What About Voice Lessons?

I'm often asked by parents, "When should my child begin voice lessons?" When a child shows an interest in and talent toward singing, many parents rush to begin voice lessons, but this can have a detrimental effect on the developing voice. I actually began Copperview Children's Choir when, as a private voice teacher, I encountered many parents seeking out a voice teacher for their children as young as age six. What the child wanted and needed was an opportunity to sing, and to learn correct singing technique. But a group choral setting is the preferred means of accomplishing this goal, for several reasons:

• The practicing needed to progress in private voice lessons puts too much of a strain on a young voice. The vocal chords must develop with age. For this reason, most trained vocal teachers consider age 12 (and, preferrably, age 14) as the ideal age to begin private voice lessons.
• In addition to physical capacity, the mental ability to focus and perform in a one-on-one setting improves with age. While younger students may be able to handle voice lessons, and even enjoy it, the teacher must adjust the curriculum in such a way that the progress obtained will not likely justify the cost invested.
• Children younger than age 12 can obtain all of the benefits of private voice lessons, without any of the drawbacks by participating in group music lessons that use singing as the primary instrument.
• In a group setting, children have double the lesson time, at a fraction of the cost of private lessons. In addition, group games and music exploration allow the child to learn and internalize concepts in a non-threatening, non-demanding, and fun atmosphere.
• By enrolling a young child in Copperview Children's Choir, they will be well prepared for private voice lessons once their voice matures to that point. (This point varies from child to child, but will certainly not be before age 12). Once a child who has sung with Copperview Children's Choir begins private lessons, they will progress rapidly, and will not have to spend valuable lesson time learning basic concepts, since those will already have been mastered in choir.

Parents (or ambitious children) may sometimes feel stalled at the suggestion that they wait to begin voice lessons, but any good voice teacher will have the health and correct training of your child's voice as their first priority. A teacher who agrees to take on a younger voice student is, at best, wasting your money by teaching in private lessons what could be better accomplished in group classes, and at worst risking permanent damage to your child's voice through their ignorance of vocal development.