Vocal Domain

Criticisms should start with what is good about an individual’s singing technique and build from there. For some reason this seems to run counter to what many singing and vocal instructors incorporate into their teaching style.  A great many instructors find everything you might have done wrong and attempt to fix all of these supposed problems.  What I’ve found to be the greatest talent of my favorite singing and vocal instructors is their ability to find what I’ve done right in my singing technique and then continually build on this.  In the end this always takes care of the original problems that were found in my original singing technique.

Obviously one of the goal’s should be to address problems and work toward solutions, but constructive criticism is just that – it is constructive.  So ask yourself, “How can I build someone up if I am only focusing on this person’s weak points in my analysis?”  Don’t dwell on what is wrong with a singer’s performance to the extent that the problem becomes a distraction.

One of the most clever techniques for dealing constructively in your criticism is to give out what I’ve come to know as a good-bad-good sandwich - slice of critique in between two pieces of compliment.  Start out with what a singer is doing right, transition into what is needs improvement and end with another compliment of the singer’s strengths.  This way your student is opened up by the compliment, the problem is addressed and then they’re left with the good feeling of another compliment.

Lastly, keep in mind your non-verbal behaviors, like posture or facial expression. These are powerful indicators of your thoughts. If you look relaxed, your student is more likely to accept your critic because his or her self-esteem won’t be damaged.

Many singers go into a practice session with songs that they very much enjoy singing, and they simply sing these same songs over and over.  Sometimes the singer is looking to improve the singing voice, other times the goal is to simply get better at singing the given song for an upcoming performance.  What often happens, however, is that there are particular sections of the song that you might feel just don’t work out right.  Instead of singing the song over and over again to improve, the solution is to simply break the song down into parts for optimal practice sessions.

This might seem a bit obvious to some, but many times we overlook the thing that is staring us right in the face.  What you can do is break apart all the sections of the song that you feel you are doing right and separate those from the parts that seem to be running flat or just out of tune.  Work on each difficult section individually until you eventually eliminate the whole list of parts of the song that you are having a problem with.  It’s easy to get overwhelmed by going through this process, but as you overcome the various portions of the song in which you are having trouble, you will build confidence and self esteem as the list dwindles and you eventually tackle the whole song.

A drill I’ve found that is very helpful to go along with this process is to strip all the words out of the various portions of the song and replace all the syllables with a “Nay”.  So for instance if you were singing a line like “Here I go again on my own”, instead you would sing “Nay nay nay nay-nay nay nay nay.”  This makes it easier for your mind to focus on the notes since it won’t be preoccupied with also having to form words to sing.  This greatly increases the speed at which this process works.  Once you get all the notes down in a particular section, put all the words back into that part.  Wash, rinse, and repeat until you get the whole song down pat.

Take care and good luck.

If you search the web for singing instructors or vocal coaches, you’ll inevitably come across instructors advertising the fact that they offer lessons over the telephone or through an Internet connection. Face to face singing lessons are always the greater option in my opinion for various reasons, so the only time I would advocate lessons over the phone or Internet would be on a temporary basis. But if singing or vocal lessons over the phone are your only option, there are some things you should consider.

Limitations Presented by Taking Over the Phone Lessons:

The connection between you and your instructor does not always present the most optimal listening experience for either party, so you will need to incorporate a great deal more imagination into your lessons. You and your instructor will have to exert that much more patience with one another because of this fact.

You will need some type of speakerphone setup in order to do things right. It’s not like you can have a one-hour lesson while holding a phone to your ear the whole time. But if you have ever used a speakerphone, you know that you often have to shout or raise your voice just so the phone/mic will pick up your sound. Going above your regular singing to actuate the speakerphone will definitely have an adverse affect on your voice and throat.

Long distance charges are another thing to consider when taking over the phone singing instruction. Many instructors take care of these fees, but if not, this will be an added charge you need to consider. This is why it is advantageous to do your lesson through a webcam and with a free program like Skype.

