What should never happen in a singing lesson..

Ironically, in the search of an ideal singing teacher, you need to try a number of lessons before you have a feeling that you are where you should be. Maybe a bit like dating or psychotherapy, some encounters that work for a person won't work for another.

Let's start with what didn't work for me and has also been referred by some of my students over the years.

There are several red flags that should prompt you to question whether a particular teacher is right for you. Here are a few types of instructors I have encountered in my time, and left me quite unsatisfied! 

Let's look at pros and cons of this 5 types:

THE TALKER:

This teacher often boasts an impressive array of qualifications and experiences, and will spend a considerable portion of your lesson regaling you with unsolicited, endless stories of their past achievements.

They might claim to have been the backing vocalist for Freddie Mercury or to have performed at the Metropolitan with Pavarotti, endlessly talking about their own accomplishments.

Sadly, this becomes at your expense, as valuable minutes of your paid session are devoted to listening to their self-promotion. By the end of the lesson, you will likely know far more about them than you do about how to improve your voice, how to breathe correctly, what makes a good high note, how to belt, or why your voice sounds strained or horrible to hear.

In such lessons, their voice dominates, but not to provide instruction. Yours, on the other hand, may go unheard.

Pros: you might get some insight of the show business especially if you are able to ask questions about how to make your way to success inspired by their experience.

Cons: if it is a habit it will seriously impair your singing progress as lessons will be significantly reduced in time at a high cost.

THE COUNSELLOR:

This teacher believes that your inability to hit the right note or follow a scale is the result of deep emotional blockages. Rather than focusing on vocal technique and providing clear guidance, they tend to treat you as though you are a psychological case in need of therapy, rather than a student in need of practical instruction.

With relentless insistence, they might ask you to repeat a singing passage, while deliberately refraining from offering any guidance to address your difficulty. At the end of your session, echoing your frustration for the poor results, you possibly will hear those three generic words as a statement to justify the absence of further explanation to your shortcomings:

"You lack confidence"..

While I acknowledge that a lack of confidence can impact your singing, I firmly believe that the most effective way to build confidence is through mastering your voice/instrument. 

This begins with simple exercises and songs, gradually progressing to more complex ones, all while receiving clear, actionable advice to overcome any difficulties or perceived blocks.

Pros: an attention to building confidence is positive, as long as it is also supported by what should happen in a singing lesson, i.e. technique, style, art interpretation

Cons: counselling is something serious and shouldn't hide inability to address technical issues.

THE SONG DISPENSER, BOX TICKER:

One of my students, now established in their career, once came to me with these words: “I came to you because I’m tired of singing lessons where I bring a song to learn, I repeat it several times from beginning to end, I memorise the lyrics and tick the box.”

Does this method create a singer? I would argue not.

These classes are sort of “singalong classes” where children or total amateurs enjoy themselves by repeating a song several times.. Normally they should come with a very low fee, as there is not much work from the teacher other than giving vague instructions.

It is the standard of many stage schools for children or group courses.

A good singing lesson, one that makes you progress, on the other hand, is entirely personalised, focused on continuous technical improvement and creating a singing identity. It should involve refining a single note, phrase, or song through clear, specific instruction. If a song presents difficulties—whether in high notes or phrasing—there is no value in simply repeating it without addressing the issues using the correct technique.

Worse still is when a teacher suggests lowering the key or altering the song because "you’re an alto or a baritone and can’t reach these notes." Such an approach only fosters mental limitations and false beliefs about what you can or cannot do. And maybe deep inside you feel that it would be great to find an approach to overcome those limitations.

Confidence comes from knowing how to address and overcome challenges, not from being told what you can’t achieve. If every song feels effortless, what, then, is the point of continuing with lessons? A student should leave each lesson feeling they’ve been challenged and have progressed. If you finish a lesson thinking you’ll never improve beyond your current level, or that something doesn't work and for you it never will but you don't receive instructions on how to improve, it’s time to reconsider the method being used.

Pros: as a first approach, this type of classes might be fun and an ice breaker for beginners, especially young children, and the price tag should match the lively, generic approach.

Cons: this type of lessons are repetitive and they will not make any difference to your singing skills. In the long run, they will become pretty much a space for spending some free time with no influence on your singing ability.

THE GREAT PROFESSIONAL TO WHOM YOU ARE NOT WORTHY THEIR TIME:

This category is particularly disheartening, and I have great sympathy for those who find themselves in this situation.

They might have a great name hence make you feel intimidated by default.

This teacher will make you feel, from the outset, that you are of an inferior level compared to them. Every lesson feels like a favour from them, as though they are bestowing their time upon you out of generosity.

They often carry a prestigious name and charge premium fees, but this is not always a reliable indicator of the quality of their teaching. You may even start to feel that any lack of progress is a result of your own perceived lack of vocal ability, rather than a flaw in the teaching method.

Such an approach can be deeply discouraging, leaving you questioning your own potential and undermining your progress as a singer.

