Re: Voice Teachers--what to look for?

nytheatermom
Thu, 13 Oct 2005 13:39:33 +0000

In my opinion the first and most important thing is to fine someone who understands what healthy singing is. This is particulary true for your younger one. Many traditionalist do not think it is a good idea to start voice lessons at that age, but I think the answer is to make sure the teacher teaches posture, breathing, etc.

Anyone can call herself/himself a voice teacher. Early on my daughter took some group singing lessons with someone who my very musically-included husband was stunned to see how lacking she was in music skills. She really didn’t have a good ear, etc. She really wasn’t teaching skills.

Later, when my daughter was still a pre-teen/young teen she went to a real singing teacher for occasional lessons, not weekly. Here the emphasis was on
healthy singing. Only when she was almost 15 did she begin regular lessons. I’m not saying that one has to wait that long, but the key is to have someone who teaches correctly for the age.

How to find the right person? Look for recommendations from people whose opinions you value. Talk to music teachers.

By the way, it is great if you find a teacher who is a good to very good accompanist. That way you are not paying more for that. My daughter’s teacher plays the piano and sight reads very well. (At Interlochen at at Carnegie Mellon summer programs, we had to pay more for someone to play the piano.)

Another thing is to select a teacher that has the emphasis you want. At one point my daughter took a trial lesson with someone who had more of an opera and classical emphasis. My daughter wanted someone who was MT with a bit of classical.