<p>My mom is frustrated with me because when she suggests a music school, I always insist on consulting my voice teacher so he can look at their voice teachers and decide whether I should apply.
My teacher has been teaching for years and years, and he has many amazing students (his wife included). A close friend of mine didn’t listen when he chose a school (Northwestern IIRC) that my voice teacher didn’t approve of but his parents insisted on. Long story short, my friend needed months of working with my voice teacher while still in college, and a few months after getting out of college, to make his voice great again.
I’ve also heard (in person) people who have graduated as voice performance majors who my teacher has to reteach because their college voice teachers were bad.
I completely trust my voice teacher to know what’s right, but should I question him? And how can I convince my mom that he has a lot more experience than anyone else I can talk to?</p>
<p>Why don’t you, your mother and your voice teacher have a meeting about this.He could discuss programs, cost, and his opinions on different teachers, schools and programs. You might also want to get a second professional opinion.</p>
<p>Generally I am distrustful of teachers who “rule” their students’ lives and decisions. None of us can judge as to whether he is as good as you say he is, because we have not heard his students, nor do we know anything about his methods. It is also true that singers are assigned to teachers who are not able to help them progress, or at the very least, what the teacher wants to accomplish and/or change is a long term project…sometimes a singer has to back up to fix a problem, and that can be frustrating. Is your teacher an active member of any professional organizations, like the National Teachers of Singing, where his students participate in their auditions and evaluations? Does your teacher have any kind of regular class or public performance where you can hear how particular students are progressing? In a situation like this, you might want to seek the counsel of other professional singers and/or teachers in your area. Your mom is wise to question and suggest various options for you. Even if your teacher is wonderful, and he may be, he cannot know of every other teacher out there and what they are accomplishing. You can visit other schools, audition there, sit in on lessons with other teachers, and use your own brain and judgment to figure out what is good. You are only a successful singing student if you can leave and function on your own. Good luck.</p>
<p>Who do doctors trust when picking a specialist for their spouse or child? Other doctors.</p>
<p>Who do lawyers ask for advice when they are looking for a law specialist in another state? Other lawyers.</p>
<p>So why should musicians be any different? I think you should ask more than just one teacher or singer, but definitely ask people in the field. Otherwise its the equivalent of letting your plumber choose your proctologist - just because the two are closely related does not mean that either really understands the other’s work.</p>