Every year, thousands upon thousands of people apply for talent shows such as America’s Got Talent in the rather vain hope of being spotted as the next big singing talent. The competition is fierce, and no doubt many talented individuals slip through the net.
Becoming a singer needn’t be a fantasy though. Many people sing for personal pleasure, others like to perform in local venues, and some really make a living this way.
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimates there will be an increase in demand for musicians and singers by 4% over the next decade. The BLS also reports that there are around 20,800 openings for singers each year on average.
But, natural talent isn’t always enough. Would voice coaching and singing lessons help someone to develop themselves further? Perhaps even to the point of being able to turn professional?
Can a voice coach help you to improve as a singer?
One phrase gets mentioned alongside singing coaches repeatedly. That is, your voice is an instrument. Like any instrument, it can be taught, techniques improved upon, and errors ironed out.
Singing lessons are designed to help you find your unique voice, develop it, and master certain areas such as harmony.
Many famous successful singers have used and continue to use voice coaches. Even Taylor Swift used a course or voice coach such as offered by Singing Success. Leona Lewis, Miley Cyrus, and more have also benefited from voice coaches.
Can anyone learn how to sing?
It is extremely common to hear someone saying that they can’t sing. Karaoke is proof that many people should avoid microphones in public certainly, but science says otherwise.
Science shows that in theory, 98.5% of the population can sing. The reason 1.5% of people cannot sing is something to do with a condition called congenital amusia. This leaves the individual with no way to differentiate between pitches and tones.
While not everyone is going to get a recording contract, a voice coach will improve anyone’s current ability. Just as a guitar teacher will bring around continued improvement so can a voice coach.
Can you learn to sing online?
The pandemic saw a rise in interest in distance learning. Remote teaching became the only way for some students to continue studying, and many people teach EFL online to overseas students.
Many people believe face-to-face learning is superior to online lessons but this may depend on the subject. Certainly trying to teach someone practical chemistry online could see some challenges, but as plenty has shown, languages can be taught effectively over the net.
Some singing coaches also offer online help. While voice coaches will invariably have studios for their students to visit, those who live far away can benefit from Skype lessons. Voice coaches cover many areas, and much of this can translate into online classes.
What else will a voice coach assist you with?
Voice coaches cover numerous areas. Some individuals will only want help with certain areas such as harmony, and some require help with damage to their voice.
Here are areas that a voice coach may cover.
Harmony
There are many things you should do to become a great singer, and understanding harmony is one of them. Mastering harmony means learning how to sing it and hear it. Harmony makes melodies far more interesting and puts motion into songs. With an understanding of harmony, you will be on the road to being a far greater singer.
Singing posture
While singing at home or in the shower, you may not ever consider that your posture will affect your singing. A voice coach will help you to understand how correct posture can aid with breathing and make you sound better.
Range building
Range simply refers to the lowest note that you can carry through to the highest. A vocal coach will assist you to increase your range.
Vocal therapy
For something that has given pleasure to billions of people over the years, singing sadly can sometimes cause some damage to the singer themselves. Wear and tear from overstraining, singing too much, shouting, or even illnesses such as laryngitis, can cause damage to a singer’s voice.
A singing coach will help you to recover your voice. They will also explain how your voice needs resting, and how to take care of your talent.
Vibrato
You will be taught how to alternate between two pitches to add warmth and expression to your music.
Summary
Anyone who enjoys singing for pleasure could benefit from some time with a voice coach. There doesn’t need to be an end goal to become a professional singer, you can just improve your natural talent.
Of course, anyone who does dream of making it big should certainly think about singing lessons. Whether nearly everyone can indeed sing may still be debatable, but improvement is almost certainly possible.