Back-to-School Series, Part II: The Benefits of Private Voice Lessons
Welcome to the next installment of our back-to-school series! This week we are discussing the benefits of private music lessons.
One of the things we said in last week's post about choral singing is that it's a great way to keep your voice in shape and build your musical skills if you don't have the time or the means to take private voice lessons.
However, your voice will obviously grow and improve all the more if you DO take private lessons. The one-on-one attention you will receive from a seasoned voice teacher will undoubtedly be more thorough than anything you will get in a choral environment. (Or from YouTube. Unless a trusted teacher or coach directs you to a specific video, DO NOT go to YouTube for singing advice.)
Many of the benefits of private lessons are obvious, but there are some that you might not have considered before. Here are just a few reasons to take voice lessons:
1. Weekly, one-on-one attention. I cannot stress how important this is. A good teacher will tailor the lessons specifically to your musical and vocal needs, week after week. Think of the voice teacher like a personal trainer. They are there to strengthen your vocal muscles, improve your technique, and heighten your endurance, all the while targeting specific things that YOU need to work on.
2. Improved technique. You may learn some good singing technique in a choral group, but the improvements you make as a result of private lessons will be much more specific, noticeable, and consistent. Your breath endurance will improve, your range will expand (likely both high and low), and your resonance and projection will increase with consistent practice.
3. Increased confidence. The better your technique, the more confident you are as a performer and an auditionee. More confidence means stronger performances and better auditions, which means more roles or solos.
4. Improved performance skills. Any good voice teacher will work with you on interpretation and dramatic presentation in addition to vocal technique. As you work with your teacher on how to present a piece, you will become more comfortable with your actor's body and learn how to move naturally in front of an audience.
5. Increased musical skills. As you learn more songs, you learn more about music in general - how to read notes, what different symbols mean, how to count rests, etc. You also will sing in many different styles of music, which will broaden your horizons and make you a more well-rounded musician.
6. More performance experience. Most teachers hold at least one studio recital a year, and know of many local audition and competition opportunities. The more performance experience you can get, the better!
7. Professional guidance. If you're thinking about pursuing singing in college, graduate school, and/or as a career, an experienced teacher will guide you successfully through the audition process and give you plenty of career advice.
If you are thinking, "This sounds great! But how do I find a teacher?" here are some places to start:
Search the teacher directory of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). Just go to their homepage, nats.org, and click "Find a Teacher" to search for someone in your area. If a teacher is a member of NATS, he or she is almost assuredly well-established and experienced.
You can also visit learningmusician.com and search for a teacher by name or zip code. Each teacher has a profile page where you can message him or her to initiate lessons. Another website like this is takelessons.com.
You could also ask your school choral director or music teacher. Chances are they can recommend someone local.
Many local music retailers also offer lessons at their retail locations. If they don't, they usually have a list of local private teachers available.
Also, we here are Rising Stars teach voice lessons. Just sayin'. Kim and myself each have more than a decade of voice-teaching experience, and we love what we do.
If you are contemplating voice lessons, there are two very important things to keep in mind:
1. The lessons will be most effective if they occur WEEKLY. This consistency is so important for beginning students that some teachers do not even offer every-other-week lessons.
2. As with anything, lessons require practice, and practicing is a real time commitment. Your teacher will guide you as to how and how much you should be practicing between lessons, but be prepared for at least 15-20 minutes of practice 4-5 days a week in the beginning. As you progress, you will no doubt be required to practice more.
Additionally, as with many things arts-related, teacher-searching has its own protocol and etiquette. Here are some guidelines to follow as you contact and meet with potential teachers.
1. When you are researching a teacher, read about him or her carefully. What are his/her credentials and experience? Ideally, the teacher should have a voice degree and a performance resume of some kind. Make sure that the teacher has expertise in the style of singing you're interested in (classical, theater, jazz, contemporary, etc.) Be wary of teachers who claim to be experts in all styles. You can only be good at so many things.
2. When you are contacting a potential teacher, be as specific as possible about why you want to take lessons. Are you looking to land the lead in the school musical? Do you want to improve a specific aspect of your singing? What style(s) of singing are you interested in? Teachers also appreciate information about your musical/vocal experience: Are you a beginner, or have you had lessons in the past? Do you play any other instruments? Have you participated in any choral groups or shows?
3. It's important that the teacher be a good fit for you, but try to avoid extensive teacher-shopping. Some teachers offer one-time trial lessons before requiring a commitment, but others like to work with you for a few lessons (usually 2-4) to see if the two of you will be a good match. If your intention is to take trial lessons or do trial periods with several teachers, be up front about this with each one. Also, remember, the sooner you find a consistent teacher, the sooner you will start to achieve consistent results. Trying to synthesize advice from too many people at once can be confusing and even detrimental to your technical development.
4. Once you've found a teacher you like, make sure you read and understand (and your parent[s] read and understand) the teacher's lesson policies. Most established teachers have some kind of policy for payment/cancellations/make-up lessons. It is important that you are on board with your teacher's expectations, and that you bring any policy concerns to the teacher right away.
5. If a teacher, after any length of time, does not appear to be a good fit, please be up front with them about it. Telling them in person or over the phone is best; email may also be acceptable in some cases. DO NOT do it via text or on social media, and DEFINITELY do not just drop off the face of the earth and leave them wondering whatever happened to you. If you can, explain why you are discontinuing lessons with them or choosing another teacher. Is it finances? Location? A personality conflict? A change in vocal needs/desires?
I know this is a lot of information, but it's all very important! We here at Rising Stars are dedicated arts educators, and are more than happy to answer any questions you might have about private lessons or how to find a good teacher. Let us know if you have any questions by contacting us or leaving a comment!
Happy teacher-searching!
