Why Do I Need a Voice Teacher?

As we prepare for fall season, big questions emerge, real questions circle back around, and we query and question and seek some answers in our artistic lives again.

The reasons a singer needs or wants or continues to work with a voice teacher are as broad and detailed as the night sky.

You may want a new perspective about where your voice is.

You may not have been studying for awhile and want a reboot.

You may want someone you can check in with from time to time as you prepare for your season.

You may be coming off some kind of vocal injury and need some TLC in order to feel strong again.

You may just be curious about someone’s teaching style or what you could learn.

You may need a regular tune-up to keep you healthy with another set of ears and eyes.

You may need the instant feedback with someone you trust so you don’t have to wear all the hats all the time.

And the list goes on! Only YOU know why.

All of these are healthy choices. A healthy teaching environment should be able to meet you where you are and journey WITH you.

Sometimes, you will know such specificity about why you want to be studying, and other times, it could just be a general gut feeling. Both and all, are enough.

Having a voice teacher doesn’t mean you don’t know how to sing! Having a voice teacher is about so many other specifics and details, and frankly, it allows you, reminds you and gives you the feedback that yes, you DO know how to sing!

Sometimes we need refreshers; sometimes we need specifics; sometimes we need a physical reboot; sometimes we need a mindset shift; sometimes we need cues and reminders; sometimes we are navigating change and a guide is precisely what is needed to allow that change to flourish.

Having a voice teacher allows for your continual development and achievement as a singer and artist. It allows for your consistency in vocal prowess and vocal health. Having a voice teacher challenges the singer to stretch beyond the comfort zone and discover more.

Having a voice teacher should establish an earned trust for a singer to truly be present and collaborative in the space they share.

Any old voice teacher will not do.

Finding a teacher that aligns with your philosophical ideals is crucial. Finding a teacher that works with the voice in a way that allows you to discover your authenticity is crucial.

Yes, this can take time. This will take exploration. However, it will be absolutely worth it when you find someone you connect with philosophically, vocally, authentically, and technically.

Just as there is no one size fits all in technique, there is no one size fits all in a voice teacher/singer connection.

A voice teacher is not there to change you. That teacher should be there to meet you where you are, and journey with you to REVEAL more of you TO you.

We all study voice for different reasons, at different times, for different results.

The voice teacher is and should be the space between that allows the possibility to occur and be claimed.

Go get it!

with fondness & fierceness,

Susan Eichhorn Young covers all things voice—strong and sophisticated singing and speaking. 

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