| Calicomom: I agree with Lorelei that you need to find out more about why the HS music teacher wants her to consider switching teachers. In my experience, that's an unusual request; one would think most music teachers would be thrilled that a student is receiving voice lessons. But I would be wanting more information from the music teacher, just in case the teacher thinks he's hearing something in your daughter's singing that is indicative of bad habits or something unhealthy.
Re: what to look for in a sample lesson (and I'm relating this more to your thread about college level voice programs)...my daughter is also a junior in HS who has had (only) one sample lesson at a college. I had no idea what *she* should look for either, and I just left the room after meeting briefly with the professor. I pretty much had to trust my daughter on this one, but I knew when she and the prof emerged from the hour they spent together, both laughing and joking, that at least one consideration has to be rapport. When I asked my daughter afterwards about some of the technical aspects of the lesson, my daughter was quite impressed that the professor had worked with her on an area of her singing that my daughter already knew needed improvement. The professor identified this weakness within 10 minutes of the lesson's start (and it wasn't a glaringly obvious flaw in her technique), and yet my daughter was able to make some very positive corrections by the end of the lesson. Plus this was all accomplished in a very supportive, positive way; my daughter felt uplifted rather than diminished by the constructive criticism. The icing on the cake was when the professor told my daughter in parting, "You must have a wonderful voice teacher. Tell her to keep doing what she's doing." Hope this helps... |