadership roles include Director of Education at Arts Garage, Assistant Director of Education at the Plaza Theatre, Private Lesson Program Director at North Broward Prep, and Music Appreciation Teacher at the Weiss SchoolÂ
John is an expert at vocal pedagogy, specializing in musical theatre, the changing male voice, and audition preparation. His teaching style is structured, supportive, and confidence focused, helping students feel prepared and grounded as they perform.
Best for:
Acting • Singing • Musical theatre • Structured audition preparation
Calil Russell Arguedas
Visual Arts • Communication • Writing & Creative Confidence
Calil Russell Arguedas is an experienced instructor working with children, teens, and adults, teaching visual arts, communication, and writing through a confidence-centered, supportive approach.
His classes focus on both technical development and personal expression, helping students grow creatively while feeling encouraged, capable, and supported. With intentionally low student-to-teacher ratios, Calil creates patient, engaging learning environments where students feel comfortable sharing ideas and developing their voice — visually and verbally.
Calil is a graduate of Bak Middle School of the Arts and Dreyfoos School of the Arts, and holds a BFA in Studio Art from The Cooper Union in New York City, as well as a fellow of the Architecture Institute in New York City.
Best for:
Visual arts • Writing • Communication • Thoughtful, creative learners
Jy'iereze Bell Bennett
Musical Theatre Dance • Acting • Audition Preparation
Jy’iereze Bell Bennett is a Juilliard-trained and Institute for American Musical Theatre–trained performer, director, choreographer, and teaching artist.
In addition to teaching musical theatre dance and movement, Jy’iereze also teaches acting and audition preparation for theatre and musical theatre, supporting students as they develop confidence across all aspects of performance.
Her teaching style is warm, encouraging, and confidence-first, helping students feel comfortable learning choreography, building acting skills, and preparing for auditions in a judgment-free, beginner-friendly environment.
Jy’iereze is especially skilled at helping students who feel nervous about dance or performance develop comfort, clarity, and confidence on stage.
Best for:
Musical theatre • Dance • Acting • Audition confidence
