People of all ages and abilities can learn to sing with the help of a voice teacher. Vocal coaches, on the other hand, work with experienced singers to improve their singing skills and prepare them for specific performances and events. A voice teacher can provide this type of instruction, but she or he can also work with people who have never sung before to help them develop their voices.
Voice teachers can work for themselves or for a conservatory, college, university, or music school. Although voice teachers may provide lessons in their homes or in music studios, it is not uncommon for them to travel to their students. Teachers can work one-on-one with students to provide intensive instruction tailored to that student’s needs, as well as with groups, such as choirs.
Voice instruction can cover a wide range of topics. The voice teacher lays the foundation for a strong voice by working with students on breathing, pitch and tone modulation, enunciation, and proper word pronunciation. A voice teacher can teach students foreign languages or refer them to foreign language teachers, as well as train them in various musical techniques and styles as they progress. Someone interested in learning classical singing, for example, would work with a voice teacher on classical technique.
Voice teachers can also teach music history, music theory, and other related subjects. They can provide musical accompaniment to students while they train, assist students in preparing for auditions, performances, and competitions, and identify music that a student is well suited to. The voice teacher must be able to recognize a student’s singing range, work on developing it, and see if it can be pushed further, all while getting to know the student and determining which styles of music the student enjoys.
Some voice teachers are also singers, and all have at least some singing experience. For people who want to teach music, music schools provide training in both musical pedagogy and music, and a voice teacher may have an advanced degree from one of these schools. In other cases, a voice teacher provides training and guidance to students based on years of performance experience. Singers can use voice teaching to supplement their income or provide a steady source of income while they pursue their careers, and they can also teach when they no longer want to perform.