How often should you take singing lessons?
singing is like a language, a body language if you will. When learning a new language, one often hears the advice to study every day. Does the same advice apply to singing? In other words, how often should you take singing lessons?
Aside from the catastrophic financial cost that would come with it, wouldn’t it be great to take singing lessons on a daily basis? You’ll get the hang of it in no time, right?
Unfortunately (or fortunately) the language of the physical vocal function works a little differently. I contend that it is NOT advisable to take singing lessons every day, and it is The The highest frequency of singing lessons should be once a week. Let me explain why.
World-class soprano Renée Fleming writes in her book The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer:
“I finally accepted the fact that it takes ten minutes to explain singing and ten years to do it.”
singing lessons?” width=”487″ height=”705″ srcset=”https://singwell.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Renee-1-e1505906313414-200×290.jpg.pagespeed.ce.0X8mtopCUx.jpg 200w, https://singwell.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Renee-1-e1505906313414-207×300.jpg.pagespeed.ce.LfdbDkBdzm.jpg 207w, https://singwell.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Renee-1-e1505906313414-400×579.jpg.pagespeed.ce.OBVf-p1tIi.jpg 400w, https://singwell.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/xRenee-1-e1505906313414.jpg.pagespeed.ic.OsI38_dNsi.jpg 600w” sizes=”(max-width: 487px) 100vw, 487px” data-pagespeed-url-hash=”1750643384″ onload=”pagespeed.CriticalImages.checkImageForCriticality(this);”/>
Renee Fleming
Mind you: There is a difference between how often you take singing lessons and How often should you practice at home?.
Because there is a considerable amount of time between the moment we understand a technical principle and the moment our body masters it.
We’re not stupid, we get it the first time we hear it: relax your shoulders, reposition your tongue, take deep breaths, flex your ribs to the side, and so on. It shouldn’t be that difficult! Still, our body needs time to follow suit. This is how muscle memory works. If you want to train your body to get used to an activity it’s not used to, the secret lies in that Repetition.
And where do we do this tedious work? At home. Not with the teacher, but with ourselves, a mirror, a keyboard and four walls. This is where the magic happens. We take the teacher’s instructions (which we may or may not have followed during class) and drill them into our systems. That is the secret.
Put simply, going to class without practicing in between is a waste of time and money (read more about cheap ways to learn singing). Do yourself a favor and exercise 4-6 times a week, right? You do need a rest day, but three times a week is borderline and not regular training.
How Often Should Beginners Take singing Lessons?
You’re probably at a stage where you’re not always sure if you’re singing correctly or not. You have little knowledge of vocal technique and might feel helpless without your teacher. In this case:
- Take classes weekly If you can.
- You take care notoriety. Your teacher can observe how aware you are of the differences in sound caused by different actions in the classroom. If you have some awareness and a week seems too short to process what you’ve learned, you need more time between classes.
- Exercise no more than 20 minutes a day at home, to make sure you don’t harm yourself. Playing around with the voice is fascinating, but it can also be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Important principle! Even if you don’t know what you’re doing, you know when your throat hurts! Be attentive while singing at home and if you are uncomfortable with something, to stop, and try something else. If it feels weird but isn’t painful or tiring, it’s cool. Strange is good, you’re trying to form new habits that naturally don’t feel familiar.
How often should advanced singers take singing lessons?
After you learn a few things and practice a little, you’ll know when you’re doing it right and when you’re wrong. You can then reduce the frequency to every 2-3 weeks and keep the same exercise routine. The better you can judge for yourself what you’re doing wrong and the more tools you have to fix it, the fewer lessons you can take up per month. Provided you continue at home and repeat the exercises with your beautiful instrument.
What is the lowest frequency?
At a time of existential crisis, after years of intensive vocal training, I had this idea. You don’t have to be constantly dependent on the teacher. I was in a class where I first learned or, to be fair, realized a very basic technical element. I began to doubt myself as a singer, as a student, as an intelligent person!
I went home and decided that I would not go back to my teacher until I was able to pull off this trick. I practiced every day for a whole month and when I came back my teacher was impressed to say the least. We were both aware that from then on it should only be agreed once a month. She might be paid less, but the tuition would be much more satisfying. Honestly, There were times when I took a lesson every two months, or even rarer. It worked for me as I was progressing enough at that point to know when I needed the feedback.
Your progress depends on your ability to be your own tutor. Is your understanding of the basic technique sufficient to correct yourself on the battlefield, i.e. in your training room? This understanding will evolve over time, allowing you to take lessons less often and make more effective, lasting changes in your singing.
Will I ever be able to quit singing lessons altogether?
Hmm…no. And yes. Our voice sounds completely different from the outside than it does in our head. That’s why we can’t just rely on our ears when practicing over long distances. It is very helpful to record yourself (even better: film it) and check the results.
Perhaps some would argue that this is enough for advanced singers. Still, I think one should have an extra pair of eyes and ears. Visit a teacher once in a while or swap lessons with a colleague who is about your level. I did that successfully, my colleagues are the best!
Enjoy! And also check out my article on the pros and cons of online singing lessons.
