Please don't get too discouraged. Two months is not
very long at all to have been taking voice lessons! I
started lessons in my twenties, and it took me years
to learn how to sing (and I'm still learning :o). 31
is not too old. It sounds like your teacher isn't
being very supportive or encouraging, and this could
be making it even harder for you to sing. After all,
singing *is* all in your head, and if you get stressed
and tense thinking about what your teacher is going to
think, it isn't going to help your sound, especially
since you have to have a certain amount of relaxation
to produce a vibrato.
You asked if you should try lessons with another
teacher. I think that would be a great idea. Shop
around until you find someone who thinks it's great
you want to learn how to sing and who will encourage
you and support you in your efforts. And who will be
able to explain how to sing in a way that works for
you. I can't even begin to express the amazing
improvement in my voice when I finally started to work
with someone who took such delight in the sounds I was
making (even though they weren't very good at the
time) - she saw the potential in me, and it made my
singing lessons so fun and enjoyable I'm sure it
contributed greatly to my being able to relax enough
to really sing.
As someone who started out with zero vibrato, a teeny
tiny sound, a head voice I had never used (I'm a
soprano), and a tendency to go flat, I can tell you
that it is possible to develop a voice that is good
enough to perform in public. All it takes is the
desire to sing, a good teacher, lots of practice, and
time.
Jennifer
> I am sort of discouraged, my voice teacher tells me
> I have a keen sense of pitch but she really doesn't
> have anything else really great to say (other than I
> have a sexy sound), I tell her the head tone concept
> is really hard for me and I asked if other people
> just naturally have head tone, her reply made me
> feel sort of lousy she said "some people just have
> naturally wonderful voices" to me this meant *you
> are not one of those people* In the past she has
> told me that I have a dark sexy kind of tone...I
> truly believe that she prefers brighter more shrill
> sounding tone.
Snip
> I guess in a nutshell I am getting the feeling that
> because I cannot master head tone that in the
> opinion of my voice teacher "I can't sing" I am
> older than a majority of her students, I am too old
> for school age competitions, I am not studying for a
> music degree...my goal was to learn opera technique
> and to sing for friends at parties and other
> functions and to be a part of the local opera groups
> in my area. I have had voice lessons as a teenager,
> I am 31 now and I am fairly sure I actually CAN sing
> as a great majority of the people I know insist I
> have a gorgeous voice. Mind you they are NOT voice
> teachers.
snip
> Maybe I should just take a lesson or two from
> someone else and get their opinion. I pay the same
> price as the other "music majors and teenagers" but
> I get the feeling that I am sort of all washed up.
> I am very serious about wanting to learn, I practice
> everyday for at least 2 hours, I am ALWAYS vocalized
> and ready to go at lessons...I feel that if I could
> get a grasp of head tone and vibrato that I could be
> someone who's "got it" and not one of those "that
> don't" (ha ha ha) I have been taking lessons for
> two months where should I be now? What should I be
> able to master at this point?
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