Map of Skills | Teaching Voice and Singing

Maya Attia, Standing Ovation Vocal Studio

-- Maya has run Standing Ovation Vocal Studio for six years and has had the opportunity to teach an array of very talented people. In this "Voices", she describes what it's like to teach singing.

As a voice teacher I work with a wide range of people at different levels of advancement.  Some want to learn how to sing for the joy of singing. Others want to make singing their career—they want to record albums, audition for major talent competitions or be signed to labels.

Each student has an obstacle that must be surpassed to achieve his or her goal. Sometimes the obstacle is previous vocal damage or misuse of the voice; other times the obstacle is fear and anxiety. Each time a new student enters my studio I assess the voice and prescribe several exercises. The goal of the vocal exercises is to train the student to develop proper technique by implementing good habits.

Most students have incorrect ideas about how to sing properly.  Many think that feeling their throat get tight or being hoarse after performing is part of the singing experience. It is my job to provide my students the correct information about how the voice works from the inside out. For instance, when you sing your vocal cords come together and vibrate against each other.

(This looks similar to how to mandolin strings vibrate against each other when they are strummed).  When you sing a high note, the vocal cords vibrate against each other very quickly and stretch out a bit, like stretching a rubber band. When you sing a low note the cords vibrate at a slower speed and don’t need to stretch at all.

You can’t feel your vocal cords because they don’t have any nerves. What you can feel is your larynx, or commonly termed the “voice box”. The larynx is the little box that contains your vocal cords. The larynx moves up and down as you swallow. In some people the larynx protrudes out of the neck. This protrusion, often seen in men, is often termed the “Adam’s Apple."

Proper singing happens when there is a balance between the amount of air and muscle used and when the singer sings vowels clearly without squeezing his or her throat. When this happens the larynx stays in a comfortable place and does not rise and fall they way it does when someone swallows.

It doesn’t sound too difficult, right? Because singing is such a desirable art there is much confusion and fear about performing this process correctly. People are afraid to give up their old habits because it feels right. Imagine if you were trying to learn how to serve a volley ball. You might know how to give the ball some speed and height, but it rarely goes over the net.

An instructor might have to correct you many times and you will have to put in several hours of practice before this new skill sticks. Singing is much the same: if a student is used to squeezing his or her throat to produce sound it can be very difficult and discouraging to unlearn the bad habits and learn the good habits.

What are the skills you need to do your work?

A voice teacher must be trained in the proper way to sing—that said they must know how to sing without squeezing the throat, without cluttering or swallowing the vowels. It is best if a voice instructor consistently trains with a master vocal instructor throughout his or her singing career to be sure that proper technique is always being used.

A voice teacher should have a deep understanding of music, music theory, ear training and sight singing as well as performance and singing technique. This knowledge can either be gained through performing experience and private lessons or through higher education. I found it most useful to study music at a four-year university and continue with my vocal studies privately. I also work with several master teachers who not only monitor my singing technique, but also my teaching technique.

What technology do you use in your work?

The main technologies I use are Audacity and Skype. Audacity is a simple application that allows lessons to be recorded and shared with my students. Skype allows me to teach and take lessons anywhere in the world. It also allows me to both hear and see my students or my instructors, in the case that the lesson cannot be in person.  If you run your own studio it is helpful to a bookkeeping program such as QuickBooks or Excel to help keep track of lesson payments.

What is engaging about your work?

Anytime a new student comes into my studio the vocal instructor absolutely must inquire about previous vocal damage, allergies, upper respiratory conditions, the nature of work the student does or anything else that might affect how often the voice is used. I also always ask what kind of music the student listens to and what kind of music the student would like to sing. This informs me of what kind of singing the student might be familiar with.

For instance, if a student says she mainly listens to opera, I know that she might try and mimic a stereotypical operatic voice. If a student mainly listens to popular music I know the student might try to belt his high notes. The more I know about the demands of my students’ voices, the more effective I can be.

What is the most difficult part of your work?

My job is not difficult, but can be exhausting; it is several hours a day of problem solving. When you teach how to implement new habits and the student realizes they’ve been wrong for a long time it can be frustrating. Nobody likes to be wrong. It can be challenging to find ways to trick a student’s brain to ensure proper technique develops. Moreover learning a new skill it is a delicate process that happens over a period of time. Often, the most important thing in being a voice teacher is ensuring that no matter how intense a lesson was, the student always walks out of my studio feeling like they conquered a small obstacle.