My teacher once reflected that most students who are going to quit do so at
after 1 year to 2 years. For those of you who teach privately, what's your
experience? Why do you think most students quit? Lack of money? Lack of
time? Unrealistic expectations (i.e. thought they would be a "supa-sta" by
1 yr) Moving on to find a better teacher (or one that promises a fast fix?)
Also, what are the drop out rates for vocal majors in undergrad/grad schools
Why I started thinking about this...After recently hitting the 2 year mark
(with an excellent teacher, that's not a prob.), I find it harder to
motivate myself. I think this is probably because I unrealistically thought
I'd be much farther along than I am vocally. It's hard work everyday, & the
pay-off seems unbalanced compared to the effort I have put in so far. It's
not that I am unwilling to put in the work, it's that I question whether
I'll ever straighten out my vocal issues to the point that I have a stable
technique & well developed voice. But I am encouraged because I have read
in more than one credible place that it takes 3-4 years of good vocal
training to build a basic voice, and 6-8 to get it to professional quality.
(When I get discouraged, I remind myself that I have another 4-6 years to
go by these standards, and that I am probably right where I am supposed to
be for now.)
I have heard/seen many people say over the past 2+ years how fantastically
their voice (or student's voice) developed in oh, just a year, or just 6
months even, etc...and quite frankly I can't imagine it. My instructor tells
me it can happen, but it's the exception, not the rule. I'm very skeptical
when I hear people profess their fach (lyric coloratura, dramatic sop) as
young as 19/20. All I know right now is I might end up being some type of a
mezzo, might be some type of soprano. My goal for now is not to classify my
fach but to develop ease and efficiency in production, which will lead, I
hope, to reliable technique. Then maybe natural timbre/fach will emerge.
Sandra
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