How to make the most out of Singing Lessons
Here are five principles for making the most out of singing lessons. I’ve compiled these suggestions based on research, many hours in the studio, and the qualities exemplified by those who make excellent progress.
1. Record/Make Notes In Your Lessons
This is the hot tip for accelerating learning. Most smartphones have a default voice recorder app (or free ones can be downloaded). Naturally, ask your teacher/coach before you press record.
The knowledge and exercises are yours to keep forever to refine at your own pace, and you can let go of having to absorb all the information at once in the lesson.
Record yourself, then listen back throughout the week and when you come to practise.
You are building a catalogue of notes, audio, or video, which isn’t merely a ‘look how far I’ve come’ but a personal library for troubleshooting in future.
2. Embrace Mistakes: Cracks, Shrieks, Yodels.
How long does it take to make a palatable sound on a violin? Even the most exquisite instrument requires technique to sound pleasant. Every singer has to go through thousands of questionable notes before they consistently nail the quality stuff.
If you’re not used to singing in front of others, it can be a daunting process. Singing teachers are used to hearing hundreds of barnyard noises a day, but here is the truth: there is no judgment; in fact, we derive immense satisfaction in helping you overcome the hurdles and sing better than you imagined.
The very best of us have to start somewhere. Trust that you cannot begin perfectly, that there is a process; that some corking bung notes won’t hurt you, and that a good teacher is on your side. It’s on us to help you find strategies that work - your job is to be heroic, playful, and take risks!
3. Trust the Process, You Are Building A Habit
Learning to sing is a high-trust process. A good teacher will be able to guide you and help you extract potential beyond what you can currently accomplish.
As the body is both the instrument and the skill, singing progress happens in two ways simultaneously.
A local, day-to-day level (I sang this phrase well today)
A deeper, habitual level embedded in your nervous system (I’ve built the habit, and this part of my voice now).
It takes time. Nobody would take the claim that a single gym visit, or even a month of visits, is going to award you the fitness levels of your wildest aspirations - There is so much more to singing than squeaking at the right pitch! There are good days and better days.
Progress isn’t linear; it takes time to build consistency. You can’t force the voice to behave how you want all the time! It is through training - embedding positive habits into our nervous system - that technique develops, so excellent singing becomes the norm.
Best results are obtained through regular personal practise and regular lessons. Read How to Practise Singing for more details.
It is normal to experience some uncertainty when exploring new possibilities. With consistency, even your ‘bad’ days will sound impressive!
4. Have Dreams
We might call this the spark. A good mentor can help you discover it, help you unlock it, but they cannot create it - the spark comes from you. It can be hard to define, but it is unmistakable when you see it. It’s the drive to put the skin in the game, the time, the effort; the good, the bad, the spectacular voice crack.
A good apprentice might not yet know what they want, but they have the energy to discover it, to set goals and work towards them. To listen to a variety of singers and styles, and immerse themselves in the wider study. They come prepared with questions and observations generated from their exploration. They are seeking out opportunities and spreading the joy of this art form wherever they go.
Such students challenge a teacher, not because they are ‘difficult’, but because they push us to explore the frontiers of our understanding. No two journeys are the same; both the teacher and the student thrive when the student has the spark.
5. Enjoy your Singing Lessons
Singing is exposing our souls to the world; anything so vulnerable will always feel like it comes with risk, because to share something is to risk losing it.
Singing well is an exhilarating experience, connecting us to the farthest frontiers of communication. For millions of people, singing is their happy place. It connects us not only to each other and our audiences, but to our culture and our ancestors across time, who have handed down this wealth of knowledge and tradition.
Singing Lessons are the conduit for this.
A playful, childlike curiosity when learning a new skill is exactly what you need to absorb the craft. Learning to do it well, especially if you are really serious about that goal, doesn’t have to be serious in itself.
For many people, singing connects them to their inner child. Most children have remarkably little inhibition, which often, tragically, gets socialised away. One reason why so few adults sing (which is an entirely new cultural phenomenon that would have seemed alien to our ancestors) is because the fear of singing badly - and therefore being judged - prevents them from singing at all.
It’s easier to claim you can’t do something than to risk going through the process and finding out.
The antidote is to approach singing like a child approaches a new challenge. Your body is your instrument, and it is unique. As you warm up and sing exercises and repertoire, always retain a playfulness or a curiosity in the sound.
A singer with good technique will always sound better when they concentrate on communicating.
Which is what singing is all about!