Frequency of Lessons

I do apologize for the tardiness of my blog post. I got back from a fantastic two weeks in Scandinavia and have finally shaken the jet lag!

I sometimes hear a new or potential student tell me that they, as beginners, would like to come in for a lesson every few weeks and then once they are more advanced bump it up to a weekly lesson. This is backwards. It is important to remember that a voice teacher is there to help you train your neuromuscular habit patterns. That is to say a voice teacher is there to correct and guide the student to the point where the technique becomes second nature.

Habits are the most powerful things there are. Singing is a very complex process. The only way that a good singer can stop thinking about their voice and start thinking about the songs they are singing is by training their neuromuscular habits to the point where healthy vocal technique is on auto pilot. Habits are developed very quickly. Therefore, a new student needs to be under proper guidance as often as possible, whereas a more advanced student who already has good singing habits established doesn't need lessons as frequently.

In the 19th century and probably prior, it was customary for a student to have daily lessons with the maestro. It was common that they trained daily together for upwards of eight years before the singer made their debut on the operatic stage. These days, we have the ability to record lessons on CD or MP3; and with these recordings the student can practice the specialized lesson plan the teacher has developed for them between lessons. These recordings make it no longer necessary for a student to have daily lessons; however, I recommend that a beginning student have a minimum of one lesson per week with a qualified instructor. Twice per week is ideal if time and budget can allow it. As the technique becomes more developed the student can taper off the frequency if desired, but only to the extent that they are able to maintain a healthy speech-level posture during singing at all times.

Until next time!

Guy

Voice Lesson