Here are some questions I get asked a lot!
Q: How long have you been teaching?
A: I have been teaching around 20 students a week for 18 years! Although, I did take breaks to sleep, eat, and perform so don’t feel bad. Before I started the studio in 2000, I taught one or two students when they would request it at a show or concert. TBH when I was like 16, I was so fired up about the teaching end of being a musician that I got a work permit and permission from my high school to go up the street and TA for the choral director at the junior high. It was amazing and I have been hooked on teaching ever since then!
Q: Do you still perform?
A: Yes, I do although I sing jazz which is bascially like taking a vow of poverty! I’m practically a monk! A monk, I say! Only I can drink. And I have cooler clothes. So there’s that.
Q: Do you take kids/adults?
A: Yes, I do take both kids and adults. Most kids who want voice lessons are ready for them as young as maybe age 11-13. Sometimes younger kids do well in them, too, but sometimes not. It doesn’t have to do with talent or intelligence, just some kids are in a place where they do well at them and some need to wait a few years.
Q: Do you take only really serious professionals?
A: Nopety nopenope! I dig working with a variety of people. Honestly, I have gone through periods when I taught almost all pro’s and that was kinda fun, but it also got kinda old. I love to meet lots of different people with lots of different aspirtions from getting up the nerve to sing in front of otherst to singing karaoke better to trying out for American Idol or putting out your next cd.
Q: How long will it take for me to achieve ________?
A: I get asked this all the time! It’s super hard to tell how long people will need to study. Pro’s usually have a voice teacher and/or coach throughout their professional life, but sometimes people come in with projects, like “I wanna be able to belt out high notes!” Or “I wanna be able to sing one song on key.” There are so many people with so many different goals.
You should make progress toward your goal at every single lesson. However, how fast you pick stuff up and the amount of techniques you might need really varies. It doesn’t have to do with being smart or anything, just people learn at different rates – and they have different learning styles. The best way to get a feel for how fast you can progress is to come in for a session or two and see how you do with it. Then you can get a better idea of how fast you improve and can make a more educated guess.