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So you know you want to learn to sing, or you’re trying to decide who to work with at your new school, or maybe you feel that it’s time to move on from your current teacher and work with somebody else - whatever the reason, the most important thing is finding the right voice teacher for YOU. Here is a good list of criteria and tips to look out for when deciding to work with someone new.
1. It’s all about the “vibe” - There is a reason that people say first impressions matter. If you walk into the room to sing with a prospective teacher and it feels tense or uncomfortable (and it is not because of nerves), then they may not be the right teacher for you. You want to feel like you can eventually open up to and trust this person because they are going to guide you through your own personal singing journey.
2. Professional versatility & reputation - No matter what your goals for singing are, your teacher should be able to provide the knowledge and experience to go along with these goals. It’s ideal to learn from somebody that has experienced performing AND teaching. For those of you who want to make a living out of singing and music, it can be beneficial to study with somebody who has a career trajectory similar to what you would want. For example, you may want to be a singer who starts an arts organization, while also performing and teaching on the side. In this case, you want to pick a teacher that has started an arts organization while they were also performing and making a name for themselves. Pick somebody that has been in the industry for enough time to offer you advice and expertise on creating the musical experience that you would want.
3. Same voice type doesn’t equal a perfect teacher - Many young singers want to learn from singers of their same voice type. Sopranos want to study with sopranos, baritones want to study with baritones, etc. Knowledge does not change with different voice types. If you’re a soprano, your best teacher might be a baritone. It really does not matter. You have to look for somebody who’s technical teachings make sense to you.
To learn more about the differences between each Voice Type mentioned above, check out this blog!
4. Your teacher is NOT “god” - I have seen countless colleagues worship their teachers and take everything that they say as some sort of holy word and rule. Your teacher is there to guide you to success, not hand it to you on a silver platter. Teachers are humans, like you and me, they make mistakes and everything they say (no matter how brilliant they are as singers) should be taken with a grain of salt. If you view your teacher as somebody on a pedestal, try to rethink your view of them otherwise you are setting yourself up for codependency and heavy reliance.
5. They work for you - If you pay your teacher, they are your employee. You get to call the shots and work on what you want to work on. They are there to listen and give feedback, but they do not dictate what you choose to sing that day or what aspect of singing you want to focus on. This can be somewhat difficult to understand because teachers tell you how to sing and how to do things, but if you feel that something is not working, it is your job to tell them so that they can change what they’re saying and how they’re teaching you. Teachers cannot read your mind. It is a two-way street.
6. Their technique should be unique to you - You are robbing yourself if you work with a teacher that tells everybody the same thing and teaches them the same way. Everyone’s bodies and voices are different so the teaching should be unique to each student. The basics can be the same, but beyond that, what you learn needs to be catered to you. If you can somehow observe another lesson before committing to the teacher, it would be ideal.
7. It takes time to be comfortable - There is a warm-up time of about 4-6 lessons before you are completely comfortable with your teacher. These lessons can feel tedious and tense and sometimes you will question everything you ever knew about singing, or whether you have chosen the right person. Sometimes you might develop new tensions or problems that you never had before, but these issues usually tend to resolve themselves with time. The important thing during this time is to communicate and tell your teacher how you’re feeling because (again) they cannot read minds and they cannot adjust what they are teaching you if they don’t know that they need to adjust. If the problems continue for a lot longer, then it is probably time that you start looking for a different teacher.
I hope that these insights can help you on your singing journey while as you continue to look for the right mentor and teacher for you! As always, Happy Singing!