Vocal Coaching or Vocal Technique Instruction - WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

Researching what kind of a singing teacher to choose can be confusing, especially for a beginner who has never taken lessons before. An aspiring singer hopes to find not just any competent instructor but the right instructor for their training needs. And that can be a daunting task.

In the following sections, you will find summaries and explanations of the basic roles of vocal technique instructors and vocal coaches, the fundamental differences between these two types of singing teachers, and some considerations to make when deciding which type of instruction will best suit your needs, skill level and goals.

TECHNIQUE INSTRUCTION

A vocal technique instructor focuses primarily on the fundamentals of good singing, such as breathing, support, posture, tone creation, placement of sound, range, blending between registers to eliminate vocal breaks, endurance and excellent control. A technique instructor seldom tackles the intricacies of a particular song with his or her students, although he or she may by request.

(Again, while good vocal coaches will also address a student's problematic technique during their lessons, this is not the main purpose that they generally serve.)

However helpful a vocal coach may be at ironing out the kinks of a song performance, a flawless performance can't be achieved without solid technical skills backing it up. In other words, a singer's execution of a song will either be aided or hindered by his or her technique. Therefore, no matter how much coaching one receives, without a solid foundation in technique - and the stamina, range and agility that technique builds over time - a singer will not be able to tackle more complex, vocally challenging songs.

Just as gymnasts do not start out at the Olympic level and, instead, need to gradually build their strength, flexibility, stamina and skills, a new singer does not start at the skill level of a highly trained one.

A vocal technique instructor typically teaches a student how to interpret the sensations of his or her body while singing, how to produce desired tones, and how to make adjustments. He or she will first focus on establishing controlled breathing; the chief building block of vocal technique. Since breathing requires the use of many muscle groups in the body - please refer to my article on the Anatomy of the Voice for more information about the physiological mechanisms required in singing - the student will need to 'workout' consistently in order to build up strength and stamina.

Next, a technique instructor will begin to focus on building other skills, such as achieving pure vowels, correcting nasally, breathy or throaty tones, seamlessly transitioning and blending between vocal registers, smoothly sliding between notes (legatos), and gently broadening a student's vocal range. All of these skills take time to develop.

Everything learned in technique training - all of the technical skills acquired - can then be applied to any song or genre that a singer would like to sing. (This is the versatility of which I often write.)

COACHING

A vocal coach guides a student through repertoire and gives feedback and advice on how to improve not only the technical execution of those songs but also the more nuanced aspects of technique and artistry, including vocal arrangement, vocal phrasing, articulation, enunciation, dynamics (when to sing softly or loudly), breath taking (when to breathe during a song to minimize awkwardness and maximize breath availability and relaxation), rhythms, and overall approach to the song. The vocal coach will listen closely to ensure that the singer hasn’t learned the song incorrectly. The overall goal is to help the singer achieve a finer grasp of musical style, which could include discussing performance practices of certain eras, style characteristics of selected genres and unique compositional traits of specific composers.

Essentially, vocal coaches help singers prepare and polish a song or repertoire of songs to be recorded or performed in front of an audience.

In addition to the above list, these preparations generally include teaching a singer to emote (interpret the meaning of lyrics and then convey emotion to the audience through body language and expressive vocalization) and how to have good stage presence (e.g., making eye contact, moving well with the music, posture, hand gesturing, microphone technique, etc.).

The vocal coach seeks to help the singer create a flawless performance.

Since some vocal repertoire comes in a variety of languages, the vocal coach will help the singer with diction, pronunciation, cadences and inflections that are unique to the language being sung in. They will help in translations and in discussing the poetry (meaning) of the song.

A singing coach typically provides piano accompaniment for his or her students, playing along as the student rehearses.

Note that a singing teacher who regularly provides instruction in basic through advanced vocal technique and who doesn't spend the bulk of his or her teaching time helping students work on the artistry of their songs is not, by definition, a vocal coach. Rather, he or she is operating in the capacity of a technique instructor. However, a vocal coach would be remiss if he or she did not address any errors in the technique of his or her students, even though technique is not his or her principle focus.

NON-SPECIALIZED TEACHERS

There are many “non-specialized” singing teachers out there - those who are neither exclusively coaches nor exclusively technique instructors - who combine both technique and coaching in their approaches to teaching. This type of singing teacher is probably the most abundant. Many really talented, knowledgeable voice teachers are capable of providing both technical instruction and performance guidance.

If you’re at a place where you’re actively performing, are wanting to pursue singing as a career, or are preparing for an upcoming performance or recording session, you want a teacher who is both familiar with your genre and style and capable of helping you hone both your technical skills and artistry, including how you command the stage. You’ll also want a teacher who can guide you through selecting the ideal keys for your songs, planning set lists, transitioning between songs, and understanding what you should expect from the sound person. (This is where a teacher with performance experience is invaluable.)

WHICH ONE IS RIGHT FOR ME?

I firmly believe that technique enables artistry. When the vocal instrument is functionally free, it’s easier to utilize that technique as a tool to create a greater variety of vocal sounds, qualities, and dynamics and to sing with the kind of emotion that really moves an audience.

So, the cart should not be placed before the horse. I’m convinced of the benefits of starting from the ground up and building a strong technical foundation to ensure that the singer can make the voice do what they want it to do when they want it to do it. The voice needs to be healthily and efficiently produced, as well, to allow the singer to have the stamina needed to sing the songs they want, to get through longer performances, and to create the conditions for vocal longevity.

I believe in not rushing the voice into songs that may either put strain on it or may cover up bad technique in development. It is important to note that the demands of quality vocal technique instruction typically 'over prepare' a student for the demands of his or her song repertoire. In other words, with good technique instruction, a student's vocal abilities should far exceed those required for the average song, so that singing most songs - (I would say that operatic songs are the one marked exception) - should be less physically taxing than they are psychologically and emotionally challenging. If a singer is in top shape and has excellent technique, singing should be virtually effortless, even when a great deal of athleticism is required.

That said, there is certainly a place in the singing world for vocal coaching. In fact, I believe that coaching and technique instruction can go hand in hand. For the best possible results, a serious, performance-oriented singer might consider having both a vocal technique instructor and a separate singing coach, if such a luxury is feasible. Once the basics of proper technique are established with a good technique instructor, a singing coach can help a student apply what they’ve learned to the songs in their repertoire and gain even better skills.

I strongly recommend not hiring a coach until you have a very solid grasp of technique, as many songs are more vocally challenging than one presumes, and employing improper technique while attempting to sing these challenging songs may lead not only to frustration but also to worse technique and possibly injury.

If a singing teacher is into the practice of dividing lesson times between technique training and vocal coaching, be careful to find an instructor who can accurately assess your skills and help you select songs that are appropriate for your current technical abilities. The songs should be technically challenging but not overly difficult to the point where you are straining, not able to employ proper technique, or are frustrated and discouraged. Be sure that there is a healthy balance of solid technique building and song singing during the lessons.

For more detailed information on what to look for in a vocal teacher, refer to my article Selecting a Voice Instructor on this site.