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Learning to Sing? Part 2 : Private Singing Lessons

If you’re wanting to learn how to sing and you’d like focused attention for your vocal instruction, taking private lessons with a voice teacher might be the best option for you.   Many singing teachers look for new students in the Fall so now is a good time to look for a teacher.

Private Singing Lessons

The Fall is a good time to look for a private singing teacher, as many are making their schedules for the coming season.  Some Community Colleges or Universities offer private singing lessons with teachers, or you can find one by looking in your local newspaper or on Craig’s List.  Personal recommendations are valuable too, so ask your friends and family if they know of any teachers.

There are a few things to ask yourself before you call a singing teacher:

• What kind of music do you want to sing? Once you know the answer, look for a teacher that specializes in that genre.  It doesn’t mean that you can’t change your mind later, but you need to start somewhere.
• Why do you want to learn to sing or what is your objective in learning to sing? Singing teachers will most likely ask you this question when you first speak to them, or at the first lesson, being prepared with your answer along with how the teacher responds to your goals will help you know if this is the teacher for you.
• How much time will you spend practicing between lessons? Learning to sing takes commitment and when you first speak to a potential teacher, knowing how much time you can commit to per week, and knowing each others expectations about the lessons and objectives, will help you determine if the teacher is a good fit for you.

If you find a teacher that doesn’t teach your style or is above or below your level, ask them for names of other singing teachers.  You might also look up Singing Teacher Associations in your area, as they will have a list of singing teachers for you to contact.  The National Association of Singing Teachers is a good place to start.
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Video Example of a Private Singing Lesson

If you’ve never had a private singing lesson, here is an example of what it’s.  This video shows an advanced singer, but the setup is usually the same, teacher behind piano and student standing beside piano singing.

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Questions to ask a potential singing teacher

Consider interviewing a few teachers before choosing the one to start with. You will be paying for their services so it is worth the time you invest to find the best teacher you can. Here are a few questions to ask a potential private singing teacher:

• What are their credentials? Ideally you’d like to find a teacher who has studied music and voice studies and who has performed in the style of music that you are interested in singing.
• How long have they been teaching? Better to find someone with at least a few years experience.  Don’t be shy to ask for contact information for one or two of their current students and call the students for a reference.
• Can the lessons be recorded (audio and/or video)? You might understand what the teacher says while you’re at your lesson, but singing is not an easy thing to teach, so being able to listen or watch the lesson over again at home, will help you retain the information correctly and repeat the techniques that you are learning.
• What musical accompaniment will be used? Many teachers accompany you while you sing at the lesson.  If they are a versatile at accompanying singers this can be ok, but you want the teacher to be focusing on your singing ability not on playing the music.  Ask if you can bring a music track.
• Where are the lessons held? You need to be comfortable and relaxed when taking the lesson.  If the lesson is not held in a music room in a school, but in a private home, a good teacher will  have a closed room that is large enough not to be claustrophobic but still private enough for you to feel comfortable singing.
• Can you take a single first trial lesson? Most teachers offer a reduced rate when signing up for multiple lessons.  This is a great idea once you’ve selected your teacher, but the very first lesson should be like an audition for the teacher to evaluate you and like an interview for you to evaluate the teacher.  Take one lesson with a potential teacher and see how it goes before signing up and committing to pay for multiple lessons.

Private lessons will be more expensive than group lessons, but for singers at an intermediate level, individual attention can help you improve your vocal technique more quickly than other methods and can help you correct any bad habits you may have picked up before they get too entrenched.

Also see

• Learning to Sing ? Part 1:  Group Lessons and Choirs
• Learning to Sing ? Part 3:  Singing Schools
• Learning to Sing ? Part 4: Singing Lessons on CD or DVD

This series on Learning to Sing will continue soon with the following articles:

• Part 5:  Online Videos and Podcasts
• Part 6:  Sing Karaoke

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