FAQs
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
Choosing a voice teacher isn't an easy task. I recommend 5 things to consider when choosing a voice teacher. 1. Experience as a performer. Has the voice teacher performed in professional settings, lived the life of a singer, so they know all the challenges that go along with singing in the real world? 2. Training and education. Does the voice teacher have professional education in vocal science and vocal pedagogy? You don't have to learn vocal science or pedagogy to be a singer, but your teacher should know enough to understand the reasons why particular exercises and/or songs will help you. Dr. Inge Titze is the leading authority on vocal science and your teacher should be at least familiar with his work. 3. Accountability. Does the voice teacher work in a setting where their students are being evaluated and judged by objective parties? Is the teacher getting their teaching skills evaluated by an objective party on a regular basis? If they don't have students out singing in the "real" world, there is no measure of the effectiveness of their teaching. If the teacher doesn't have colleagues/peers seeing their students or their teaching, there is no measure of the teacher's effectiveness. 4. Variety is the spice of life. And broadens a voice teacher's understanding of singing and singers. Does the voice teacher work with all kinds of singers and ages? A teacher who has a solid understanding of the voice, performing and music, should be able to apply that knowledge in any setting and get effective results. 5. Put your money where your mouth is. If you take a voice lesson, did you leave the lesson with immediate, tangible results in your singing that you can replicate to some degree on your own? This is different from getting knowledge from the teacher. Every teacher can explain about the voice to some degree and teach you things you didn't know before, but you can read that in a book as well - what you need from a voice teacher is immediate results in your singing that are feel right and make sense to your body. If not, the teaching is probably not effective. I hope these tips help you choose a teacher! I have lived and sang in several countries and many times I search high and low to find the right teacher so I know how difficult it can be. One thing that is not important in finding the right voice teacher : Location! Getting results in your voice that are healthy, efficient and effective is the most important thing. In today's world, SKYPE and the internet makes it possible to get lessons that match with your schedule and time availability. Don't shortchange your voice by focusing on superficial issues.