A voice coach is a trained professional who works with people who want to improve their speaking or singing voices. There are numerous ways to improve one’s voice, including minimizing an accent for television appearances, learning a different accent to speak in a performing role, and improving one’s singing ability, to name a few. A professional who has studied voice training is usually referred to as a voice coach.
A voice coach is not the same as a speech pathologist, who helps people with speech impediments and other communication issues. A vocal coach usually works with people who do not have any speech issues and simply want to improve on what they already know. A voice coach may also serve as an acting coach, or may collaborate with another acting coach. This type of coach is also referred to as a singing coach.
People who want to work in communications but need to improve their articulation and diction frequently work with voice coaches. The coach will give the client various exercises and other practices to do in order to improve their ability to communicate and remove any noticeable accent from their voice. People who want to work in the news media, for example, usually don’t speak with an accent. This is due to the fact that a voice with no accent appeals to the largest demographic.
A voice coach can also help someone improve the clarity and strength of their voice, which is beneficial for both speaking and singing. Singers can improve their singing voices taking weekly voice lessons to strengthen their voices, develop better pitch, practice scales and songs, and learn other vocal exercises. Actors may work with a voice coach to learn how to project their voice to reach a large audience or to develop a convincing accent for a play role.
A vocal coach will almost always charge a lesson fee that must be paid in advance. Some vocal coaches are multi-talented, offering lessons on instruments like the piano and guitar, for example. If vocal coaching is deemed necessary, people of all ages can benefit; some parents enroll their children in voice lessons as early as kindergarten if they show promise with their singing ability, as this allows them to fully develop their skills early in life.