Singing Lessons by Ken Tamplin

Thursday, May 28, 2015 by Ken Tamplin | Singing Lessons

There are a number of things a prospective vocal student should be interested in knowing about a possible vocal instructor. There is more to being a good teacher than simply offering a course or lessons to the public.

First of all, what genre of music do you want to learn to perform? Vocal teachers come in all genres, but any single teacher may not teach the style or genre that you are interested in learning. Then, beyond that, can that teacher actually perform that style of singing, in a competent way, the way that you would want to be able to perform it after learning what that teacher has to train you.

A vocal instructor who can talk all day about how to sing, but who cannot demonstrate to you exactly how that is done will not be a very effective teacher. If their methods actually work, then why wouldn’t those methods work for the teacher?

So if you want to learn to sing Opera, then you should go to an instructor who can demonstrate Opera, and teach you the proper methods to get that sound and style. If you want to learn to sing Pop or Rock, you want to learn from someone who is successful in performing those styles of singing.

While Opera undoubtedly has a long-standing regimen for learning in the classic styles of great opera stars, there may be a less clear path for legitimate and proper instruction to learn safe singing methods for more contemporary styles of singing. In fact, the best singing lessons for popular music do indeed draw from the basic tenets of classical singing lessons from centuries past. Singing methods based upon Bel Canto methodology are among the safest and most reliable vocal lessons taught. An updated version of Bel Canto, incorporating modern vocal techniques of contemporary music is the best choice for aspiring new talent. Such a method can include strategies to avoid hoarseness, how to sing through illnesses, and even how to sing with distortion safely.

Here are some questions you should be asking: How long has the vocal instructor been teaching vocal lessons? How long was their public career as a performing artist? Do they have commercially-available recordings published? What do you learn about them when doing an internet search? Are they active today? Are testimonials available from their students? Can you listen to vocal demonstrations of these students? How many of their students are having success in the music business?

The answers to these questions are things that should help you to decide whether you are watching a cleverly-produced internet marketing scam or you are about to connect with a world-class, life-changing legitimate vocal instruction academy of the highest caliber. There are many instructors making a lot of promises, using low introductory prices to lure you into a high-pressure upselling situation. Unfortunately, these courses promise a lot in a short period of time, but their promises are just part of the scam. Some of them even have fake websites that pretend to investigate whether they are a scam, and “prove” that they are legit. The website itself is fake.

Buyer beware. There are many such “miraculous” singing programs, all at “bargain” rates, compared to the legitimate programs. Actually, even at seeming lower purchase rates, these programs are nothing short of a horrific rip-off. In these cases, you aren’t even getting what you pay for. The “money back” guarantees are made to make you feel guilty if you say the program didn’t work. You are intimidated out of your refund.

Do the research. Buy the best. It costs only a little more, but the real thing is worth it, and the “Instant Results” methods are phoney. World-class opera stars don’t learn their craft in just a few weeks or months. World-class Rock and Pop singers don’t either. The real thing takes time and effort. The real thing is worth it. Spend your money wisely. Invest in yourself and buy a quality product.   Do your homework and then make a wise decision.

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