Pros: learning with a celebrity or high professor usually comes with a high ticket. It can be worth only if you achieve special skills useful for a career in singing and perhaps high level connections that can come useful to you.

Cons: if these costly classes don't make you improve significantly, you should question whether they are what they look like.

THE ACCOMPANIST

It is not uncommon for some singing teachers to actually being a skilled  instrument player, rather than a singer.

They have qualifications in piano, saxophone, or guitar, assuming that singing is an innate skill and they will be able to teach you how to sing despite having very basic or no solo singing experience themselves.

 In such cases, their lessons often focus on practising songs with the teacher providing live instrumental accompaniment in the background. While this approach can create a pleasant and engaging atmosphere, and may serve as an enjoyable introduction to singing, it is unlikely to lead to significant improvement for the student.

Accompanist-style teachers often come from backgrounds such as conducting choirs or working as piano accompanists for singers. Their in-depth knowledge of written music—whether classical or contemporary—is undoubtedly valuable, particularly if you already possess an established level of technical skill and performance experience. For classical singers, an accompanist is typically the next step after mastering vocal technique under the guidance of a skilled pedagogue. Similarly, for modern musicians, working with an accompanist is akin to singing alongside a keyboardist, guitarist, or band, but only after completing extensive training that ensures mastery of vocal technique.

If you engage this type of teacher before you are ready to showcase your singing ability, you risk reinforcing existing technical issues. Over time, you may find yourself stuck in a cycle of repeating the same songs without achieving meaningful progress. This type of pleasant experience will then show some quite evident limitations.

Pros: it is highly beneficial if you already have a technical background enabling you to refine your skills as accompanists do not teach technique.

Cons: as per other types of singing classes, if there is not a sound technical work you may end up singing along to a pianist or guitarist with no progress over time.

THE FINAL WORDS ABOUT HOW TO SELECT YOUR SINGING TEACHER:

WHAT YOU SHOULD FIND IN A GOOD SINGING LESSON

To summarise, I would like to offer some quick advice for selecting a singing teacher:

Singing is a liberating experience. It is possibly a revolutionary step in your search for a tool that empowers your own life. Singing regularly can significantly change a part of yourself.

You should never leave your lessons feeling frustrated, with your expectations diminished, questioning your progress, or seeking reassurance about your abilities. Your vocal coach should be your strongest ally. They should be there to guide you, assist you, help you in your own accomplishments.

They should match your favourite type of singing, click on a personal level, support your goals and expectations, and facilitate your achievements.

They should possess sufficient knowledge of their job in order to progress in every lesson and tons of enthusiasm in training your voice.

Therefore, my advice is simple: first, identify the type of singing you wish to pursue.

If it is just for fun, a choir or group lesson might be a good starting point to test waters.

If you wish to go deeper in your technique, and truly see a massive change in your singing ability, first of all decide what type of music you are after.

Then, inquire with potential teachers about their expertise in this area. Make sure that they have singing experience as sometimes instrument players or other types of professionals  teach singing without being singers themselves.

Qualifications are a good starting point but they are not necessarily an indicator of good teaching, as every voice is different and needs ad hoc instructions. 

Experience and intuition might be a bonus to consider.

Attend a few initial lessons to assess their approach and ensure it aligns with your aspirations.

During these trial lessons, pay close attention to how you feel. Do you leave each session feeling comfortable, inspired, and as though your expectations have been met? Is there a palpable sense of progress and achievement? After just a couple of lessons, you should begin to notice tangible improvements and a deeper understanding of what singing truly entails. Your breathing, posture and use of resonators should have been soundly explained as the first step to master your voice.

I also suggest not to dwell unnecessarily in a singalong class type, where vocal issues are not addressed and you sing repetitively a set of songs in order to feel inspired, perhaps to develop “confidence”. Especially if these classes are particularly expensive. They will be fun to start with but keep you stagnating over time, at a high cost. Repeating over and over without addressing a technical issue won't make a singer of you, no matter how many times you try.

After a few classes, check your progress.

Have you achieved knowledge about how the voice works?

Have you been challenged with new songs and monitored in your progress?

Is there a goal you are pursuing ?

If there is a vocal passage not working, are you doing any specific work on it?

Usually, in a single class or two you should already feel that something new is happening and you feel more knowledgeable about what singing is.

The right singing teacher is someone who makes you feel inspired and understood, someone who believes in your potential even when you doubt yourself.

 Their guidance should leave you excited about your progress, with every lesson feeling like a step closer to discovering the true power of your voice.

If you don’t feel this way—if lessons leave you frustrated, discouraged, or questioning your abilities, or feeling that there is no clear indicators about how to improve—it may be time to re-evaluate. Trust your instincts and don’t be afraid to seek out a teacher who truly understands and nurtures your unique voice and aspirations. 

More than anything, check that you are progressing, becoming able to do what didn't work before taking lessons.

Your singing journey deserves to be one of growth, confidence, and joy.

And leading to tangible big changes of your way of singing over time.

All of these changes will inevitably make you a strong, confident singer!