Recording your lessons can also be difficult when doing your lesson over the phone. Nearly all of the instructors I have worked with offered recordings of our sessions together for practice on my own. If my instructor didn’t offer recordings of the lessons, I always have my own digital recorder to keep track of things myself. If you’re having your lessons over the phone or Internet this option is nearly impossible. It will be very difficult to get good recordings with your own digital recorder, and it will be just as difficult for your instructor to make a recording as well. If you instructor is able to make recordings, its not like they can just hand you a copy of the session. I’m not saying making recordings is impossible while taking lessons over the phone, its just one of the major headaches from the whole process.

You and your instructor loose the connection that comes from face to face contact. Not only the mental connection, but there are times when your instructor needs to make physical contact to make corrections to your posture or breathing. An instructor is not able to demonstrate with their own body the things they are referencing in a lesson over the phone.

Reasons to Have Your Singing Lessons Over the Phone:

The main reason for having a lesson over the phone is in the case your instructor lives at a greater distance than you are able to travel. With the price of gas these days, the distance that is just too far is getting shorter and shorter, and transportation costs should always be factored into what your lessons actually are costing you. If you do have to do lesson over the phone or web, consider having every other lesson in person. That way you still get that one on one with your coach or instructor.

Taking time off for vacation can set back some of the progress you’ve made especially, if your vacation is for a considerable length of time. This is the perfect time to consider over the phone lessons. The only obstacle here is setting things up with your instructor in advance.

Besides vacations, being on the road in general is a time when you might need to have a lesson over the phone. Say you’re just not getting that edge that you want, or you need that confidence you get from being in contact with your vocal coach. You might want to have a few lessons this way any time you are on the road.

If that great instructor you’ve heard so much about is on the other side of the country or even in another state, you might want to have lessons via phone or Internet connection. This is especially true if you very much want to take singing lessons from a great instructor but you live away from a major metropolitan center where there are a great many more instructors to choose from.

Injuries that leave you laid up in bed would also prompt one to look for over the phone lessons as well. If you are very sick for a short period of time, then singing is probably not high on your list of things to do. But say you broke your leg and it’s a huge ordeal to make it out to your vocal coach twice a week, then phone or Internet lesson might be ideal for you.

It might take some time to find the perfect instructor or coach within driving distance of you, but before you find who you are looking for it might be easier to do lessons via phone or Internet connection. Just be sure to weigh your options, be extra creative, and keep these things in mind before you get started. Good Luck!!

Through my training as a singer, I’ve been through five different vocal coaches, and I’m happy with my current vocal coach. A mistake I made early in my training was not moving on when it was necessary.  When I finally realized a given previous vocal coach wasn’t providing what I needed, I found it very difficult to leave because they were genuinely nice people and seemingly helpful.

But time is an asset in short supply! As soon as you truly realize this fact the better off you will be. I wish I had moved on faster than I did. Trust your instincts and don’t be afraid to find a new vocal coach if you feel you should. Even if your coach means well, their caring isn’t going to make you a better singer. I felt guilty leaving the vocal coaches I have had in the past, but in the end I really lost way too much time by sticking with them.

You need to remember that you can’t hear yourself the same way as your vocal coach. Your vocal coach hears what you are doing wrong –when your flat, pitchy, or not hitting the note. For that matter, your vocal coach hears when you are doing the right things, even when you may think you hear things differently. This is all assuming you have the right vocal coach for your needs. Above all, if you feel your progression is not going the way it should, don’t be afraid to switch to a new coach!

One last thing.  There might be some confusion here as to what in the professional world of singing is meant by a vocal coach compared to a singing teacher. In the professional world of singing, a vocal coach teaches you how to interpret the music. They are not necessarily teaching you how to utilize your vocal instrument to it’s fullest potential and capacity. That is what a teacher of singing does. Just be sure that the you and the person you are training with are both focused on the same outcome.