Re: Voice Teachers--what to look for?

MusThCC
Sat, 15 Oct 2005 10:43:53 +0000

Questions to Ask

1. Teacher’s training (One could be a marvelous singer themselves, but without training, may not be able to help others.)

2. Membership in professional organizations (Ex. - NATS, which has been discussed the last few days on the OCU page) Not belonging wouldn’t necessarily rule someone out - but belonging to NATS or another voice teacher organization would be a plus.

3. What opportunities do their students have to be exposed to master classes or adjudicated events where other professionals hear them, and critique them?

4. The teacher’s own performing background. People who have been performers, again a plus. Anyone who is currently very active in performances may be a minus – will they be missing a lot of lessons due to their own performing schedule?

5. Size and makeup of the studio. (I’d avoid any that have a TON of young kids, or whose students do pageant work, etc.) Someone who has a mix of teen and adult students are probably doing several things right.

6. Ask questions about their goals for your child. Make sure their goals and your child’s are a good match.

7. How are lessons organized? Just as in a dance class - at least 1/2 the time may be taken up with stretch/warmup/barre time, followed by combination work, in many voice lessons, a lot of the teaching goes on BEFORE you ever sing a note of the current song you are working on.

8. Is voice ALL that they teach? While it is possible that someone could teach piano and voice, or guitar and voice, etc., and be qualified to do so - I would prefer someone who is a specialist. Piano/voice people can be great coaches, but often their vocal knowledge is not quite so technically specific as someone who is primarily a singer.

In my area, many teachers do a “trial” lesson - they hear the kid - work with them - your child can get a feel for how they work.

I personally would steer clear of any teacher that does not allow parents to ever come to the lessons. If they say that, I would at least ask for an explanation. It may be that they feel your child will open up more without another person present, but if you are paying for the training, I firmly believe you have a right to at least on occasion monitor the process.

“Legit” vs. MT - I would steer clear of a teacher who ONLY works legit stuff, if you have an MT kid. On the other hand - I would say the same of someone who ONLY does MT – think of those Italian Art songs as another form of warmup-technique work!

If after starting with a teacher, you are not satisfied with the progress being made - don’t hesitate to discuss it with them, and look again if you feel the answer isn’t satisfactory. Sometimes, to get rid of bad habits, it’s necessary to go back to the beginning, and sometimes a student might hit a plateau, where not much progress is evident, even though work is being done. Don’t be afraid to ask!

If you feel your child has progressed to the max that she can with a certain teacher, don’t feel obligated because the teacher is convenient, or such a nice person, etc. Don’t jump teachers without cause, and certainly discuss any issues before making a decision, but don’t feel obligated to remain with someone who isn’t getting the job done. (AND - make sure your student is bringing their best to the process! Are they practicing sufficiently? Are they actually doing the warmups the teacher taught them? Are they seriously committed to their own learning?)

SPORTS/DANCE and SINGING - My experience has been that swimming, or other aerobic activities are good for breath control in general. But ballet definitely teaches breathing to a different model! In singing, it’s GOOD if the belly expands to breathe - not so for ballerinas!

Another thing to think about - if your child plays a wind instrument - certain ones contribute to a lot of tension in the throat/neck area. I’m certainly not saying to stop the instrument - but make sure the voice teacher is aware – it may put some things in a different perspective/focus.