FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What age should my child start piano lessons?
As a general rule, a good time to start girls in piano lessons is around age 5 - 6. A good time to start boys in piano lessons is a little bit later, around age 6 - 7. Children that take piano lessons should be able to sit and concentrate and listen to directions for a thirty minute session. They should also be able to read numbers and letters well and recognize left and right. Most importantly they should be able to understand the process of piano lessons and that they are required to practice on their own outside of lesson times. A twenty to thirty minute evaluation lesson should be given to beginning students at these ages.
What age should my child start voice lessons?
Opinions differ on this subject from teacher to teacher but my personal opinion is that girls should begin vocal study between the ages of 10 - 13. Boys should begin vocal study at a later age, between the ages of 13 - 16. In some situations vocal study can be started earlier than age 10 but the primary focus of lessons at this age should be fun and for the purpose of training the ear, working on performance anxiety and very basic vocal technique. More advanced vocal training should begin in the early teenage years after the student has experienced vocal changes during puberty. Be cautious of any teacher that wants to "train" a young child's voice. In many cases you will pay for inadequate teaching and put your child at risk for irreversible vocal damage.
How long of a lesson should I take?
Lessons are usually taken in half hour or hour sessions. Students that take hour lessons (with regular weekly attendance) are the most successful in my studio. Half hour sessions are good for beginners and for younger students. I personally feel that middle school, high school and adult students should commit to weekly hour sessions.
How much should my child practice a day?
I leave the entire practice routine up to the student and the parent. I assume that if you want to take lessons then you are going to put in the practice that is required for you to learn the art form. A little practice each day is better than none. A set amount of practice each day is even better than a little practice. The practice routine should be set up and understood between the parents and the student because in most cases the parents are paying for the lessons. If you are engaging in "the practice fight" on a regular basis then the dedication to lessons should be re-evaluated.
Why don't you accept voice students that also participate in cheer leading?
In my experience as a vocal coach I have seen the damage that cheer leading can do to your voice. Vocally, it is very demanding and most cheer leading coaches do not properly teach cheerleaders how to yell in a healthy and supported manner. In most cases, students that participate in cheer leading are putting more hours into yelling and screaming than they are into singing practice. The two cannot go hand in hand. It is frustrating for me to try to teach singing to cheer leading students and it is also a waste of money for the student. Please check out the links below to read more about vocal health.
Florida Center for Vocal Health
The Most Successful Students & Getting the Most for Your Money
I have taught literally hundreds of students in my teaching career. I have also personally taken hundreds upon hundreds of music lessons in my lifetime - maybe even into the thousands. I can safely say that I can tell in the first two lessons how successful a student will be in reaching their goals.
A successful student does the following:
Brings their materials to their lesson!! This includes tape recorders, video cameras, music books, notes, translations and anything else you have been given.
Is consistent in their lesson attendance. If a lesson has to be missed, they always try to make it up.
Listens to the suggestions of the teacher and works to incorporate those suggestions into the lesson.
Practices!! The old adage really does ring true here, if you are taking lessons and you never practice outside of your lesson time, it will take you years to reach your goals. As a teacher and coach, I can only teach you what you are ready to learn.
Comes to each lesson with a goal or project in mind. Students that use their lesson time to address issues they are having in their practice are always the most successful. Each lesson begins with tremendous potential for achievement, focus and accomplishment. Coming to your lesson unprepared or without a plan for the day is really unacceptable.
Takes advantage of ALL performing possibilities. Performing takes practice. Students that perform on a regular basis in shows, recitals, auditions and competitions are the most successful students in my studio.
Listens to Recordings. This is must! You have to listen to music to be a good musician.
Attends Live Performances. Another absolute must. Live performances are losing audiences to recordings and videos in this age. If you want to be a performer and you expect people to attend your events, you have to support your art and other artists.
My child is interested in a career in music and/or musical theatre. Where should we begin?
Time and time again I get inquiries from parents and students that are seriously planning to have a career in music, performing and musical theatre. In many cases the student is in their last part of high school and getting ready to enter college. When I inquire as to what training has been done the most common answer is "none".
For someone that is seriously considering a musical or performing career the training needs to begin at a very young age. The competition in this world is too great. If you wait until you are in your late teens you are already years behind your competition. You WILL put a lot of money into following your dreams and you may not get a high return on the investment in your training.
Tips for students interested in performing careers:
1) Piano Lessons (Everyone in performance careers should have basic music reading and piano skills.)
2) Dance Lessons (Musical Theatre students MUST have dance training - no exceptions.)
3) Voice Lessons (Singers MUST have basic vocal training.)
4) Acting Lessons (All performers should take basic acting and movement for stage lessons and workshops.)
5) Audition for Performances (In order to begin building a performance resume you MUST get out there and start performing. NEVER refuse a role because you feel it is too "small".)
6) Head shots & Resumes (Required for all theatre and musical theatre auditions and many vocal auditions. Head shots should be done once a year. Resumes should be updated several times a year. NEVER submit a head shot that is over a year old or a resume that is out of date!!)
7) Networking & Connecting (Begin to recognize those people that can help your career later on and make good and lasting impressions and connections. All serious performers should have information online and in print/recording format. Web sites and Demo CD's and packets are great tools.)
8) Competitions and Recitals (Take advantage of every opportunity to perform for an audience - there is no substitute. If you are looking at a career in performing and you have little to no experience performing for an audience, re-evaluate your decisions.)
9) Professionalism (Hold yourself to a very high level of professionalism at any age. This goes for parents as well. Talent only takes you so far in this business. A bad attitude or having a bad reputation will hurt you in more ways than one.)
10) Expand Your Horizons (Explore all the possibilities that exist in your element. Artists that are versatile and talented in many areas are in higher demand than those that specialize.)
Check out my "Links" page for more resources for performers.