By its very nature, the study of voice is different for each student. During your first lesson, I will assess both your vocal and musical abilities. I will run you through scales and arpeggios to assess what you are doing vocally, as well as how good your ear is. I will discuss what kind of music you want to study and what your goals are. How I decide to proceed will depend on what I hear, as well as your repertoire choices.
Studying voice is completely different than any other instrument. Imagine that you are taking piano lessons, but that in addition to learning to play your instrument, you also have to build your instrument from the ground up. Now imagine that we are working on building your instrument in complete darkness, and I can only describe what it feels like to properly build and play your instrument. And further, imagine that science has not yet discovered all there is to know about how the piano works….
This is how voice lessons work! There is not a set plan that I can follow for every student. Instead, I will decide what issue(s) we need to work on right away, and we will work on that until you are ready to move onto a different concept. Sometimes we will work on several different issues in combination, and often, working on one skill may lead to something new. There will be times when I observe a problem, but I know that you are not ready yet to tackle it. This is the nature of voice lessons, and the most important thing is that my students trust my knowledge and experience.
Questions or Concerns
I cannot offer you a set plan or schedule for your lessons, but I can discuss what our immediate goals are. Any time you want to discuss your progress with me, please give me a call, and we’ll sit down, outside of your lesson, and discuss what is going on. Parents, this is doubly important for you, so that you know how your children are progressing. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to discuss these with me.
Progress
One of my first teachers told me that studying voice is like watching your fingernails grow. You may not notice anything if you’re constantly assessing your growth, but after a few weeks you’ll realize that your fingernails are indeed growing! In the end, progress is largely determined by the amount of time you spend in working on your vocal issues. I’m not talking about singing through your song ten times a day. Rather, I’m referring to working on those passage where you are having trouble. It is no good to sing through the parts that you already do well! At the end of each lesson, I will give you specific things to work on. Your progress will depend on how diligent you are in working on assigned exercises, passages, etc.