How to get the most out of your singing lessons.
Hi Singers!
If you’re reading this I am guessing that you’re either a) considering working with a vocal coach. Or b) wondering how to breathe new life into your work with your current singing teacher. Good for you!
Getting the most out of your singing lessons is not something to leave to chance. Here are 5 things you can do to ensure that you really take hold of this opportunity for growth.
Don’t come to your singing lesson dehydrated. I’ve said it before and you’ve heard it before, but here I am saying it again because it is SO important. Bring a bottle of water with you. In fact, take one everywhere you go, and make sure you’re well hydrated the day before you meet with your coach. I’m not trying to nag, there are scientific reasons for this plea. When we sing, the vocal folds need to vibrate hundreds of times per second, and hydration is vital to their ability to do this. When we’re dehydrated, the voice can be less resonant, scratchy, phlegmy and will fatigue much more quickly. Is this really how you want to show up to your vocal coaching sessions? By being well hydrated, you will give your coach an accurate representation of how your voice behaves and sounds, they won’t have to spend the session firefighting or working around it, and will be able to assign you exercises and strategies for your voice with much more accuracy.
Be fully present during the lesson summary. Most coaches will spend the final 5-10 minutes of your session summarising the day’s discoveries, answering any of your questions and agreeing practice strategies with you. This part of the session is all too easy to neglect in favour of the more fun singing bit. (I am guilty of this for sure.) However, the speed of your progress has a direct correlation with what you do in-between your sessions. Establishing clear areas of focus for your personal singing time helps to build greater continuity between sessions, and makes practicing so much easier. To get the most out of your coach, I recommend that you embrace this often glossed over part of the process. Bring a notebook and a pen, write stuff down, ask questions and be fully present.
Record your singing lesson. Most singing teachers will actively encourage you to do this, but always ask for permission the first time. Most of my clients use the voice memos app on their phone, whilst others like to video the session instead. (Online singing lessons are easy to record, thanks to the video feature within the zoom app. YAY.) Although listening to or watching your lesson back after the fact can be a little bit awks, the benefits of being able to essentially repeat your lesson over and over, by far outweigh a little bit of cringe factor. Even if you only spend 20 minutes watching over bits of your last session couple of times before your next one, it will jog your memory enough that your coach won’t have to spend the whole next session re-covering old ground. The best bit? Lesson recordings also serve as a great reminder of how far you’ve come a few months or years down the line.
Make a playlist of songs that you’d like to work on, and keep adding to it. If you’re not working towards a specific gig or project, the scope for song choice in your vocal coaching sessions is endless. So much so that many singers feel lost and sometimes overthink things when choosing a song to work on. Save time and stress in lessons by making a playlist of songs you’d like to work on. (You can use a streaming service such as spotify, make a list in the notes in your phone, or even use pen and paper. The point is, have a list!) When it comes to preparing for your next session with your coach, look through your list and pick something to match your mood. If you try something and it doesn’t work out, that’s part of the learning and will help you to understand yourself as a singer on a deeper level.
Be a collaborator. Now this is partly the responsibility of your coach, but pick a great one and you’ll be halfway there. Singing isn’t a paint by numbers exercise, therefore training singers isn’t either. Our work as vocal coaches encompasses your individual, emotional and creative needs, so a traditional directive approach to training just won’t cut it. We want you to tell us your goals, ask us questions, tell us if you’re stressed, tired, or sick and even respectfully disagree with us, if that’s your truth. Your vocal coach should be an expert on singing, but you are the expert on yourself. Working together requires us to combine our collective skills and experience in order to find the best pathway forward for your life as a singer. If you don’t bring your authentic self to your vocal coach, they won’t have all the information they need to serve you the way that they want to.
Working with a vocal coach can be an extremely liberating experience, full of surprises, personal growth, and challenging moments. The benefits can span way beyond your enjoyment of singing. Many of my clients report improvements in their health (I once got credited with a pregnancy) as well as being the vehicle that helped them make positive changes to their lives (check out my testimonials page to hear more examples.) Your coach will guide you every step of the way, but the above tips will empower you to get the absolute most value out of your time working with a vocal coach.
You can find out if I might be the right vocal coach for you by clicking here.
