(This post originally appeared on my blog about singing and choir. Enjoy!)
So you’ve decided that you want to take singing lessons, or sign up your child for singing lessons? Congratulations! Singing or voice lessons can be a challenging and wonderful experience! Sometimes people will ask me what to look for when finding a teacher and so I’ve put together a helpful list.
But first: my somewhat controversial opinion about singing lessons for children: voice lessons may not be appropriate for children in certain instances. Its important to recognize than children’s voices don’t fully mature until the late teens or early twenties. Boys and girls voices both change; we hear this in the very obvious transition that boys go through around age 12. Girls voices also change around that time but the transition is less obvious. The change is a function of hormones and physical growth. There are always exceptions and we have all seen children on television talent shows who can belt out bluesy ballads or opera arias at a young age and everyone is blown away by their natural “talent.” This early development of the voice is very unusual and uncommon and should not be held up as the standard for children to achieve. So: disclaimer number 1: if you’re looking for a voice teacher to make your child sound like a fully grown adult I’m afraid you will be disappointed and any good teacher will give you a reality check or turn you away. Anyone else will happily take your money, so be cautious.
My disclaimer number 2 is this: don’t think singing lessons are going to make your shy introverted child into a loud boistrous outgoing extrovert. I was once in a group audition and watched a pushy stage mother force her child to sing in front of a group and the child burst into tears and ran from the room. The mother exclaimed that her daughter was “just tired” and she couldn’t understand why her child had acted that way. The girl had shown clear signs all along that she was uncomfortable and didn’t want to be there. So please, if you are looking a voice lessons as a way to “build confidence” or “make little Johnny or Sally more outgoing” just stop and take a moment to re-evaluate yourself as a parent and a person. Not every child needs to be a performer, and some are quite happy on the sidelines doing their own thing. Just because a child is quiet doesn’t mean he or she is unhappy.
So, assuming you have healthy expectations for your child’s abilities, and you are not trying to force your child to be someone they are not, my final discalimer is to be realistic. A singing teacher can give your child structured learning, teach them about music theory and performance, encourage regular practice and discipline and be an incredible mentor in your child’s life. A singing teacher cannot make your child into a celebrity (that is a job for a talent agent or acting coach), cannot change the natural qualities of your child’s voice and cannot force physical development of your child. If you want to see rapid progress and virtuosic ability, it may be better to sign up your child for piano or guitar lessons.
Now that I’ve gone through my list of disclaimers for voice lessons for children, here is my list of finding a voice teacher for yourself or another adult!
What kind of singing do you want to do?
Super important question to ask yourself before you begin! What is you ideal style of singing, what kind of music do you picture yourself singing? There are so many styles: pop, rap, musical theatre, bel canto (“opera singing”), gospel, choral and so your choice of style will inform your choice of teacher. It’s no good going to a pop voice teacher if you want to sing opera arias and vice versa! Maybe you sing in a choir and just want to have better vocal stamina and technique so you don’t feel tired after a long rehearsal? In that case I would recommend a classically trained voice teacher as he or she can help you learn techniques for more efficient and less tiring vocal production. Perhaps you sing karaoke on a regular basis and want to improve your performance? Well then a muscial theatre or pop style vocal coach would be best suited for you. Close your eyes and picture yourself singing; what do you see, how do you sound and what kind of music are you performing? This image should inform the type of teacher you work with.
2. Qualifications
I would urge you to avoid strip-mall “music schools” and work directly with a freelancer. Strip-mall music schools are for those who want the cheapest and most conveniently scheduled lessons, and they are actually ok for small children because small children aren’t going to make a lot of progress and the cost is so low that it doesn’t really matter. The teachers who work at these schools are usually hardworking and good musicians but you may end up with a trumpet player teaching your child violin or a piano teacher trying to teach your child singing. The price is usually very affordable, but the employees make very little of that money and may not even be trained in teaching singing.
Assuming that you desire to take voice lessons out of a genuine desire to learn and you don’t want to waste your money or time, avoid these music schools and look for something more.
There are lots of “voice teachers” out there who will take your money and give you little in return. Before beginning lessons, you should find out where the teacher has trained and what is his or her educational background. A good classical style voice teacher will have at least a degree in voice from a university and some experience performing and teaching. If he or she doesn’t have a degree in voice, an ARCT diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music is also a good standard. In the case of pop, rap and musical theatre teachers who may have more unconventional education, ask them which teachers they have studied with, where have they performed in the past, whether they have any YouTube videos where you can watch to see them in action, whether they perform on a regular basis in the community, or if they have other students who sound like you want to sound.
The bottom line is this: any good voice teacher should have taken voice lessons for more than 2 years at the bare minimum and there should be lots of evidence of them performing on stage in front of an audience. If they say they’re too good to be taught by anyone or no one understands their particular performance style then run away as fast as possible.
3. Philosophy / Personality
Do you want someone who will challenge you or let you coast a bit? Do you want someone who is a fearless performer or someone who has experienced stage fright and learned to overcome it? Do you want someone who talks about technique in physiological terms or someone who uses imagery to illustrate their point?
Once you meet a prospective voice teacher, set up a few lessons with him or her and see how you interact together. Does he or she make you nervous or comfortable? Does he or she encourage or discourage you? Does he or she make the lesson easy to understand or speak in a way that confuses you?
A good music teacher should be able to explain difficult concepts in many different ways and provide lots of different examples and exercises.
Most important: does the voice teacher make you feel comfortable? Is the studio set up in such a way that it looks professional? Bottom line: does he or she respect your boundaries?
Because of the physical nature of singing and the fact that the instrument is inside the body and not outside (like a piano), it can be very easy for voice teachers and students to cross lines of comfort and appropriateness. A voice teacher should always ask your permission before touching you. And while its always nice to have a teacher who takes an interest in your life, he or she should never pry into your personal problems or provide personal advice. A singing teacher is not a therapist, a masseuse or life coach.
4. Price
The old adage of “you get what you pay for” applies here. I studied voice seriously for several years and have paid up to $250 an hour for lessons and know serious voice students who have paid more than that. (This is an extreme example!) An average for private voice lessons in a small city is $50 – $100 an hour.
If you just spit out your coffee or other beverage please take a moment to wipe off your screen.
A good voice teacher is worth the money. He or she has usually spent more than 10 – 15 years studying voice and put in thousands of hours and tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in money. He or she will usually have a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance or a Doctorate in Musical Arts.
There are voice students at all levels and abilities and thankfully there are voice teachers out there to meet you where you’re at. It also depends on where you live: a voice teacher in New York City or Toronto can charge more than a voice teacher in Saskatoon or Thunder bay simply because of the population difference.
So while shopping around for a voice teacher keep in mind that you may be initially put off by how “expensive” it is. In my experience, voice teachers charge far less than they should compared to other professionals like lawyers, plumbers, or craftspeople who charge an hourly rate. When you ask for quote, the most insulting thing you can possibly do is say “That’s kind of expensive isn’t it?” If you think the teacher is too expensive, thank them for the information and keep looking for someone who may charge less.
Have I missed anything? What other qualities did you look for when finding a singing teacher? Any singing teachers out there who want to weigh in?
Enjoy your lessons my friends!