Solo vs Group Singing

A good number of people who are just starting to sing want to take private voice lessons to learn how to sing better. Understandable. However, (and yes, I know I'm sort of shooting myself in the foot when I say this), it's just as important to learn how to sing with others. You learn different aspects of being a good singer from both methods.

Personally, I didn't take private voice lessons until I was in college, but in elementary school through high school I sang with choruses, show choirs, chamber madrigals, and any other choir I could join! It helped me tremendously! I learned how to match my vowel sounds to others. Some people naturally sang "AHH" as in "jaw" whereas others sang "AHH" as in "father." When sung together, it didn't sound so great. Or some people sang "OOO" as in "pool" and others sang "OOO" as in "new." I also learned about breathing, phrasing, consonant placement, and dynamics from choir singing.

Granted, I do wish I could have taken voice lessons from a much earlier age than I was able. There were many things I didn't learn about my own voice until I had already taught myself the "wrong" ways to do things. So it took some undoing and redoing, which ultimately took longer than if I'd have learned the right way to do things from the start. However, because I'd already been in choirs, I did sort of start out ahead of the game in certain aspects even though I'd never had a private voice lesson.

The point of all this is, just as in life, being well-rounded is helpful! Don't settle for one form of vocal instruction. Join the chorus, the church choir, a community singing group, take lessons, etc. If singing is something you're truly interested in pursuing, getting as many sources of knowledge as possible will help you go far. This also means, I recommend taking lessons from different teachers throughout your life. It's not wise to find a teacher at 10 years old and at 25 you're still only with that same teacher! As much as I love my students, I believe it's beneficial to switch teachers AT LEAST every 3-4 years. Even if it's only for 6 months, and then you go back. Or at the very least, add another teacher for a while and switch back and forth. This way, you're getting a new perspective on things, experiencing a new way to learn the same techniques, or reinforcing what the first teacher said in the first place. Including choir directors, musical directors, and private voice teachers, I have had a minimum of 14 different instructors work with me on my singing over the years. Each one was very talented, and each one brought something new to the table. I am very grateful for what I learned from every single one of them. A few I worked with for as long as 4 years, and a few of them I worked with for as little as 4 days. All of whom added something to the singer I am today!

Thanks for reading!

Heather

#group #chorus #choir #solo #teacher #instructor