Singing Lessons can be a big investment and sometimes paying for a vocal coach can be kind of pricey, but it is a good investment as vocal technique can rarely be grasped without individualized guidance. You see, unlike piano where students are unfamiliar with the instrument and teachers start with middle C, everyone has years of experience using their voice and has developed numerous vocal habits (for better or for worse :p).
The worst of the above mentioned bad habits result in tension that prevents you from singing clearly in a relaxed manner. Most tension lies in the singer’s tongue or throat, but often times people don’t even know it’s there until they’re made aware of it. Long story short, the easiest way to know whether you’re singing freely or not is to compare the feel of your singing voice to your speaking voice. If singing involves more muscular action than speaking, you’re getting in your own way.
That being said, a good voice teacher should always make it easier for you to sing while not sacrificing quality. So what should you look for in the way of finding a good instructor? I’d take a lesson with a teacher or two in your area and continue with the one you feel has best helped you progress in making singing easier. That being said, since a big part of lessons is getting past bad habits and replacing them with good habits, be patient. Unleashing your voice can take time.
Also, if you live in or around Memphis, TN, and are looking for a vocal coach, feel free to check out SingStudiosMemphis.com (my studio). We provide singing lessons and dancing lessons to Cordova and the surrounding area. We also offer numerious performing arts based summer camps in the summer. Visit SummerCampsMemphis.com for that info if interested.
