Scared to take lessons? Here’s what you need to know about what lessons are *actually* like
I recently met with a singer who had come into the studio for their first lesson with me. Towards the end of the lesson, the singer told me, “I’m so glad that I came here today. I almost didn’t come, I was so scared.”
I asked them, “Why were you scared?”
They responded, “Because I’m scared to share my voice with other people.”
This student had been scared to sing for ME—a voice teacher! It’s my job to listen to people sing. I couldn’t believe that they felt that scared to share their voice with me.
But then it hit me: of course they felt scared to meet with me! After all, singing is a vulnerable act. We are literally sharing a part of ourselves when we share our singing with other people. It’s no wonder this singer felt scared to share their voice with me.
So how can you get over that fear?
The answer may disappoint you: I don’t think we should “get over” our fears, but embrace them instead. It’s very difficult work to work through our fears, and it’s work that I think should be done with a licensed mental health professional.
However, I do think that acquanting ourselves with the facts of what we fear can be helpful, which is why I want to give you a sense of what voice lessons are actually like. In understanding what lessons actually are like, we can come to understand them a bit better, and, perhaps even come to fear them a bit less.
Voice lessons are meant to be places for you to explore your voice, not places for you to sing perfectly. I spend about half of a student’s lesson working on warm ups & exercises that help singers discover how their voice works. Through different exercises tailored to each student, singers find balance and ease in their singing. I want to emphasize though that lessons are not places where you need to show off or sing perfectly. There is no judgement when you take lessons with me!
Voice lessons can be hard work at times. However, I find that most of the effort is mental. While it takes some physical effort to improve your singing, I find that most students struggle the most with mental struggles such as self-doubt and perfectionism. It can be difficult to believe that your voice is worthy of being heard, but it is worthy. No matter how challenging things get, I’m here to offer support and compassion every step of the way.
Voice lessons are also a LOT of fun! It brings me so much joy to see a student’s face light up when they achieve a breakthrough in their singing (no matter how big or small). I also have a lot of fun making “weird” sounds with students and doing exercises that are a little “far out”. Either way, you’re going to get some joy out of lessons with me.
And honestly…that’s what lessons are like. Notice how I didn’t say anything about judging, belittling, or laughing at you (why would anyone do that anyway!?). I know it sounds silly, but it's all good vibes here!
Still scared of lessons? That's okay. But if you're ready to take the first step toward conquering your fears, I'd love to meet you! You can sign up for a free trial lesson here.
If you’re not quite ready to take the plunge into lessons yet, I’d love to stay in touch with you. Every other week, my email list gets a new edition of my Blooming Voice newsletter, a message filled with inspiration and more. You can sign up to receive some biweekly singing goodness in your inbox here.
