You have decided to finally follow through on that dream of perfecting your singing voice. Now comes the question of “how”? Where does one begin to refine and educate the voice to bring out the resonance, vitality of tone and richness that it could have?  Can everyone have a singing voice that pleases the listener?

The first thing you must consider is - do you have the true intention of improving and studying the human voice? Will you dedicate months and perhaps a few years to conquering the techniques needed to improve your sound?  Are you willing to open yourself up to singing solo in a voice teacher’s studio?  If you have answered yes, then it is time to search for a good voice teacher.

Where do you look for a great voice teacher?  There are places on the internet that can help. One of the places to look is your state music educators association, such as, Rhode Island Music Educators, (RIMEA), Massachusetts Music Educators, (MMEA), etc. These organizations usually have listings of members who teach voice privately. You might approach the director of music in your church or synagogue to ask whom they would recommend in your community.  Another source of information would be the high school choral director in your town. He or she might be able to put you in touch with individuals that they would recommend.

So now you have a few names and numbers to call. Don’t be shy! Go ahead and call. Before you actually make the call, think of a few questions you might ask the voice teacher.  How many years have you studied singing? Where did you do your studying?  Are you classically trained, or are you a “pop” or “jazz” singer? Do you teach how to develop vocal technique (how one actually goes about producing and improving the tones)?  What type of repertoire (the kind of songs) do you use? And for heavens sake, ask how much each lesson will cost and how long they will last.  If you find the price high for your budget, ask if you can study with that person every other week. Sometimes the teacher will allow that.

Some things that should be presented during the initial lessons are:

The “parts” of your instrument:

- resonating chambers
- vibrators
- articulators
- how these parts fit together and affect one another during phonation

Correct posture

- how the lungs in their proper placement can help to support your tone

Correct breathing

- how the voice is strung on the breath and how the tones are supported by   the breath

Correct tonal placement

 
- how to use the “singers mask” and bringing the most ring to the tones

Use of pure vowels

- how to use Italian vowels without the use of diphthongs, using vocalises during initial vocal warm-ups at the beginning of each lesson
 

Sometimes the voice teacher will include learning how to read music if the time allows for it. But, keep in mind that Pavarotti, Erroll Gardner, and Nancy Wilson, to name a few, never learned to read music!

If you are looking for your child to study, I might suggest that you wait until the child is at least in the seventh grade, or around 12 years of age. The reason being that the vocal mechanism takes time to develop physically.

Voice study is a very intellectual pursuit, as there are no notes to touch or keys to press. It is all done with the mind.

Teaching voice is difficult as you are asking the individual to sense and think from the inside out rather than the outside in.  Because of that, the teacher, speaking for myself, must use metaphors a great deal, such as, “it feels like… think of it as… try to place the tone in the front of the mask.”  Therefore, the student needs to be very focused and serious about the lessons and usually, younger children can’t focus well enough and aren’t physically developed enough.

So go ahead and step out of your comfort zone. Learn the proper way to sing and express your inner self.