Are the Best Singers the Best Voice Teachers? A Rant about Traditional Voice Lessons vs. the Online Singing Class Format

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Great talent can be dazzling. Naturally, when you hear an extraordinary singer, you may automatically wonder if that person teaches voice lessons. If they can sing like that, they can teach you to sing like that, right?
 
The truth is, when seeking in-person or online vocal training, the best singer might not always be the best teacher. I’m going to get a little in the weeds here because this is something I feel pretty strongly about, and it has roots all the way down into how singers and teachers are educated.
 
This article about the typical “singing training near me” approach versus more targeted online singing class training has been bubbling around in my brain for a long time. Getting it out here feels sort of vindicating. I’m going to be candid—this article might upset some people offering singing training near me and across the globe, but it was not written with that intention.
 
This article consists of my observations and opinions on the singing lessons system itself. This is all based on the anecdotal experiences of singing lessons and the experiences of many others I have observed. No single person is to blame—there is no malintent, no conspiracy.
 
So, whether you’re looking for “singing training near me” or for an online singing class, here’s why you shouldn’t necessarily hear the instructor’s fantastic runs and fail to look at their actual credentials and experience. I think this also explains why I think online singing class formats are so valid if done correctly.

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Great Singer Does Not Mean Great In-Person or Online Vocal Training Instructor
 
Beware someone who advertises under “singing coach near me” or as an online singing class teacher whose only credentials are stage experience. I liken singing to sports a lot, so let’s think for a moment about Michael Phelps, who won a total of 28 Olympic medals for swimming. He has worked incredibly hard and no doubt knows a lot about swimming. But you can’t ignore the fact that he is 6’4”, with a large torso, rather proportionately short legs, and large, flipper-like feet that earned him the nickname “Flying Fish.” Experts have noted that he had “the perfect body for swimming.” His success is due to his body as much as it is his brain.
 
Let’s pretend you were enormously wealthy and somehow managed to hire Phelps as your swimming coach. Will studying with Phelps mean you will become a champion Olympic swimmer? Obviously not. Phelps does not know what it’s like to be in your body, which is probably not as naturally suited for swimming as his. But he does have a lot of training under his belt at this point, so despite his natural talent and insane physique, he could likely help you improve.
 
Now, let’s change the scenario a little to start equating it with singing training. Pretend for a second that we live in an alternate universe where Michael Phelps never sought training. He looks pretty much the same, and he is still a fabulous swimmer. But he isn’t as good as trained Phelps, and he is also completely self-taught, relying on instinct and maybe some random YouTube videos or articles about swimming.
 
Since everything comes pretty naturally to him and he doesn’t have an education of the anatomy or theory behind what he’s doing, this Phelps would probably be a bad teacher. After all, you can’t just morph yourself into the Flying Fish.
 
I’m sure you can see where this is going when it comes to singing training. A fabulous, amazing, incredibly gifted, self-taught singer knows intrinsically how to sing with their brain and their body. That does not mean they can teach you to sing with your brain and your body. Your brain may not be as musically inclined; your body may not be as perfect for singing as theirs. You’re working with a totally different instrument and mental skillset, and without the “translation” ability that an education brings, that fabulous, gifted singer probably won’t make much of a vocal coach. 

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Like Voice Teacher, Like Student: The Problem with University Singing Training for Professionals
 
One more example here before we start talking further about singing training in higher ed. Think of something you just intrinsically know how to do, like chew food. You’re good at chewing food. You figured it out ages ago, it came naturally to you, and you haven’t given it much thought since. Now, imagine that someone who for some reason couldn’t chew food asked you to teach them. Your first response might be, “Um, you just…do it.” That’s pretty much how the best singers in the world feel about singing. You can see how an in-person or online singing class with such a person might not be so helpful.
 
Here’s the problem: this bleeds over to university-trained singers. A lot of vocal faculty at prestigious conservatories and music schools acquire their positions because they are fabulous, gifted singers who have won awards and sung role after role in international opera houses. However, this does not make them good teachers, as you can probably tell from what you’ve just read.
 
Some of these folks have just a bachelor's degree in music that they got many decades ago. They are experienced performers and deserve all their many accomplishments, and so many of them are wonderful, caring educators. But that doesn’t mean they know how singing works. They just know how to do it with their musically gifted brain and musically inclined body. And even if they do know how it works, they might not be able to explain it well.

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The Singing Teacher Talent Gap and Why It Matters
 
These are the faculty members who teach university students. These students will someday respond to your “singing training near me” query or teach your online vocal training class. They also have varying natural ability and skill.
 
