Regular vocal training is expensive and time-consuming. How do you determine if it’s worthwhile? How do you determine whether your potential singing teacher will get you where you want to be?

Some people may advise you to walk in to your first lesson as if you’re auditioning the teacher. For instance, you may have been advised to ask for the teacher’s credentials and professional resume, and ask the teacher to sing for you to see if he/she can sing in the style you want to sing. This advice is meant to make you feel confident, empowered, and in charge of your vocal education. It is well meant, but there is a better method to find out if this is the best teacher for you.

If you instead walk in like a human sponge, you can be completely open to discover and experience. Embrace the fact that each vocal teacher has a different style, and that you have no idea what to expect.

If you soak up everything the teacher gives you without resistance, you can really experience the lesson. And this is a powerful way to know if this is something you want to continue.

After the class, ask yourself vocal teacher:

— Was I comfortable with the teacher?

— Did the teacher relax me and make me feel freer to sing?

— Do I have more confidence about my singing and my potential?

— Am I a better singer after the lesson?

You should feel comfortable because you feel empowered, not because the teacher stroked your ego to keep you coming back. Also, the student/teacher relationship is fraught with problems when students submit themselves to a teacher who seems wiser and more powerful, just to find a way to feel comfortable with the teacher.

There are a few things to watch out for:

— Did the teacher impose his/her power or did she make me feel powerful?

— Did the teacher promote his excellence and his credentials rather than make me a better singer?

— Did he/she have me stand in a certain way that made me feel tighter and more inhibited, with the promise that it will feel better in the future?

— Did she make me do a lot of breathing exercises rather than have me sing?

— Did she at all use words such as “correct” and “incorrect” rather than what is effective for my unique voice?

— Did I feel a genuine rapport with my teacher?

At the same time, the old adage, “the teacher arrives when the student is ready” fits. When you are ready to learn, the teacher can teach. If you are “auditioning” and judging the teacher, you are not open to his or her input – you are not really experiencing the lesson. As a result, you will not be able to tell what helps and what doesn’t help.

Go in with confidence and openness. Take risks. Absorb new ideas and suggestions. And if you truly experience the release of a newfound voice and reach a potential you hadn’t realized before, then this is the right place to be. The right teacher allows this to happen. If you are truly being present and aware of your own experiences, you will recognize where you want to go in life and if this teacher is someone you want with you on your journey. You’ll be in charge of your training and be able to choose the best teacher for you.