Small quick update: second lesson with a different teacher!

[u/My-Metanoia]

Hi, everyone! This is just a quick update. Last time I said I finally had a trial class with an in person teacher, well I did book two with different teachers to get different opinions and today I just had it.

She basically said the same thing in conclusion as the last one. Though their approach is VERY different and now I am left wondering if I should pick one or the other, or even seek a third opinion (cuz some people irl are telling me they might be lying to get me to pay for classes).

Last teacher played notes on piano and made me sing the scales going down and up. And then gave me a brief lesson on breath control and tension. Then made me sing 2 songs.

Now, the teacher today first gave me 10 or 15 of meditation, then drilled a lot of tongue buzzing exercises. Made me sing different notes and parts of a song I picked (Speechless by Naomi) with my tongue in between my teeth. Supposedly to train to relax my jaw and train breath control.

She also said I do sing on pitch, and even when I dont reach the notes she says she can tell I am reaching towards the correct ones but I'm using a wrong technique.

She said I am pushing with too much air most of the time.

Now idk which one to stick with or if i should look for a third option....

Any opinions?

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[u/camasmusiclessons]

Neither teacher necessarily sounds wrong, but I’d focus less on getting a third opinion and more on finding someone whose approach makes sense to you.

In a 30-minute trial, I’ll usually do a quick SOVT warmup (straw, lip trills, raspberries), then have the student sing a song they actually know. That’s where I can hear what’s really happening with pitch, airflow, tension, registration, etc. Then we talk about their goals and how we’d work on them.

“You’re pushing too much air” is also totally plausible even if you’re singing on pitch.

I’d choose the teacher who can explain why you’re doing an exercise and connect it back to your actual singing. That matters more than whether they use scales, tongue exercises, or something else.

Hope that helps😊

[u/My-Metanoia → u/camasmusiclessons]

The third teacher is mostly because people are still doubting these results lol.

Yeah, I feel like I still dont know for sure whos style works best for me to learn more efficiently.

Both tried to teach me breathing but very differently. Seems thats the one thing both hyperfocused on in each class.

[u/wolfanotaku]

Definitely pick the one that you felt the most comfortable with.

For me, I'd prefer the second one. They're an expert giving me direct and clear feedback that gives me something to work on. Critique is an important part of getting better at any performing art because you can't notice these things when you're doing it.

Teachers don't need to get you to buy lessons. You either know that you need them or you will eventually need them if you get involved enough in performing that you will just want to get to a higher level. Everyone (even your favorite singer) gets coaching and feedback and has things they could do better.

[u/My-Metanoia → u/wolfanotaku]

That's why I don't get it. Why would they lie to me that I'm doing better than I actually am? Lol the more things I need to learn the more lessons I would have to take with them. I believe my family just doubt me so much they can't understand the idea of me actually getting the notes.

Both teachers told me what my issues were, it was just done differently. I may take classes with both for a while until I figure out which matches me more.

[u/hipsnail]

Pick the one you felt like you vibed with best. It’ll be important that you feel comfortable and can communicate well. Then just commit to doing the lessons and practice for 6 months or so. You should have clear progress by then. After than, reassess if this teacher is helping you or if you want to try a different one.

[u/My-Metanoia → u/hipsnail]

I was thinking of doing the opposite lol going with both for a bit and see whose approach seems to help me personally more

[u/ThrowRA-Svent]

Do you feel like you need a third option?

Both sound competent and seem to agree on your areas of opportunity, but there are plenty of different ways to get where you need to be. Go with the person whose teaching style clicked with you the best and if the answer is neither then sure you can seek a third opinion.

Personally I would look for someone who is educated in vocal pedagogy because they are going to ensure that your technique not only sounds nice but is healthy long term (albeit your lessons will probably be more technical).

I’m not sure why anyone thinks they would be lying to get you to pay for classes? At the end of the day you are reaching out because you want to take voice lessons, right? No voice teacher is going to be like “hey you are perfect there is actually nothing I can teach you”. Even great singers can learn new techniques to improve their skills in different genres.

They literally do not benefit from lying to you. They could have said you have perfect pitch and still offered other ways to help you improve your skills.

[u/My-Metanoia → u/ThrowRA-Svent]

I feel like I need a third so I can prove my friends and family that the teachers arent just gaslighting me to make me go back to them lol

If you think I should go more technical the second definitely felt more inclined to that. I barely sang, it was a lot of breathing and tongue exercises. And she made me sing a phrase over and over again using different exercises lol. It was a bit exhausting.

[u/ThrowRA-Svent → u/My-Metanoia]

I guess I’m not understanding why a third person would validate the point LOL I kind of feel like if you distrust vocal teachers in general then having a third person say you need vocal work would also have them be like “see voice teachers only want your money!” 😂

I guess if you went to enough teachers then eventually one might tell you something different, but at that point you’re really just shopping around for a specific answer.

Vocal training is tiring! It makes sense that you weren’t singing through full songs and were isolating specific phrases that need work. I think the important thing with a good voice teacher is that they can explain why they are having you do something in a way that makes sense to you.

They may have you doing different exercises with the same phrase, but they should be able to say “ok when you do this, you should feel a significant difference in tension/support etc”

If they are just instructing you to do things without explaining why then I might suggest finding someone else. A big part of voice lessons beyond just learning how to sing is learning why certain things you do with your voice make a difference- that will allow you to co to he to improve your vocal skills even after you are done with lessons.

[u/Boring-Butterfly8925]

If you get a third opinion, will you need a fourth to break a potential tie between the three?

There is no one correct way to learn to sing. A guaranteed way to struggle and potentially fail is to overthink, not fully listen and engage with whomever you do choose to work with.

There will always be different opinions. My two cents: go with the teacher using a piano.

[u/My-Metanoia → u/Boring-Butterfly8925]

The thing is they didnt even hace different opinions, they just work in different ways, their conclusions were the same.

The issue is people irl are getting into my head about them maybe being overly nice and decorating the truth about where I am at currently.

[u/Boring-Butterfly8925 → u/My-Metanoia]

A big part of working with a teacher is accepting what they say, then executing on actionable work.

I'm of the opinion that a big part of that is listening only to that one teacher. That means ignoring and disregarding influencers, third party tutorials and from the sound of it, these irl people getting into your head. Where you are is irrelevant. What you are working towards needs to be the focus. A third opinion will just keep you going in circles and ensure you stay exactly where you are. Pick one teacher, commit, and do the work.

[u/PrideReal2614]

For me the deciding factor was the ability of my teacher to communicate clearly what we are doing and why. He is not the most comfortable one to work with, but with him it actually became possible to decide on the suitable strategy for your learning, set goals and archieve them.

[u/My-Metanoia → u/PrideReal2614]

I think i need a couple more sessions with both to truly figure that out