How to find a good singing teacher?

This is a good question, as being a singing teacher myself I have heard horror stories from my current students about singing teachers they had before they contacted me.

I guess one of the most important things to find in a singing teacher is someone with a personality that you are comfortable around and that you can relate to.  As a student, you are the vulnerable one, releasing your emotions and your interpretation of the song you are singing, sharing an emotional journey.  If you don’t feel at ease in front of your teacher, then you haven’t found the right teacher for you.

As a singing teacher, I pride myself on making sure I have a friendly, broad minded view of the world. I don’t judge my students. I help them open up and help them find the comfortable space to express their emotions. The most important thing with learning voice is singing with conviction. You can be the best singer (technically) on earth, but if you have no emotion you won’t move anyone when you sing. Singing is about conveying your thoughts and emotion into music.  I personally think everyone should sing. I think it helps us heal pain and feel love. We all have a voice hiding inside us, a gift that’s not always opened. But once you learn the skills to sing, your voice can be trained to portray the heart and soul inside you.

The next thing you need to think of when looking for a singing teacher is someone who has studied Music or Voice. It’s important that they know what they are doing, you don’t want them to hurt your voice.  There are lots of different methods of teaching singing, some teachers use just one method, others use a few depending on the students’ voice type and what genre of singing the student is into. Do a bit of research into what methods they use.  Find out whether your teacher has been a performer themselves. There are lots of teachers out there who have been performers but have not studied voice. They don’t use any methods, rather they rely on their own experience.  I’m not saying this is bad, but personally I’d trust someone more if they had some background in studying voice and that they understood the vocal mechanics and physiology behind the singing voice.

Another thing to look for with a singing teacher is someone who can accompany you whether it be on piano, guitar or backing tracks. You don’t always want to sing along with the original song because it’s hard to hear your own voice over the original vocals. It’s better for you to learn timing and other techniques when singing with an accompanying instrument or backing track.

Hopefully the teacher you find will be able to guide you in the right way towards achieving your vocal goals. It’s good to discuss these goals with your teacher on your first meeting, that way your teacher will know what direction you want to go in. Some students want to learn to sing to join a duo or band, others students want to learn to sing songs they have written themselves. Some students want to learn to sing to be confident to audition for a choir.  Whatever reason you chose to learn to sing, I’m sure the process of learning to sing will make you happy.

The best part of my job is watching students develop, not only voice wise, but watching their confidence increase and their inner spirit grow. They get in touch with their heart and soul and the process of singing becomes less technical and more joyous.

Call Katherine Dolphin If you are ready to learn to sing. I’d love to assist you.