Why Studying the Voice Comes First
If you’re serious about becoming a vocal coach, the first step is understanding that you need to study the voice. Being a good singer, even an exceptional one, isn’t enough.
If you’d like to explore that topic in more detail, you can read Can You Teach Singing Without Studying Vocal Pedagogy?
Once you’ve reached that conclusion, another question naturally follows: which course should you choose?
There are countless training programmes available, each claiming to offer the best approach. For someone just starting out, the number of options can feel overwhelming and, at times, even discouraging.
In this article, we’ll look at the general principles that can help you evaluate any voice teacher training course. We’ll then explore the main types of training programmes in a separate article.
Choose a Course That Teaches Principles, Not Just Exercises
A good training course should help you understand how the voice works, not simply give you a collection of exercises to memorise.
Exercises are tools. Their value depends entirely on when, why and how they’re used.
The more you understand the underlying principles, the more independently you'll be able to analyse voices, adapt your teaching and make informed decisions.
Don't Follow Any Method Blindly
A structured method can be an excellent starting point. It gives you a framework and a logical way to organise what you’re learning.
At the same time, don’t switch off your critical thinking. Your goal isn’t to challenge established knowledge, but to understand the principles behind what you’re being taught.
This will help you distinguish between the principle itself and the way it has been presented or interpreted.
Understand What the Terminology REALLY Means
Voice training often seems more contradictory than it really is because different schools may use different terms to describe the same concept.
The opposite also happens: the same word can have different meanings depending on the method or teacher.
For that reason, never stop at the terminology. Make sure you understand exactly what is being described in that specific context.
Many apparent disagreements between schools don’t come from the methods themselves, but from misunderstandings created by people who haven’t fully understood what they were taught.
Understanding exactly what someone means allows you to compare different approaches more accurately and avoid accepting or rejecting ideas based on terminology alone.
Understand the Reasoning Behind What You're Learning
Whenever you learn a new exercise, technique or teaching strategy, don’t stop at the procedure itself.
Make sure it’s clear why it works, what it’s trying to change, when it’s appropriate and when it isn’t.
If those points aren’t explained, or if they still aren’t clear to you, take the time to explore them further before simply memorising the exercise.
Understanding the reasoning behind what you’re doing is what allows you to adapt your teaching confidently to different students, rather than mechanically repeating what you’ve been taught.
Be Careful with Absolute Claims
Be cautious of courses that promise to solve every vocal problem or present their method as the only correct approach.
The voice is an extremely complex instrument, and no method has all the answers.
Some of the best teachers I’ve studied with weren’t afraid to say things like, “We’re still learning how this mechanism works,” or, “This principle is still being debated within the scientific community.”
That isn’t a sign of uncertainty. It’s a sign that they continue to study, follow current research and distinguish between established knowledge and questions that still don’t have definitive answers.
Someone who presents every topic as settled and every explanation as unquestionable may simply be repeating what they learned years ago without continuing to grow.
Confidence is valuable. Intellectual honesty is even more valuable.
Neither Training nor Experience Is Enough on Its Own
Without a solid foundation in vocal pedagogy, years of teaching experience will inevitably leave significant gaps in your knowledge. At the same time, no course, however comprehensive, can prepare you for every voice you’ll encounter throughout your career.
During a training course, everything often seems relatively straightforward. You learn different exercises, different approaches and different ways of dealing with common situations.
In real life, people don’t fit neatly into categories. Very often, you’ll meet someone who simply doesn’t respond the way you expected, despite everything you’ve learned. Even after decades of teaching, you’ll continue to encounter voices that challenge your assumptions.
That’s one of the most fascinating aspects of this profession.
You don’t want to become the vocal coach posting in teacher forums asking, “Can anyone suggest an exercise for this student?” Unfortunately, I do see those posts every single day.
You want to be able to analyse that specific voice, understand what’s happening and build your own strategy based on the principles you’ve learned and your own observations.
You won’t find that strategy in any book or course. It has to be built by analysing the voice in front of you.
Different Types of Voice Teacher Training
Once you know what to look for, the next step is understanding the different kinds of training available.
University degrees, independent certifications, commercial methods, mentoring programmes and continuing education all have their own strengths and limitations.
In the next article, A Practical Guide to Voice Teacher Training: Navigating the Different Learning Paths, we’ll look at each of these options in more detail to help you decide which path best matches your goals.