Develop your vocal accuracy!
Chapters
- Where to find a voice teacher
- How to become a voice teacher
- What is the rate for a singing teacher?
- Vocal teacher: what are the different profiles?
- The essential equipment of the singing teacher !
" To be able to sing that it is beautiful, it is beautiful life ", Jean Ferrat
Oh yes, knowing how to sing is not for everyone. It is not always easy to find the right person who will make you sing properly and allow your voice to reach its full potential! Finding private or group singing lessons can be a challenge: you need to know where to look, how to look and how to convince a teacher to work on your musical project. That's good because here we explain why and how to find the perfect voice teacher!
Finding a voice teacher?
Finding a singing teacher: combine practice and technique.
Finding a voice teacher is sometimes like looking for a needle in a haystack, especially if you are looking for a very specific type of teacher, who teaches, for example:
- Jazz singing,
- Lyrical singing,
- Choral singing,
- Speaking and singing,
- Singing improvisation.
But often, the first criterion of choice remains geographical: we call on teachers near us! This is often why finding singing lessons is easier in the city than in the provinces: in Geneva or Lausanne, the musical and hymnal offer is more important, whether in terms of associations, available shows or even teachers ready to accompany you. To find a singing teacher, you will first need to define the city:
- Geneva, a true artistic heart for all enthusiasts and dreamers,
- Lausanne, Fribourg, Yverdon or Neuchâtel, important cities where singing is very practiced, for cultural reasons,
- Pully, Paudex, Bussigny, le Mont-sur-Lausanne, la Blécherette, nerve centers where you are bound to find a teacher,
- In secondary cities such as Nyon, Morges, Vevey, Montreux, private singing teachers are also numerous.
Then you should always look in the right place! Singing teachers do not wait in a room for students to come and recruit them, no. They either work a full-time job or are self-employed. In either case, you'll benefit from looking at the following establishments :
- Higher education institutions (public education or private education),
- The local singing school, or music school,
- The conservatory
- The traditional music school
- Classified ads on sites such as apprentus.ch, trouveruncours.ch or superprof.ch
- The neighborhood associations
- Small singing schools, set up by enthusiasts.
Learning to sing: getting into a multifaceted discipline! From then on, you should find, wherever you are, a teacher worthy of the name! But by the way, before teaching singing, how does one become a teacher?
How do you become a voice teacher?
You don't become a voice teacher with a snap of your fingers. It is the result of many years of hard work, competition and competition. There are several possible paths for those who are destined to become a singing teacher :
- The traditional path is to enter the high school of music in your canton and spend 5 years there. The first 3 years for the bachelor's degree, then the last 2 for the master's degree devoted to pedagogy.
- Self-taught singers who manage to build a reputation through their personal artistic journey have a good chance of breaking into teaching. However, perhaps not in the official structures that meet the rigid requirements of the FEM.
It all depends on the ambitions of the teacher. If he wants to join a conservatory or a renowned singing school to teach his own passion, he will have to double his patience and pass exams, in internal competition, third way competition or external competition, depending on his age and experience in teaching. It is an important role that the teacher will play, on the musical awakening: it is at these ages that vocations can be discovered! As a reminder, the requirement for degrees or certifications may vary depending on the status chosen by the voice teacher:
- Employee status, which allows you to teach in an establishment such as a conservatory or high school of music, where diplomas are imperative,
- Independent status, which allows you to teach anywhere and give lessons at the student's home, where certificates are not essential,
- Volunteer status, which allows you to give your time to others in learning singing, where no diploma is required.
In the end, becoming a voice teacher is complicated, but you get there! On the other hand, the course, the experience and the geographical location of the professor can influence its price. Becoming a singing teacher: a passion and a real guide to play
How much does a singing teacher cost?
"All work deserves a pay," to put it mildly to say that sometimes vocal teachers have a lot of work with their students or alumni. Getting them to work on their voice, preparing them for the warm-up, encouraging them in their project, that requires a lot of investment. The price of singing lessons is first determined by several factors, not always in this order:
- The format of the singing lesson: group lessons, private lessons, semi-private lessons, musical awakening lessons,
- The location of the singing teacher: in Geneva or Lausanne, the prices are higher on average than in the countryside,
- The status of the teacher: as a freelance, you pay by the hour, with a salaried singing teacher, you pay a service over a period (one quarter, one month)
- The place of teaching: a reputable singing school will make prices much higher than a teacher in a new dance academy or a freelance teacher.
That makes them criteria! Note, however, that an hour of singing costs on average between 50 and 60 Swiss francs per hour. It all depends on the type of project you define in the first lesson with the teacher. You should ask yourself the following questions:
- What are my expectations of this singing teacher?
- What is my current level? Do I have a good basis for singing?
- Do I prefer the technical aspect or improvisation and scenic art? Or both?
- How often should I take these courses?
- What is my budget?
Also note that the prices are not negotiable in an institute or a singing school . You may be able to receive a prize that depends on the length of the engagement or the number of people signing up at the same time. Conversely, you can always discuss the price with a freelance teacher, especially if they can give you additional guitar lessons , BD / Manga illustration , painting lessons, academic drawing lessons , drum lessons , piano lessons or singing lessons.
Singing teacher: what are the different profiles?
Whether you are a soloist, instrumentalist or other, you must choose a vocal teacher according to your specific characteristics! Indeed, the singing teacher is unique (pianist, songwriter, lyricist, each has their own path!), But they will pursue the same objectives with each of their students:
- Find your own voice
- Control of breathing technique
- Breathing through the stomach
- The accuracy of the voice
- Work on the voice in general
You will learn vocalizations and scales in a music theory class. An online singing lesson works the same way, regardless of the teacher's profile:
- A warm-up using vowels, for example with the so-called resonator work
- Music theory
- Work with well-known music and songs, with or without instrumental accompaniment.
So all singing teachers have similarities. But are there some singing profiles that suit you more than others: a more pronounced vocal range, an impressive alto voice, mezzo or maybe, an experience within a heart? This is why we note two types of profiles among singing teachers:
- Technique-oriented teachers , who emphasize vocal technique, voice mastery,
- Creative oriented teachers , who prefer to focus on self-confidence, for the stage for example, or stage improvisation.
The choice is yours according to your own goals!
The almost essential equipment for the singing teacher!
Finally, what voice teacher would be worthy of the name without a minimum of equipment? The vocal coach accessories are plentiful, but don't imagine that all singing teachers have a dedicated room, a personal recording studio, or even large spaces like a concert hall where you can sing. No, on the other hand, the microphone and the voice, these are the two essential elements for learning singing. If voice is, of course, the first essential ingredient, then everything will depend on the nature of the course:
- If it is a vocal technique course, it will above all be a question of working on your vocal timbres, breathing, lyrical harmonic and rhythm.
- If it is a standard singing lesson, the important step will be to identify the dominant voice (lead voice, baritone, soprano, vibrato, mezzo)
- The vocal coaching courses take place instead in a recording studio, with all the necessary equipment for professional singers.
In summary, the most basic material for a singing lesson can be summarized as follows:
- A microphone , useful to be able to record and listen to yourself later
- A microphone stand , necessary for letting go
- An audio interface , which will allow you to record the sound of your microphone on your computer
- A tuning fork , to give you the A
- A mirror , to allow you to correct your posture
- An audio headset , to be able to listen to you, quite simply
Of course, the teacher can also be creative and integrate musical scores, instruments or even audio samples from his computer as part of your lessons. This will allow you to touch on different areas and to know what exists in terms of musical and audio technique!
So, want to learn to sing? Don't wait any longer and find your ideal teacher to help you in this quest for freedom!