How To Find the Right Singing Teacher for Your Kid
When you imagine childhood music lessons or think back on your own experience, you might conjure visions of tedious scales and exercises. So many adults have a complicated relationship with our early experiences with music and learning. A bad teacher can kill a budding interest before it has a chance to bloom. However, lessons with the right instructor can be a chance for students to discover a lifelong passion, learn a new skill, or build lasting friendships.
Unfortunately, finding the right voice teacher for your child is rarely as easy as calling the top-rated coach on Yelp. Below, we go into what to look for in a great vocal instructor to support your child’s musical journey.
More Than Just Music
The benefits of music lessons go far beyond learning to sing or play an instrument. A 2007 study by Christopher Johnson of the University of Kansas found that elementary school students with access to good music education programs had improved standardized test scores (22% higher in English and 20% higher in math) when compared with schools without strong programs, even accounting for differences in socioeconomic status. Music education has also been found to improve kids’ spatial-temporal skills, the same skills that are used to solve complex problems in fields like engineering, architecture, and computer technology. The link between music and tech skills is so strong that some tech companies prioritize hiring candidates with a musical background due to their problem-solving skills and ability to work as a team.
Voice lessons can strengthen students’ communication skills and confidence at a time when many kids struggle with insecurity. Girls in particular experience a measurable drop in self-esteem during puberty. Singing lessons teach students of all genders to use their voices, present themselves with confidence, and even navigate intense experiences like stage fright. In addition to addressing the fears and insecurities that keep so many of us from taking the stage, singing students learn how to protect their voices for a life of healthy singing and speaking.
With music and arts programs so often neglected - or even cut altogether - by schools, after-school lessons are one of the best ways for kids to get the many benefits of studying music. One-on-one lessons allow kids to learn in a way that is tailored to their unique needs and interests. Shy students may also feel more comfortable singing in front of one trusted teacher than an entire class.
Of course, private lessons aren’t for everyone and not every student will feel confident singing alone, even in the privacy of a one-on-one lesson. Group singing has been shown to support participants’ mental and immune health and a good choral director will teach singers the vocal technique and music theory skills necessary for healthy singing. Some singers will also feel more comfortable singing in a group rather than alone with a teacher.
finding the Right Fit
Don’t get us wrong: there are some bad teachers out there. Not everyone can teach, and even some excellent instructors struggle with young learners. While a potential music teacher’s performance accolades might offer insight into their skills and knowledge as a musician, they say very little about their abilities as an instructor. Teaching and musicianship are two completely separate skill sets; there are some amazing musicians who can’t teach to save their lives and there are some amazing teachers who could play circles around full-time performing musicians but lack an impressive list of past performances.
Even a great teacher might not be the right teacher for your child. Unlike instruments like the piano or guitar, singing requires learning to control complex muscle groups that are normally used entirely unconsciously. Additionally, much of the biology involved in singing is impossible to see without the use of a special scope operated by an otolaryngologist. All of this means that voice teachers need to use metaphors and creative tricks to help students learn to use their instruments, and not every trick or technique will work for every student.
It may take trying out several teachers to find someone who clicks with your kid - or you may find someone right out of the gate. Luckily, many instructors and music schools offer discovery lessons. These thirty-minute lessons give your child and the teacher a chance to get to know one another and see if their teaching and learning styles resonate.
Our collective understanding of how we learn and human neurodiversity has changed dramatically over the last few decades. Some of us benefit from kinesthetic or tactile learning, others are visual learners, and still others thrive when learning is made into a game. Finding a teacher who can accommodate your child’s learning style can be the difference between fighting your kid to practice and them begging to double up on their lessons.
