Choosing a singing teacher

Choosing the right singing teacher is an important decision when thinking about singing lessons for yourself or your child. Making the wrong choice in teacher can lead to wasted time and money, frustration and a loss of confidence.

The right singing teacher should make you feel comfortable and at ease from the first lesson. Your teacher must be on your side and needs to be your coach, supporting you and motivating you to achieve your best. They need to work with you, at the pace that is right for you in order to bring out the best in your voice. It is very important that you feel and hear an improvement in your voice but equally that you enjoy the experience.

Check list for choosing a singing teacher

Here are some pointers to think about when choosing the right singing teacher.



Recommendations

If you already know somebody who has singing lessons and has a good voice ask which teacher they use. Although recommendations are a good starting point remember that ‘one size does not fit all’ and what is great for one pupil is not always going to be good for another.

When speaking to prospective teachers make sure you take the time to ask any questions you may have. A good teacher will understand that this is a big decision for you and will be happy to be “interviewed” prior to you making a booking. It is important that you feel comfortable with the teacher because you will be expecting your child to learn from them. Are they helpful, knowledgeable and approachable? If they offer a free “taster” or trial lesson then this is the perfect opportunity for you to experience a lesson with them.

Your goal should be to find a teacher who is personable and easy to talk to, you need someone who can explain what to expect in your lesson. Ultimately you want your lessons interesting and fun with the right mix of vocal exercises and working on songs that you would like to work on. Singing lessons should not be a chore!

Qualifications

Being “qualified” to teach music can mean a variety of things so don’t be too quick to base your decision on whether they have a degree, letters after their name or whether they have a successful singing career themselves. A singing teacher will need to use their own voice to demonstrate a multitude of examples of singing to you so it is important that they can actually sing. Do they have videos or songs that you can listen to, do you think they can sing, do you like their voice, what does your child think?



Commitment to you

A good singing teacher will have a separate room to teach in, ideally with a piano or keyboard. Lessons should not be full of unwanted distractions, including children wandering in and out of the room, phone calls and texts! It is important to remember that your singing lesson is about you and only you!

It’s essential that you have a two-way relationship with your music teacher and they should be interested in improving you and your singing. Do they inspire you, put you at ease and have the ability to encourage you to succeed?