4Real Forums: What should I look for in a voice coach?

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Topic: What should I look for in a voice coach?

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stefoodie
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Posted: May 08 2008 at 8:36pm \| IP Logged

DD-17 will be starting voice lessons this spring/summer. She's not looking to become an opera singer, just learn how to breathe properly and project and open her mouth, etc. So we're looking at maybe 3-6 months of lessons, just to provide her with some skills. She sings in choir at church, and in a teen Catholic band from time to time. She *might* consider minoring (or dual majoring, along with Culinary Arts and Science) in voice for college, but isn't decided at this point.

What should we look for in a voice coach? If you have any specific questions you think we should ask, please share.

Thank you very much!

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stef

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CrunchyMom
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Posted: May 09 2008 at 8:18am \| IP Logged

I think that even if she doesn't want to be an opera singer that a "classical" approach like what an opera singer uses is best. Some voice coaches are specifically geared toward performance and more contemporary or pageant like approach, and I would generally avoid this type of "coach" for the purposes you have mentioned.

So, I would make sure they are "classical" in their approach. If you can learn the techniques to sing opera, you can sing anything without hurting yourself or damaging something. A classical approach will also better prepare her for auditions for college. There were many people on scholarship in our college choir who were not music majors.

Given your daughter's interest in choir, I would ask what the person's choral experiences are. Choir does require some technique different from that of solo singing; so, you would want someone who could help her develop good techniques that would help her blend with the choir instead of sounding like a soloist with the choir.

You might also ask them to share about their own experiences with teachers and training. I had a very difficult time learning technique; so, I think I am quite good at teaching proper placement and such since I had to work so hard to acquire the skills myself. I knew some people, though, who were amazing singers--much better than myself--for whom it all came much more naturally. My teachers like this were never able to explain things like proper placement in a way that made it click for me.

You could also ask the ages they typically work with. I've heard some young people who sound very "affected" in their manner of singing because their teachers are trying to have them sing like an adult instead of just teaching them to use their "immature" voice in the proper way. 17 can still be pretty young for a girl's voice. A woman's voice doesn't usually reach the height of maturity until their late twenties!

If your daughter already has a college in mind or even if there are local colleges around, you might call some of the vocal faculty and ask them what you asked here. You might not want to pay for their services (I paid around $75 an hour for lessons over the summer from my teachers!), but they would be able to offer guidance especially since they would be the ones judging your daughter should she decide to audition for a choir scholarship.

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Lindsay
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ladybugs
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Posted: May 09 2008 at 10:48am \| IP Logged

Stef,

I think Lindsay has given you good advice.

I took lessons and something I really value from my experience is that I was taught to sing properly - and from that, I mean classically. (That might sound snobbish, but I don't mean it to).

I learned to stand properly, how my posture affects my voice, how to open the throat to get the best and most pure sound, how to project - another thing to note is that my range also dramatically increased from the time I started singing (7th grade) to now.

It's been about 15 years since I had these lessons so I'm trying to remember...

I'll have to give the old memory banks a jog - if I can think of anything else, I'll let you know.

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Maria P

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