How to find/vet a good voice teacher?

[adam.peterson44]

Posted: 9/30/12 at 1:05pm

In reading links posted on another thread about vibrato written by voice teachers, some of the bloggers wrote that they are constantly surprised by how many voice teachers don't know the things they are writing about, so they decided to write their blogs to set the record straight.

So that got me wondering - are there things to look for/questions to ask a potential voice teacher when first starting out on taking voice lessons, to make sure that the teacher is teaching good technique? I have never had a single voice lesson and would like to start, but I don't know what to look for (other than geographical convenience) :).

Is there any risk of being taught incorrectly, or would all voice teachers at a minimum teach safe technique? Is it preferable for the voice teacher to be of the same gender so that they have a better understanding of the breaks that are natural to a male/female voice? Are there different techniques that work better for different voice types or different individuals?

I did a search for a thread on the topic, but didn't find anything other than recommendations for specific teachers in NYC, but that is not where i would be taking the lessons.

Any advice on where/how to start the journey is much appreciated!

Updated On: 9/30/12 at 01:05 PM

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 9/30/12 at 1:15pm

I think the best you can do is get recommendations from friends. All voice teachers probably teach good technique to some extent, some are just more strict about it than others. When you get to start discussing vibrato, well, first you have to have vibrato, which comes from vocal maturity and technique that should be established first. I think the most important thing is that you build a good relationship with your teacher who you can really learn from. If that communication isn't there (which, granted, does take a little bit of time to build), you can develop bad habits from simply misunderstanding. The best thing to do would be to find a teacher who you feel you personally can work with and learn a lot from.

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 9/30/12 at 5:01pm

If that communication isn't there (which, granted, does take a little bit of time to build), you can develop bad habits from simply misunderstanding.

This. My voice teacher at conservatory and I were constantly at odd about he was approaching study. I had come from a background in voice, and he thought he was helping me by explaining things very visually and in an abstract kind of way. It set my voice studies back a year, no kidding. My voice teacher that I study with now and I have an amazing rapport, I can almost tell the corrections he wants me to make before he says them. Which just means we can get even more detailed on things less general than basic technique.

At the end of the day, we can all hear, "your soft palate here, your diaphragm there," but unless their is a similarity in teaching/learning styles, it doesn't matter if your teacher has flawelss technique (as my teacher did at conservatory). You're not going to be able to apply it, especially because singing it so much by sensation, and it's going to set you back.

Updated On: 9/30/12 at 05:01 PM

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 9/30/12 at 5:49pm

I'm a female soprano and I study with a man who is a bass-baritone. Gender alignment doesn't matter as much as speaking in similar terms and their teaching style meshing with your learning style and you being comfortable. I studied classically from age 12-17 (and my current teacher has a classical and opera background and we work in those terms most of the time), and in general I have had the best experiences with teachers who teach classical technique and also have a great understanding of musical theater singing and repertoire, because they can teach you to apply the classical technique in a way that works for the musical theater style (or whatever style you want to sing in). If you have never taken lessons before, I would strongly recommend studying with a teacher who has a background in classical technique because learning that first will allow you much more flexibility and is a very healthy, natural way of singing. I have had musical theater teachers try to get me to do things that are uncomfortable vocally, and I think it is because some of them do not have a good understanding of the human voice and its limits and how to work with individual singers within their voice's capabilities.

Updated On: 9/30/12 at 05:49 PM

[adam.peterson44]

Posted: 9/30/12 at 10:31pm

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice! It is much appreciated!