Singers are the only musicians who are their instruments. And that’s exciting! It’s like you’re practicing your own super-power. But because you are the instrument, it can make getting in front of a highly trained vocal professional and having them judge your technique even more nerve-wracking, even with the barrier of the computer screen. Because we want all our young super-powered singers to be set up for success, we’ve compiled the top tips for successful online voice lessons.
Start With Set Up
Usually, voice lessons involve walking into a room made for music with everything your heart could desire for lessons. Unless you live in the coolest house ever, you probably don’t have that kind of space. So, you’ll have to create one.
Location
Voice lessons are the time to sing out and make mistakes, and not everyone is comfortable doing that with an audience. Another tip for successful online voice lessons is to try to find a space removed from listening ears and without distractions. That may mean making sure curious younger siblings are kept busy in another part of the house.
Technology
When your lesson starts, you’ll want to focus on music, not a faulty internet connection or a dying device. Start setting up ten to fifteen minutes before the lesson starts. Make sure that your internet is functional, that you’ve closed out of every other tab to avoid lag, your device is plugged in, and your camera is set up so that your teacher can see you well (but not too close!). You’ll also want to look at your microphone. Most devices have decent microphone quality, but if yours doesn’t, you may want to invest in a microphone that you can attach to your laptop.
Music
We love that the internet gives us quick access to a huge collection of sheet music, lyrics, and accompaniment on our devices. However, when the device in question is being used to connect us to our teacher, that can make things challenging. If possible, try to get a second device to read your lyrics off of or play your music during the lesson. Otherwise, see if you can print your music out beforehand.
Trust Your Teacher
As we said, it can be scary to jump into voice lessons when you haven’t done them before. What if your teacher thinks you’re awful? What if they criticize you? Before you go into your lessons, make up your mind to trust your teacher. They became a voice teacher for a reason—they want to help musicians be their best. If they give you direction, it’s because they want you to grow, not get down on yourself. That will help remove some of the jitters.
Practice!
We cannot stress this enough. Our Portland voice lessons are a wonderful way to help you grow as a singer, but a musician is only as good as the amount of work they put in on their own. Practice every day and make note of questions to ask your teacher during lessons. Then, your singing powers will really take flight!
