I occasionally get requests from someone who used to be another teacher’s student. The person wants to switch teacher and she picked me for a replacement. The reason could be very benign or understandable: Karate schedule changed and the current teacher could no longer meet the student’s need, or she prefers a female teacher.
But some people come and tell me that they are dissatisfied with the current teacher for no good reason. They often seem upset and claim that the teacher didn’t do his job. I try to listen to their ranting, but in my mind, I often hope that they will change their mind.
People's view or opinion about voice teacher could be very subjective. They have little or no criteria how to determine the teacher's credibility. They base their decision on simply how well he himself could sing, or rely on a neighbor's recommendation. I mostly consider them simply as opinions, not the whole truth. Most voice teachers work really hard to gain trust from their students. Agreeing to replace them will pose a threat to their credibility.
Of course, there are some legitimate reasons to switch teachers. Here is a list of things you may need to watch out for:
1. The teacher is frequently late to his appointment with you.
2. The teacher spends more time talking about her performance on the night before than letting you sing.
3. You spent one year with the teacher and saw no progress in your vocal technique.
4. The teacher touches your body without your consent.
CAVEAT: Even these things I listed above are not the perfect reason to quit on the teacher until after careful evaluation of each situation. If you have enough rapport with your teacher, most of these problems can be solved by a frank discussion. Also, you and the teacher might have had a somewhat rocky start due to a lack of communication, lack of willingness to try new things, or personality clash. Your teacher might have established a fixed impression of you and she might keep a certain attitude toward you throughout the remaining course of your studying with him. We are all humans, right? So, let me ask these questions:
1. Have you been late to your appointment with the teacher more than a few times? Or have you canceled a lesson without telling the teacher in advance? That might have caused your teacher to show up late. Hey, if you hadn’t shown up, why should she?
2. Have you been chatty with your teacher, talking about your day or your problems for 20 minutes before singing? That might have given the teacher an idea that you wanted to use the time for talk-therapy. In that case, don’t get upset with the teacher. Paying for one music lesson is certainly cheaper than paying for a psychiatrist.
3. You said you spent one year with the teacher and saw no or little progress. Is that what your teacher said, or is that your opinion (or your Dad’s or your friend’s)? Have you tried his advice on your daily practice? I meant DAILY, not weekly or monthly. Have you been practicing diligently and intelligently according to the lesson plan the teacher laid out for you? Then you will have seen some progress, even if it’s not drastic improvement in your opinion. Progress may mean steadiness of your breath support and improvement of tone. These could be very subtle and difficult to acknowledge to untrained ears. People often feel attached to certain quality of voice. You need a well-intended skilled voice teacher who can guide your vocal development according to your voice type. Your goal of singing like Bonnie Raitt might not come true, but you could be the next Sarah Brightman. If you keep up with your practice for the next five years under the careful tutelage of the same teacher, you might blossom into a beautiful singer!
4. Like a yoga teacher who comes around and straightens your back by nudging it gently, I find it very useful to fix my students’ posture or alignment with my hand. I often lightly touch my student’s shoulders, back, or abdomen. I have done that on both my male and female students, ages varying from kindergarten to 65. But I always ask, “Is it ok if I touch you over here?” So far, everyone has consented. If you happen to be a female and don’t want your male teacher touch your body, you should tell him that firmly before you begin the teacher-student relationship. If he doesn’t respect your request, forgets it frequently, or you allowed being touched but he keeps his hands on your body for too long, you don’t need to stay with the teacher. Use your judgment whether or not you can handle the situation by yourself.*
You may also argue that the teacher was not knowledgeable. That she did not explain things. That all she asked you was to sing your favorite songs. You may say, “Well, if I just need to sing the stuff I like, I will turn on my karaoke machine and sing at home all day long!”
For the first few weeks, I often let new students bring their favorite songs. There are benefits in asking them to do so. First, those are “Break the ice” songs. In the beginning, the teacher and the student are two perfect strangers in a tiny studio room, staring at each other. What is better than singing “Ticket to Ride?” together? If the student were less nervous, his natural vocal quality will reveal, then I can figure out what type of exercises will be suitable for him. Second, I would like to know what kind of music they love to listen to. That helps me choose right material for the future study. Much like a Karaoke bar? Sure, what’s wrong with it? Let’s turn it on and have fun for a while, get to know each other, and laugh! Then, we will study intercostal breathing, open throat, phrasing, Bel canto, sotto voce, and all other good stuff!
One more thing about your suspicion about your teacher not knowing what she was doing. Just because your teacher did not use technical terms to explain things doesn’t mean she did not do her job. The voice, our instrument, is invisible to our eyes. Unlike saxophone or piano, I can’t just point to my student’s throat to “push here, push there,” then she goes “Do Re Mi….!” No. So I often rely on very intuitive description, often using visual images such as, “Imagine your voice as a ping pong ball.” If you happen to be an adult who came to me to be an opera singer, you may feel that you were treated like a child. My apologies, but again, communication is the key to break through the misunderstanding. Over several sessions of learning together, you will find out whether you are the kind of person who needs a thorough intellectual analysis, or a person who enjoys a more imaginative approach.
Further, you may say that the teacher was narrow-minded. He insists on the material you were not familiar (Let’s say you want to shout out the Sex Pistol’s “God Save the Queen,” but the teacher hands you quietly the Johnny Mathis’ recording of “Maria.”) True, most voice teachers have a firm background in classical vocal pedagogy. For them, the best way to hone in singing skills has been to use the tried-and-true material of classical arias and art songs. American teachers may consider musical theatre songs the equivalent of classical arias. Many musical theater songs are great for developing middle to low range so that the songs help you become a strong belter/shouter.
Speaking of shouting, voice teachers are also interested in teaching healthy vocal techniques. For this reason, hard rock or punk songs are usually avoided. If you are the kind of person who knows clearly what you want to learn, let the teacher know. A flexible and curious teacher may be amused by your request and start listening to your favorite bands’ music!
Pheew! I have so much more to talk about on this topic, but I must stop before tiring you out. In a nutshell, there is no single way to determine who the best voice teacher is. I have never met a “bad” voice teacher, but if your current teacher really IS a lazy, ignorant, incompetent, and tyrannical monster, my deepest sympathy for your woes. Move on! Flee! Otherwise, I hope you can take some of the points I have made in this blog and make a balanced decision for yourself.
Most important of all: if you look deeper within yourself, you may find the best teacher there; a teacher who knows your passion, talent and love of singing, a teacher who is compassionate, patient and kind. Whoever you meet in the course of your long journey, how about turning those lovely qualities to the person? You will be amazed by your power of transforming a good voice teacher into an even better one, like my students do for me every day! Good luck!
*Note: I don’t have room, or any expertise, to discuss inappropriate touching involving minors. There are many laws requiring adults to report touching that counts as “child abuse,” but the rest of this discussion focuses only on adults who feel the teacher is touching them inappropriately. For examples of child abuse laws, see the http://www.childhelp.org/pages/what-is-child-abuse, www.childhelp.org.