[musictlk] would this make you uncomfortable

[Amy Billman]

Hey Kelsey,
Yes, this absolutely would make me uncomfortable.
Not so much because he is a man necessarily or teaching out of his
apartment, but more because he does not appear to be in any way qualified to
teach voice.
Sure he's in your budget, because he has no skills to warrant charging the
usual rates.
That's not meant to sound mean, because there are skilled people who don't
necessarily have a degree in vocal performance who are qualified to teach
voice.
For instance, my first voice teacher growing up was an awesome woman who had
her degree in elementary education.
She found singing and particularly, vocal studies because her favorite aunt
was a professional singer who because she got nodes on her vocal cords at a
young age due to cheerleading, made my former voice teacher learn how to
sing, and speak, and cheer, correctly with proper breath support.
And, she had an amazing voice!
Because she continued to sing and study even after college, choosing her was
a no brainer. She was skilled at teaching in general, and at teaching voice.
Plus, she had a professional resume to back her up.
A voice teacher''s skills aren't just on where their degree lies but also in
what they've done professionally. Who have they taught? Who have they
studied under?
What vocal related jobs have they had?
My former voice teacher worked with a very well known opera in florida where
I grew up, so she was known. She also performed around in the area doing
different solo and church gigs.
I also knew that she could correctly sing musical theatre as well as
clasical, which for me mattered, because I was heavily into drama and
auditioning for many roles, and I was also planning to go to college and
study vocal performance. So, I needed both the show tunes and the classical.
It's an important relationship that needs looking into, and you should not
just enter into it lightly.
It bothers me that he, is putting it on you, a potential student to find
your teaching space.
No sir. You are responsible for your own teaching space; not your students.
And, you are also responsible for making people feel safe if you are going
to teach in your own house or apartment.
Honestly... Everything about this gentleman for me is a definite no go. The
apartment part falls at the bottom of the list, but only because the other
stuff is of greater importance. My opinion, anyway...
Figure out what you hope to accomplish out of taking voice lessons. What
kind of music? What is your end goal here?
Then, start doing research to find someone who can help you get where you
want to be.
What about music stores? Often they have vocal coaches etc. Have you looked
into this? If not, you should.
Also community colleges with music programs or even universities often times
have students or adjunct faculty that will give lessons in the community.
The school that I got my bachelors from in vocal performance did this.
Just a few suggestions/thoughts...

Good luck with whatever you decide!


Amy Billman
Email:
 Amy0223 at gmail.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybillman

-----Original Message-----
From: musictlk [mailto:musictlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kelsey
Nicolay via musictlk
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2014 11:29 AM
To: musictlk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [musictlk] would this make you uncomfortable

Hello,
I was given a list of voice teachers by my choir president.  
There were about 10 or 15 of them on the list.  One of the 
teachers I contacted got back to me (this was a couple months 
ago) and he told me that he would do lessons in his apartment in 
Montville Township which is part of Medina.  He also said that he 
does not play any instruments and therefore relies on the use of 
backing tracks to teach his students.  He also does not have a 
music degree.  Rather, he bases his teaching off of performance 
experience.  I know there are some teachers who teach like that 
and that's not what makes me uncomfortable.  The part I am a 
little uneasy about is taking lessons from a male teacher in an 
apartment.  Part of the reason I'm considering him is because 
he's in my budget.  He also suggested that I should contact the 
high school choir director (which by the way I have no way to 
reach) and request a practice room at the high school.  I am 
wondering if you guys think this approach sounds suspicious at 
all.  I would be ok studying with a male teacher, but only if it 
was in a place where there would be others around.  Otherwise, I 
would definitely prefer to study with a female.  What do you 
think? Are my concerns about this teaching style valid or should 
I contact him again and see if he can come up with a different 
approach?
Thanks,
Kelsey Nicolay

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