Does Everyone Need Voice Lessons?
Stephanie F- Elkhart, Indiana – I went to a vocal instructor in my hometown. She asked me to sing for her so I did. She said that I don’t need voice lessons, that I have a beautiful voice and that I could probably teach her a thing or two. Is it true that a person who sings so perfectly doesn’t need lessons? Anyone can use lessons right?
Breck- That’s a cool question. In the March 2003 edition of Singer Magazine I answered a question titled “Does study ruin style?” This is often a concern from singers that have a unique style and are afraid to lose it by going to a voice teacher. I haven’t heard you sing and I don’t know the qualifications of the voice teacher you went to. She might be very skilled and completely accurate. She might not have enough experience to recognize things you could improve. So at the moment you’re exactly the same singer you were before you went to see her. But let’s say you went to a not-so-great teacher that said you needed a lot of work. She might have proceeded to have you do all kinds of strange vocal teacher things and sing a bunch of songs you hated, really changing your perspective. She might have even done all this in an unhealthy manner leaving you at a loss what to do next. It happens. So if you’re still interested in finding out more about where you stand, you might research the vocal teachers in your area and find someone who specializes in technique, and will let you sing whatever style of music you want. Find a teacher that has a healthy vocal warm-up to teach you. This way, even if you are already a perfect singer, you can keep your voice healthy for the rest of your life. And maybe that is all you need. If you sound great and can tap into your music on an emotional level, then what else is there? I can’t resist in answering that question with “variety.” A great teacher will teach you to explore many avenues of singing and leave you with a lot of variety. That said, some our favorite singers only do it one way, their way, and we love it.