How to Get the Most out of Your Voice Lessons

Congratulations! You've decided to invest in the development of your voice by taking private voice lessons. But what can you do to use this resource to the fullest?

Warm Ups/Vocalises

Always start with a warm up. Not only will this ready your voice, but it will also instill good vocal habits and develop muscle memory. Your warm up should generally last fifteen minutes or longer. I recommend beginning with some humming, sighing, or sirens, and gradually building up to more difficult exercises. I also recommend starting in a comfortable range and working your way out, but never in a way that causes vocal strain (i.e. very sore throat, coughing, etc.) It's fine to try the same exercise over again if you don't feel that you did it properly the first time. Try to be as thorough as possible, both in terms of range (warming up middle, low, high) and different areas of your body (stretching, breathing, jaw, tongue, palette).
Some people like to record a warm up at their lesson and then practice with it throughout the week. Singing with a recording allows you to focus on your vocal technique instead of trying to think of what exercises to do or struggling to play along with yourself at the piano. If you don't have a recording of a warm up, you can play chords on the piano or guitar going up a half step at a time in order to keep yourself in tune. If you find an exercise to be particularly helpful in a lesson, you might want to write it down in a way that you can remember so you can use it again later.

Practice

Once you are finished with your warm up, you can begin working on material. While singing a song all the way through is fine, you will also want to take it in sections and focus practice on problem areas. Pitches and rhythms should be occasionally reviewed. If the song is in a language other than English, the text should be recited out loud, both freely and in rhythm. Musical markings should also be considered (i.e. dynamics, ritardando, tempo markings, etc.) If you are accompanying yourself as you sing, you should practice both without and with accompaniment. If you did any special exercises with this song during your previous lesson, you may want to try them again.
Lastly, you should think about what the song is trying to say, and how you personally can identify with it. If the song is from a musical or opera, you will want to learn a bit about the general plot and the character singing the song, either by looking on the internet, reading the book/libretto, or finding a book of opera/ musical synopses (short descriptions of plot). No matter the song, you will want to add emotion and presence to your performance of it.
It is generally better to practice regularly for small amounts of time than once in awhile for longer periods of time. A good practice session can run anywhere from thirty minutes to a few hours. Even doing a fifteen-minute warm up alone can be beneficial.

Materials and Lesson Prep

Be prepared when you come to your lesson. Try to be a few minutes early so you aren't rushed. Always bring a full bottle of water (preferably lukewarm to cool in temperature, not ice cold). Also bring a black binder with all of your music neatly hole-punched and a pencil ready for taking notes. You may also want to bring notepaper to jot down vocal exercises and technique ideas (for example, "imagine I have a flip-top head") so you can remember them later. If you plan to record your lesson, make sure your recording device is ready to go (tape at right place, plenty of room on device, you know how to turn it on, etc.) It is often a good idea to keep a repertoire list of both songs that you know and could brush up quickly and songs that you are currently working on. You should also bring any books that you may be working from.

Auditions, Gigs, and Shows

You should always tell your voice teacher about any auditions, gigs, or shows in which you will be participating well in advance. This way, if your teacher has any thoughts or advice for you, there will be time to incorporate it into your performance. For auditions, you should decide what song(s) you are going to sing several weeks in advance unless you have developed an audition repertoire from which you will choose.
For singers who often audition for musicals, it is a good idea to develop an audition repertoire. Your repertoire will consist of several songs of different styles that you have already learned and can brush up quickly before an audition. You should have music for all of the songs and always keep them neatly in your binder.

Repertoire Options

I encourage my students to study a wide range of repertoire. Main genres include: musical theater, classical art song, opera and oratorio, jazz/blues/cabaret, rock/pop/alt, religious music, folk, etc. While it is normal to have a main focus in your lessons, having a flexible attitude often allows you to expand your voice in different and helpful ways. For instance, I often suggest that a student study a few Italian art songs, regardless of style preference, because of the tremendous benefit studying these songs can bring to your technique.

Vocal Health

Your voice is a relatively fragile instrument and sometimes requires special care. Here are some things that can negatively affect your voice: lots of talking, talking in a loud voice, over-singing, singing without warming up, drinking alcohol, any kind of smoking or being around smoke, consuming caffeine (coffee, black tea, some sodas), eating milk products (milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream), not getting enough sleep, stress, screaming, frequently clearing your throat, lots of coughing, being sick, drinking cold liquids, not drinking enough water (getting dehydrated), posture/alignment issues (such as back injuries), TMJ, whispering, singing on a full stomach....
Here are some things that are healthy for your voice: enough sleep, lots of water (around room temperature is probably best), swallowing, humming, speaking with support from the diaphragm, exercise, warm herbal tea (optional: add lemon or honey), steam.

How to Decide whether to Cancel a Lesson due to Illness

If you have spent the day in bed and are really sick, always cancel. If your throat is very sore and feels swollen, your speaking voice sounds very breathy and hoarse, and/or you can't stop coughing, you should probably also cancel.
If, on the other hand, you have a tickle in your throat, a minor sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, or a lingering cough, you can probably still attend your lesson. It is useful to be able to learn to sing while dealing with these symptoms, and there is often non-singing related work that can also be done if your voice gets tired (i.e. posture exercises, rhythm exercises, foreign language exercises, planning your repertoire, etc.)

Extra Tips for the Serious Singer (including the college bound)

• If you have time, warm up before your lesson. Still expect to do exercises during your lesson. You'll get more out of them if you're already partially warm.
  
• Consider learning some basic keyboard skills. They will be invaluable. Music theory is also a bonus. You should make it a priority to become familiar with reading music.
  
• Consider beginning a sight singing component during your lesson. If you are taking a longer lesson (45-60 minutes), there is plenty of time to add this.
  
• Try to expose yourself to a lot of recordings, DVDs, and live performances of singing in your preferred style (and possibly other styles as well).
  
• If you have any back or alignment problems, seek various methods of improving them (i.e. massage, yoga, Alexander technique, Feldenkrais technique).
  

Recommended Library

Singers will naturally begin to build up their own small music libraries. Following are several suggestions of where to begin.

And finally....