The Benefits of a Great Vocal Teacher

In this blog I am going to be discussing the benefits of a great vocal teacher. I personally have had just a few great vocal teachers. I had some good vocal teachers and I have had some really bad teachers that simply had no clue or idea about what they were doing.

This is what you should be looking out for and getting out of a great vocal teacher.
1. They need to give you what you want as a singer.
2. They need to understand where you’re coming from and what your goals are.
3. They need to deliver the product.

So basically they need to understand where you’re coming from and what you want to achieve. Speak to your teacher and tell them what you want to improve and what you want out of lessons. Tell them, “This is want I want to gain and this is what I want to get out of my voice.” E.g. “I want to sing higher, I want to sing lower, I want to gain stamina, my voice is hurting, I want you to fix these things or at the very least, improve them.” Tell your teacher what you want and expect. The teacher should turn around and say, “Yes, I can deliver this and this is how we’re going to go about doing it.”

All teachers should have knowledge and technique in all contemporary genres of singing. All of my singing teachers at Vox Singing Academy as well as myself are called ‘vocal mechanics’. We are there to fix things as quickly as we possibly can and we are there to deliver the product as quickly as we possibly can. That way, you can go out and do whatever it is you wanted to do with your voice as quickly as you possibly can. Whether your singing goals are big or small.

Honesty
Your singing teachers need to be honest with you. I’ve gone to numerous singing teachers and I’ve sung something that wasn’t that great and he said, “yes, that was good” or “that was great.” You’re not going to get that from me. You’re going to get brutal honesty. I am going to tell you if you do something right. But, I will also tell you if you have done something incorrect. I will also not just tell you that you’d done something wrong or incorrect, I am going to say “This is what you did incorrectly and this is how we’re going to fix it, improve it or make it better.” I am not just going to say, “that was wrong” and then not give you the skills or tools to correct it or make it better. I will give you techniques, skills, examples and scales to correct the issue that you have. You need honesty from your singing teacher to tell you when you’ve done something well but also, to tell you when you have done something not so well.

Trust
You need to trust your singing teacher. Hypothetically, if your singing teacher tells you that standing on your head in the corner of the room for five minutes is great for your singing, then you want to be doing exactly that. Trust that what your singing teacher tells/gives you, is correct and that that is going to improve your voice. But, if you are not feeling improvements in your voice in three or four weeks after starting singing lessons, you want to go somewhere else. You should be feeling and hearing results in 3-4 weeks. You should be sounding better, feeling stronger and feeling more confidence as a singer and in your abilities.

Vocal and general care for you as a human being.

Whether it is vocally, physically or mentally. The singing teacher should care about you, your voice and your wellbeing.

Practice
Teachers must set a practice regime for every student and every level, so that you are disciplined with your practice. Remember practice makes perfect. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a hobby singer, a child, or a professional singer. You need to have a practice regime that you’re going to take away and practice at home. E.g. scales, songs and physical regimes. For more professional singers, what to eat, how much to sleep and a physical body workout regime should also be included. A good teacher should be advising you on what you should be practicing. Also how you should be practicing and what you are expected to bring in to the next singing lesson.

Motivation
Your teacher should be a motivator that encourages you to be your best. You should be feeling good when you leave a class and saying, “I am going to do this scale and if I do this scale I am going to be a better singer. I must practice this way.” or “I am going to practice more on this area of my voice”. Your teacher should be motivating you and should be setting your goals, big or small. At Vox Singing Academy we run regular student concerts every 6-8 weeks. Performing at one of our student concerts is one of the first goals for our beginner singers.
Watch the ‘5 Minute Singer’ video in relation to this blog here.

I hope that has helped you out! If you have any questions that you like answered please email myself on peter@voxsingingacademy.com and I will be sure to write a blog for you in the very near future!
Thanks!