Why Have Singing Lessons?
“I would teach everybody to do that because, when you stop and think about it, more people in the world want to sing than do sing.”
The singing teacher I had, from my late teens into my early twenties, loved Jo Estill. We would cry and twang and tilt all the way through our 40mins on a Monday evening. In turn, I loved my singing teacher! It was the first time in a really long time that I noticed any kind of progression in my voice and that gave me so much confidence – not just from the improvement I was hearing and feeling, but also from the fact that I knew why and how that improvement was happening. That’s really powerful.
I’ve heard so many weird claims over the years about singing teachers ‘changing your voice’ and that singers shouldn’t have lessons for that reason. I’ll tell you now – there’s no conspiracy here. Out of so-many-that-I-can’t-be-bothered-to-count teachers that I’ve had experiences with, there’s maybe one that had any kind of preconceived idea about how anyone should sound. That’s a problem with the person, not singing lessons as a concept.
So, we’ve got the first in a little two-parter here, to start the year off. This week, I’ll be trying to convince you why you should have singing lessons, if it’s something you’re interested in and have the means to do; next week, we’ll delve a little deeper and I’ll be listing off some of the things that, I think, you should be looking for in a singing teacher/vocal coach.
First of all, you know how people always suggest going to a gym with a friend/using a personal trainer so that you have someone to keep you accountable and you end up working harder and doing better? … Exactly.
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• A vocal coach will be able to spot things that you don’t notice. It’s hard to know if your posture is working well for you if you have to twist around to see it in a mirror.
• Another set of ears is always a good thing. What you hear in your own head can often be very different to what your audience is hearing. And there’s so much to think about during singing! If you’re concentrating on supporting, you might not notice that you’re a little off-pitch. Someone else being in the room definitely helps.
• It’s just a nice, extra chance to perform to someone.
• You’re benefitting from the experience of a whole other person. Even if you’re a teacher’s very first student, they will still know something you don’t. If you’re not their first student, you’re potentially feeding off decades of experience and expertise.
• Singing lessons are tailored to you. There’s no youtube video or book that will be able to pinpoint your particular strengths and weaknesses exactly. The singing mechanism is so complicated; without personal guidance, you might find you’ve wasted time focusing on particular techniques that don’t even apply to your voice.
• You will get so much confidence from someone else noticing that you’re working hard and improving. The singing teacher I mentioned above was never one to dish out compliments left, right and centre – but I remember so many of her other students and me always saying how happy we felt when she did tell us we’d done well. A compliment from a singing teacher means so much, because they hear singers all day, every day. If they say they’re impressed, you know they are.
• You’ll be getting an honest opinion. Our family and friends are sometimes a little fanatical about our abilities.
• It’s always fun to try new things! Every singing teacher has their own way of doing things – they might suggest a new exercise or even a new song that quickly becomes your favourite.
• In a silly, ego-feeding kind of way, it can make you feel more legit. Imposter syndrome is such a thing, so sometimes it’s reassuring to know you’ve got some extra knowledge to back yourself up and feel like a ‘trained’ singer (I’m not saying you have to have lessons to be a trained singer, but it might give someone who’s a little insecure an extra boost).
• A singing teacher will be giving you the tools you might need to troubleshoot yourself in the future. Personally, I’m not having regular singing lessons at the minute because they’re expensive and we’re in a pandemic. Luckily, I have the knowledge from past lessons and teachers to get myself through practice sessions, for now, and know what kind of things to try if I come across any minor issues with my voice.
Finally, vocal coaches and singing teachers love singers! They would love to hear your voice and hear something special (which you’ll be giving them without even trying). If it’s something you’ve ever considered and you’re in a position to do so, please take singing lessons. If not for any of the reasons listed above, then just because your voice deserves to be heard and nurtured.