FAQs
Question 1
I have to be really gifted to sing don’t I?
Well, that certainly must not be true. Think about your favorite singers. They certainly have spent a lot of time learning vocal technique and developing their craft but are they really the best voices you can think of? Probably not! Most of our favorite singers made the effort to find what is unique and distinct in their voices and made it work for them. Because they have a command over their voice they have the confidence to express themselves in a way that touch and inspire us.
Whether you are singing for the pure joy of it or working towards a professional career, voice training will be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. Be who you truly are and let that be reflected in your singing. People will love it.
You can do it!
Question 2
I have taken lessons before. Why didn’t my voice improve very much?
That is a familiar complaint. If you attended class and followed the instructions given to you, you should hear and feel a difference. If you did not, it’s because you did not receive the proper exercises and information for your specific voice issues and were not taught to do them with the precision needed to progress.
Voice training is similar to what you would experience if you were working on your physical health. Your voice is supported by muscles and how you use your body. The exercises you do to develop a fit body is identical to what you do to develop a healthy voice. If someone was not following the correct instructions for being physically fit we would not be surprised if that person did not become leaner, stronger or possibly even injure themselves, yet people do vocal exercises that are irrelevant to them and are disappointed when they don’t hear the results they know they have the ability to achieve.
Doing homework between sessions is necessary to develop your voice. If you do not do work between sessions your voice will not develop. Your voice needs to be worked on a regular basis. It is not practical to assume you will be able to afford or have the time to take enough lessons to move your voice to the next level. That can only be done through homework.
Reputable coaches do not use gimmicks or tricks. They analyze your voice and give you focused exercises that improve your voice for life-long singing, quickly and easily. It is better to take fewer lessons of a higher caliber, combined with an appropriate homework plan, then more lessons of lesser quality.
As Keith Richard of The Rolling Stones once said……………
“You either pay for experience
or you pay for the experience”
Question 3
Why do I need vocal lessons?
You need vocal lessons in order to learn how to sing in a way that feels and sounds effortless. When you do not understand how “your specific voice” functions you will over think your lyrics causing you to force the sound into place. This will cause a number of problems to happen such as being unable to high notes clearly, becoming hoarse after singing, diminishing your range and flipping/cracking between your low and high notes, to name just a few.
Your voice is part of you. It’s a living instrument! It never stays in place. It is always changing. It is either developing (moving forward) or deteriorating (moving backward). If you love to sing you need lessons to keep things moving forward.
Singers also take lessons to create their own unique singing style. It is the combination of Vocal Technique and Vocal Styles that give you the ability to sing with your best voice. This will put you into a very small group of people who have found the distinct characteristics of their voice making them stand out from all other singers.
You need a Vocal Coach to monitor your sound and your body movements which is something you can not do on your own. A little expertise goes a long way so I encourage you to seek out the highest level of training for yourself.
Question 4
How many lessons do I need?
The number of lessons you need will depend on the goals you have and the caliber of voice you want to sing with. People often think singers are either given a gift to sing or not. That is a myth. 25% of your voice is what you are given and 75% is how you develop it. There are a few gifted exceptions but for most people we are given talent and the desire to want to sing. The decision to develop or not develop that talent is ours.
Singing for Fun: If you are singing for the pure joy of it you will take some initial lessons in order to set a solid foundation of vocal technique. Depending on budge and time you will meet with your coach periodically to get additional information that will help your voice progress further and make sure you are on track. Many people who sing purely for the love of it continue to do so indefinitely while others, after hearing their voice improve, set new goals and decide to continue working on their voice so they can not only sing better but so they can sing with others. They feel more confident and are ready to stretch their boundaries. They may be part of a band performing occasionally at local clubs/restaurants, join a choir or chorus, or simply want to share their music with friends and family etc.
Singing Semi-professionally: If you are interested in taking a more serious approach to singing but are not making it your full-time career you will want to meet with a coach to find out where your voice is currently and find out what needs to be done to get it where you want it to go. This plan will depend on your goals and speed in which they want your voice to be developed. So, let your coach know your dreams and goals allowing your training to move in that direction.
Often those who sing for fun and those who aspire to sing semi-professionally do it for the social interaction a music community offers. They stretch themselves and expand their singing ability at a pace that fits their schedule allowing them to connect with other music lovers who inevitably become friends.
Professional Singer: Being fully trained in voice for those interested in becoming a professional singer is a must in order to be competitive and stand out from all the other voices that are good, but not good enough to get the job. You will take lessons regularly and throughout your career.
You are meticulous about pitch accuracy, timing, expanding your range and developing accuracy with all vocal technique and vocal styles needed to develop a strong and healthy voice that can handle the impact regular singing puts on your voice. You work on all aspects of your voice and bring out what is unique and distinctly you.
As a singer is unable to hear the exact sound of their own voice, classes are needed in order to avoid forming bad habits or settling into a rut from out of date routines.
Regardless of your goals taking quality lessons combined with a homework plan will allow you to develop your voice to match the goals you set for yourself.
Don’t give up! Keep reaching for whatever dreams and goals you set for yourself. They are all reachable with the right plan!