Age Matters
Age has a massive impact, on both how students learn and what skills they’re able to develop. Some voice coaches won’t teach children below a certain age due to the skills required to work with youngsters. Young children have shorter attention spans and generally won’t benefit from lessons longer than 30 minutes. Rather than pushing a student beyond their capacity, a good teacher will meet your child where they’re at. Learners of all ages can benefit from gamifying lessons, but it can be especially helpful to younger students. The abstract skills and repetitive exercises involved in learning singing and music theory can be a slog even for adult students. Turning them into a game can make difficult topics more engaging
Age affects more than just how we learn. Unlike a guitar or piano, which will remain largely unchanged for the rest of its lifespan, the human voice changes dramatically as we age, particularly during puberty. If your child’s voice hasn’t changed yet, it’s the perfect time to find a teacher who can teach them the essentials of music theory - a skill that is too often brushed over in voice lessons - as well as vocal technique.
Repertoire
One of the biggest complaints we’ve heard from adult musicians is being forced to learn music they didn’t like as children. While there is merit to pushing students outside their comfort zone, allowing kids to learn the music they truly love can be the difference between quitting after just a few lessons and a lifelong relationship with music. A teacher who’s willing and able to teach a student technique and music theory through the songs that the child is passionate about is far more likely to inspire them to explore other genres like musical theater, jazz, opera, or bluegrass.
Although this line of thinking has largely fallen out of fashion, we feel it’s worth dispelling this myth once and for all: studying classical music (or jazz, musical theater or any other genre) is no more or less valid than studying pop, rock, or hip hop. The most essential techniques underlying healthy singing are not specific to one genre. A skilled, well-informed vocal coach will teach your child to sing safely and successfully, regardless of what style of music they might specialize in.
While foundational techniques aren’t genre-specific, the stylistic nuances that make rock sound like rock and opera sound like opera are. If your student has a passion for R&B, a voice teacher who specializes in opera may not be able to teach the complicated melismas that are an essential element of the genre. This can make singing lessons feel abstract and inapplicable to real-life singing situations. Finding a teacher whose repertoire matches your child’s musical interests ensures they’ll be able to use their new skills when singing for fun.
Practice Makes Progress
Lessons are great, but true growth comes from the practice between lessons. Many adult musicians (and their parents) have painful memories of arguments over practice. Kids already get plenty of homework at school; being asked to practice something as admittedly boring as scales can feel like just another assignment encroaching on limited free time. However, students who are deeply engaged with their lessons are more likely to be deeply engaged with their practice.
For some kids (and plenty of adults) practice will always feel like a chore, but the right teacher can make it worth the struggle. You and your child’s teacher can work together to figure out the best way to motivate your kid to practice. Some students might benefit from making practice a challenge or game while others may be willing to tough through it out of passion for their lessons. The only strategy that is almost guaranteed to fail is shaming and arguing. Remember that students can still benefit from lessons, even if they’re struggling to develop a practice routine.
Practice routines don’t have to be - and probably shouldn’t be - hours-long slogs. Even for adult musicians, practice sessions that last longer than an hour are often unproductive and can lead to vocal fatigue. Beginners of any age can benefit from as little as 10 minutes of practice per day, and missing a day or even a week won’t be a crushing blow to a student’s musical progress. Young learners have short attention spans both in and out of the classroom. A teacher who expects your 8-year-old to maintain a rigorous, hour-long practice schedule is likely not the right fit.
As for our approach teaching kids, we empower our young students with handy practice tools such as recorded practice drills and warm ups which they can be easily downloaded onto a smartphone. This makes practice time more convenient, more doable and even more fun. Students can then enjoy a practice session practically anytime, anywhere. Parents and siblings can join in the fun as well and all benefit from a voice workout.
For an in-depth look at practice strategies for singers of all ages, check out our article on the Best Practices for the Best Practice.
Get Started with Great Lessons Today!
If you and your child are ready to start their singing journey, contact us to set up a free Discovery Lesson. If you mention this article, you’ll receive 20% off your first full lesson. It’s never too early (or too late) to learn to Love Your Voice, and we’re hear to help!
If you and your child are ready to start singing, get in touch with Zelda to schedule a lesson!
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