Free singing
online lessons initially sound like a perfectly sane concept. And indeed, they
could be just the thing for those singers who don't have easy access to an
urban center teeming with singing coaches. These singers are forced to reach
out beyond their home base in order to find good vocal teachers.
On the singer's
side of the equation, we know the price for free singing online lessons is
right. Free is free, after all. Voice lessons are expensive and not all
aspiring singers are living on a trust fund. So maybe free singing online
lessons could be a solution to the problem of finding inexpensive voice
training?
Maybe...
Let's start with
the discipline issue. Not everyone is a totally motivated self-starter.
Learning in a vacuum via a one-way communication may not be the most realistic
approach for many of us. When you have little accountability and no pressure to
demonstrate progress, it's easy to lose focus and commitment. However, you
could probably use online singing lessons to good advantage if your obsession
with music is sufficient.
There is also
the question of which system to use. Concepts of technique and training vary
widely (and wildly) from voice teacher to voice teacher. And you can bet there
are about as many types of free singing online lessons as there are people to
teach them. How do you know which is right for you? Yes, they are free, but you
are the one who will be making a personal investment of your time -- something
many of us value more than money.
As you search
for a free singing online vocal guru, find out the following:
What formal musical education they
have had
What professional experience they
have had
Whether they are used to working
with beginners or professionals
If they can describe their
philosophy of learning with clarity
If they can point to successful
clients they have trained
Whether they have endorsers who are
available to speak to you
And from your
personal perspective, try to define your level of commitment:
Will you truly make time to give the
lessons a chance
How you will avoid simply collecting
a mish-mash of conflicting ideas
How you will evaluate your progress
How you will find and build a
relationship with a musical mentor
Whether you will actually value and
use something that is free
Because I travel
a lot, I often find myself in the company of strangers who come to learn
through conversation that I do vocal teaching. Inevitably they have questions
they want to ask. I used to answer their questions freely. But, you know what?
They would invariably argue with me.
So I took a new
stance. Now I tell them that I would be happy to answer their question, but
that first, could they give me 50 cents? Or a quarter. Or a dollar. Something
-- anything -- that would put me in the professional position of
"teacher." Once money changes hands, people rarely argue with what I
have to say.
You will need to
evaluate your level of commitment. There are few totally free lunches to be
had. Free singing online lessons may be the perfect plan for highly-motivated
individuals, but the rest of us should look out for the slippery slope on the
down-side. Good learning cries out for a balanced synergy of student and vocal coach.
Nashville
vocal coach Renee Grant-Williams reveals the trade secrets that have already
helped hundreds of aspiring singers become celebrities: Tim McGraw, Martina
McBride, Dixie Chicks, Miley Cyrus, Huey Lewis, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill,
Jason Aldean, Christina Aguilera...
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me on Facebook
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