If you are singer, this is a MUST READ! Please share this with other singers you may know.
Recently, after going and seeing several artists and bands perform live, I have grown ever more concerned about singers’ vocal health and longevity. Many are straining (and stressing!), either because they haven’t learnt how to sing their chosen repertoire/genre correctly or they have had lessons from someone who has not really taught them anything.
When I was a budding singer I went to several teachers trying to improve my ability and increase my range. Most of the 10+ teachers I had lessons with really had no idea of how the voice worked or how to increase my range, develop my own unique tone or preserve my voice so I could sing four nights in a row. They would get me doing these ridiculous and meaningless exercise’s such as panting, making circles with my tongue, circles with pursed lips, and endless scales that only utilised my natural voice and not the other 3 registers, etc, etc, to fill up the hour. It was SO frustrating!! I later put this down to the fact that they had no clue as to what they were supposed to be doing, and that was teaching me how to sing properly!
I decided to research, study and generally learn as much as I could about how the voice worked. I even visited an ear/nose/throat specialist so he could explain it to me! I then set about teaching myself, armed with that knowledge (and some that I actually learned from good teachers), how to use the different vocal registers and generally everything I needed at the time as a singer in a covers band working 4-5 nights a week.
Many singing teachers out there have had formal training and some are excellent at their craft. Many also teach and communicate to their students brilliantly and get great results. However, there are also many who have had no “real world” experience and struggle to string a sentence together! This is all gleaned from my personal experience and what I have been told by, or have noticed in, my students who have had lessons with other sub-standard teachers. Singing is a difficult and frustrating art if you don’t know A) what your instrument looks like, B) how it works, and C) how to utilise/place the different vocal registers. Alternately, it can be the best art form when you know what you’re doing! Having confidence in your vocal ability is vital if you are to enjoy a rewarding, fun and long career. The voice comes from within us so it’s crucial we understand the visual make up of our instrument and how it produces sound, wouldn’t you agree?! It just makes sense.
10 Questions to Ask Your Singing Teacher:
1. What does my vocal instrument look like?
2. How does the larynx and vocal cords work?
3. How/where do I direct my voice to utilise all of the registers at my disposal?
4. Can you show me how to increase my range and sing difficult vowels (eg, closed vowels) properly?
5. Can you teach me how to use the full spectrum of my voice and by-pass the pitch break smoothly?
6. How do we monitor my progress and when will I do my first recording?
7. What experience have you had and is it similar to my goals and aspirations?
8. Are you in tune with what I want to achieve as a singer?
9. Can you give me something worthwhile to use during every lesson?
10. Have I really noticed any improvement, especially when I’m performing live or in the studio?
Your teacher should be able to answer these questions knowledgeably and without hesitation, otherwise they shouldn’t be teaching!! If they can’t, grab your $80 or whatever other extortionate fee they are charging you and get the hell out of there! You must be seeing results as you progress from lesson to lesson otherwise what it’s all for? Learning how to sing live and in the studio is where the rubber meets the road. It’s the culmination of all your study and hard work. If there’s no improvement after several lessons, then that’s just a tragedy!
If you want help, message me. I’ve had an amazing journey as a singer and I want as many singers as possible to explore their potential, as I have! I’m at the point in my life where I want to continue to give back and if I can help even more singers to develop the ability and confidence to go on stage or into the studio and truly nail it, then that’s always the most rewarding thing!
Best in music to you all,
Ty Coates.
