Becoming an amateur private voice teacher with no qualifications?

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  • Becoming an amateur private voice teacher with no qualifications?


Answer #1 | 05/01 2014 12:06
If she wants you to sure go ahead! If you seriously think you're good and really want to do this go ahead and give her lessons but see if it suits you. If after a few lessons it doesn't fell right tell your mom and ask her what she thinks. But if you don't want to and think she'll be better off getting private training from a perfessional then say it.
Answer #2 | 05/01 2014 12:35
As long as everyone understands your limitations, go for it. If after starting, you decide it's not the thing for ether of you, then gracefully back out. Let it be known up front that that is what you will do if it does not work out. The worst thing you could do is to continue after you have reached the limits of what you are qualified to teach. Be prepared to tell the student that you have gone as far as you can, now they need more professional help and be prepared to recommend someone that you know will do a better job. Good luck. This could be the start of something big for you.
Answer #3 | 05/01 2014 13:25
You can't teach her. You are simply not qualified enough to teach and you are risking this girl's health because she can damage her voice very easily if you don't have the slightest idea what you are doing. I don't mean that you don't know how to sing, I mean that if she makes a mistake you most likely won't spot it because you don't have the qualifications and she will repeat it until something bad happens. Sometimes during my lessons my teacher stops me to point out mistakes that I had no idea I was making and I have been singing for a very long time. Teachers also have a different way of explaining so that the students will understand. It takes many years to learn how to sing and even more years to learn how to teach. If you wanted to teach her something that wasn't dangerous (like how to play an instrument), I would say go for it. But that's not the case with singing because teaching it requires lots of knowledge and specializing and it's very dangerous if you are not qualified enough. I am sure you don't want any parents to blame you if their children get voice damage. It a great responsibility, you will be responsible for any kind of vocal cord injuries. Don't risk it, don't take that responsibility. You should definitely say no.
Answer #4 | 05/01 2014 18:26
Valkyrie has said it very well. Depending on how old your prospective student is, even if you could explain EXACTLY what it is you do to do what you do, it might not be the right thing for a child to do quite yet. There's a saying that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing". This means that someone might learn a bit about something which might mislead them into thinking they are experts. They actually have DEGREES for teaching voice. If anything, you would need intensive knowledge in the area of biomechanics as it pertains to singing, and then be able to break all that knowledge down in understandable bits for your student to safely and effectively learn to do what you do. Keep in mind also, that sometimes people who have ALWAYS been able to sing well, even before taking lessons, don't always have the patience and understanding to deal with someone who is less "gifted" by nature. I do absolutely believe you when you say you sing extremely well. Lay people will often think that is all it takes for someone to give lessons to another person. I'm asked all the time. I also refuse all the time. I can give general advice, as I do on this forum, but I woud not DARE to actually try to teach anyone--much less a young person. Especially if it involves some child or teen bringing in who-knows-what song thinking that they will end up sounding like the original artist. Most voice teachers usually will choose repertoire for their students until the students have had a bit more experience and have some idea of what sort of things might be more feasible to work on. Voice teachers also choose repertoire because certain songs are meant to give the student a chance to develop and practice certain singing skills and techniques beyond doing a bunch of vocal exercises. Think back on your own first lessons.

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