Choosing a singing teacher, especially our first one, can be very difficult. In most cases, when we first start taking singing lessons, we have no idea of what we should expect from a teacher, and it can take us a long time to understand if someone is a good match for us.
When we start to sing we are largely unaware of our sound, of our problems, of our potential, and we might be misguided for a long time. This can be dangerous for the health of our voice and for our self-confidence, and a huge waste of time and money.
When you find the right singing teacher, the hours will fly by, you’ll leave on a big high and you’ll be excited about your next lesson. You usually won’t be able to say what exactly you’ve learnt that day, and how much progress you’ve made, but you will know you’re going forward on the right path.
So, what does your ideal singing teacher look like?
◉ You want to choose someone who sings the way you want to sing
Ideally, choose a real singer!!! I’ve seen so many students over the years, entrusting their voices to people who couldn’t really sing, who hadn’t given a single concert in their lives, yet sold themselves as experts on singing. They can be people who have taken lessons at some point in their lives but never went on stage; or instrumentalists, who might be great musicians, but singing is something completely different!; or people with a degree in music history, the strangest things.
For some reason, everyone thinks they can talk about singing… The worst case I ever saw, was the one of a young Korean mezzo who was “studying” with an elderly gentleman who was a tailor with a big passion for opera! Needless to say, she was struggling and doubting herself and straining her voice… You will probably think that this is absolutely ridiculous – and it its! – but there are many self-proclaimed singing teachers who just cannot sing, and yet have pupils…
The teacher of your choice might be so old that they cannot sing properly anymore. This might still be ok. If they can play you good recordings from their younger years and what you hear is convincing, they might still be able to teach you very well, even without singing. I’ve been taught by someone like that, and she was amazing.
Once you’ve found someone who sings in a way that inspires you,
◉ you want to make sure that they are able to teach it too!
Not everyone is. There are fantastic singers out there who are not great teachers. They might simply not know how to explain it exactly.
Ideally you want someone who had to learn and figure out everything, because these people are usually a lot more aware than the ones who are born with a huge talent, and just do it naturally, without asking themselves too many questions. And you want someone who really loves teaching, who has the passion and the patience it takes. There again, not everyone has that.
If you’re a beginner and they give you an opera aria or some other big song after a couple of lessons, run away! This happens a lot, some teachers just cannot be bothered with the whole work it takes to build up the voice, the technique, the awareness, the experience it takes to tackle the real repertoire.
◉ Don’t underestimate the importance of how this person makes you feel.
You want someone who briefly points out the negative things – just so you’re aware of them and can start working to improve them – but then focusses on the good things and keeps you in a space where you’re able to do more and more of them.
The emphasis bust be on what’s good, because you want to strengthen that connection in your brain cells. You want to repeat everything that’s good, let it sink in, let it become automatic, and only look at what’s bad in order to move away from it. Of course, you don’t want someone who only says that you’re great and everything is wonderful, you want someone who pushes you to go one step further every time, but the overall feeling must be that it’s constructive, encouraging, and fair, because what’s bad won’t be bad forever, and what’s good is the way to go.
Apart from having a good singing technique and being able to pass it on, they have to have enough professional experience to advise you on all the other aspects of singing, like diction, interpretation, different styles. And apart from the singing, they have to be able to help you with all the elements that are part of a performance, like how to choose and learn your repertoire, how to prepare for a rehearsal, a concert, or an audition, how to deal with stage fright…
◉ You want someone who’s been there, who knows the problems and the challenges from the inside,
and can guide you through them because they have overcome them themselves. When you entrust your precious and delicate voice to someone, you’re also entrusting them a lot more with it.
◉ A teacher can often make or break a singer,
so please don’t just go to the first lorry driver who knows his whole Puccini by heart, find someone who has recordings online, maybe a free tutorial so you can find out a bit more, and good testimonials, someone who’s really helping others on the same path you want to take!
If you have any questions on this topic, feel free to ask! I’d love to hear from you.