A few of their students will be like the instructors—the Michael Phelpses of the singing world, already destined for greatness. In school, we all knew who was going to be famous from the moment they walked in the door, before they got any university singing training at all, because they were so extraordinary.
 
For the vast majority of singers, though, this doesn’t cut it. The vast majority of singers are gifted, but not Micheal Phelps gifted—more like state championship or regional competition gifted. They are not as physically or mentally naturally attuned to their “sport,” and they therefore need more guidance to reach their true potential.
 
To the average person, this sort of second-tier of singers still sounds incredible. They may simply not quite be world-class, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t gifted. For these singers (and I would consider myself one of their number), the guidance of a well-meaning, tremendously gifted teacher isn’t enough. They don’t need a talented teacher—they need a knowledgeable teacher.
 
Do you see the problem here? Without the guidance of a singing teacher who can help someone less talented than themselves, the vast majority of singers—even those in prestigious universities—don’t learn enough to have a viable career. I have talked to so many singers with degrees (even doctorates!) who lack a basic understanding of how singing works. This is horrifically depressing to me. It’s a basic failure of the education system, and it’s something I really, really hope changes in the future. 

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My Journey from Singing Training Near Me to Online Vocal Training Creation
 
When I first created The Five-Minute Singer, I had this emotional moment where I thought back to my fourteen-year-old self (the age when I started taking singing lessons) and wished I could send her the link to the program. Of course, high school me had slow early 2000s internet, so she might not have been able to use this online vocal training course anyway. But if I could time travel and give my online vocal training course to my younger self, I think it could have made a massive difference. With it, I think I would have developed good vocal habits much earlier and avoided injuring myself in high school and again in college. I could have removed some serious vocal barriers that held me back for years.
 
I truly adore every teacher I have studied with. I am stubborn, and because I don’t think like a lot of singers, I imagine I was very frustrating to teach. I’m so grateful for the patience, kindness, and caring I received as a student. That being said, due to the system I described in the previous section, I missed out on crucial information.
 
Neither of my first two teachers went into much depth about anatomy, which was what I really needed. My first voice teacher, a traditional classical instructor, was so wonderful— knowledgeable, so kind, and, living just a few blocks away, the definition of “singing training near me.” She also told me, a belter, not to sing in chest voice at all, so I thought it was inherently unhealthy for years.
 
I didn’t hear the term “tongue tension” until I was taking trial lessons for graduate school. No one ever encouraged me to develop a heady mix to use in my lower fourth octave. My singing teachers never helped me set any specific goals or had any real continuity from lesson to lesson, focusing mostly on repertoire. Because I took vocal pedagogy in a way that seemed so distant from actual singing, anatomy didn’t click for me as something valuable at the time.
 
It was my graduate school singing teacher who sparked my interest in anatomy. She was very focused on the body, and she put me on the path I’m on today. I’ve definitely taken that to further extremes with this program. I can’t go back in time and help my fourteen-year-old self. But I’m grateful for where I am now, and I think I may be able to help you, no matter your age, with my online vocal training.
 

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​Online Vocal Training for Experienced Singers
 
If you have significant vocal training but still feel like you’re just spinning your wheels, I truly believe my online singing class could make a huge difference for you. This is especially true if the alternative is looking for traditional “singing training near me” and continuing to throw money into standard voice lessons. Every good Fort Wayne singing teacher (or voice teacher anywhere else) you see will always point out the same issues—breathing, vocal tract tension, soft palate activity. These issues are rooted in body parts. Why not just tackle those one by one until you’ve developed better kinesthetic awareness and new vocal habits?
 
If you want to take Fort Wayne voice lessons (or voice lessons wherever you are) at that point to master specific skills, you’ll be in a much better place to do so after using my online vocal training program because your base habits will have improved. It’s just not a good use of time or money to continue to try to fix fifteen issues at once, ranging from anatomical to musical to interpretive. You could focus on things one at a time and then have a much shorter list of specific skills and musical aspects to hone. So, why not try that instead?

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Traditional Vocal Training Near Me vs. Nontraditional Online Singing Class
 
I am sorry if this article made you mad. I am a Fort Wayne singing teacher at a university, and I know many amazing people offering singing training near me and elsewhere. Obviously I do believe that you can learn how to sing very well in an academic setting.
 
This article is just my opinion and perspective, and I’m sure many would disagree. I want to reiterate that my intention is not to point any fingers. If what I am saying makes sense to you, though, I would love it if you would join my Five-Minute Singer online course. Whether you choose to go at it on your own or with a hybrid online singing class, really understanding the inner workings of the vocal instrument can make all the difference.
 
It can make all the difference if you’re not the Michael Phelps of singing, that is. If you are, congratulations, and I can’t wait to hear you at the Met.