There’s a lot of confusion on what is a voice lesson as it differs from a singing lesson and what is a vocal coach versus a singing teacher. Here’s the skinny:
Voice Lessons vs Singing Lessons
All singing lessons are voice lessons, but not all voice lessons are singing lessons. When people use the term “voice lessons”, they include speaking and spoken word in addition to singing. When people say “singing lessons” they mean singing lessons and not lessons for speakers or spoken word artists. I do both. I’ve worked in the speaking lessons segment with universities, law offices, DJs, TV personalities, actors, politicians, reporters, spoken word artists, and others. In the singing lessons, I’ve work with singers of all kinds.
Vocal Coaches vs Voice/Singing Teachers
A vocal coach (or a singing coach, voice coach, etc) is someone who coaches you. They generally don’t cover technique, but interpretation. Like HOW do you get the emotional content into your song or speech? A teacher is someone who generally concentrates on technique. Most people who work in this industry are a little of both but also most people tend to lean one way or the other. As for myself, I do both but I’d say I’m maybe 75% a technique teacher and 25% a vocal coach. I would be 100% a technique teacher, honestly, but
- It’s boring to do the exact same thing with every single client regardless of their needs,
- Different clients have different needs and
- Vocal technique without an emotional connection is not fun to listen to and generally is not considered “good “ singing by listeners so I don’t want my clients to be in that category.
So I hope that makes the world – and especially websites of singing teachers and vocal coaches – a less confusing place!