September
2009
Interviewing A Singing Teacher
Today we look at 5 imporant questions to ask a prospective vocal coach before splashing out on singing lessons. You can use these questions to get a feel for the vocal teacher’s level of experience. For questions about the costs involved in taking singing lessons see this article: singing lessons cost . Bear in mind that these questions should be treated as a guideline. Some of the best vocal coaches may not have the time to answer all your questions in advance as they may be too busy. If it happens that the singing teacher doesn’t have the time to answer all your questions, you could try out a few lessons and get the answers you’re looking for then. It’s best to treat these questions as suggestions.
Questions for your singing teacher:
- How many years of teaching experience do you have? Obviously teachers with more experience will tend to charge more for lessons. Also the longer the teacher has been training students the higher your chances of finding a former student happy to discuss the vocal coaches strengths and potential weaknesses.
- Where did you get your singing education? Preferably you want a vocal coach who has had years of performance experience or years of lessons or training in a degree program that focuses on the voice. The vocal coach does not have to have a degree from an Ivy League school to be a good teacher. The most important thing is that she knows how to pass on her singing knowledge.
- Do you perform? If so, where? If you have the opportunity to hear the vocal coach sing, then by all means go. You may discover a lot about his personality that you might not get to see during your singing lessons.
- Do you teach different styles of music? If you want assistance with a certain voice type or singing style, then you’ll want to ensure that the singing teacher has the necessary experience.
- Where do your lessons take place? Lessons might be held in a studio, a school, at the voice teacher’s home or perhaps even at your home (for which you should expect to pay more). The location should be convenient for you to get to.
- What kind of music do your students sing? You want to find out if the vocal coach is interested in the same kind of music that you enjoy. If you can’t select your own songs, it’ll help if you can imagine yourself enjoying singing the kind of songs that she assigns to her students.
Be wary of singing teachers who offer “a life altering method of singing “. Teaching people how to sing is by no means a new profession so it’s much better to go with a tried and tested singing method than to waste your money on experiments. Every rule has an exception, and the one exception I can think of for this rule is Per Bristow’s Singing Zone Training (The Singing Zone review). All the best with it and have fun!