Vocalist.org archive


From:  Mezzoid@a...
Date:  Sat Sep 9, 2000  9:42 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist-temporary] Frequency of Lessons


In a message dated 09/09/2000 7:52:04 AM Central Daylight Time,
ezuber@b... writes:

<< Also, I find 1hr lessons to be the most optimal in length. 30min is a joke,
45min does not leave much time for repertoire. An hour is just about right.
If you can have (lucky you!) three hours a week, take 2x1hr with your voice
teacher, 1hr with a piano coach. >>

In a dream world, that would be wonderful. I teach voice and discovered that
for the market I'm tarketing - high school kids and adult beginners - they
don't want (and don't have the time, more so than money) to invest in
anything longer than a half hour. I think this may change -- right now I
have 3 one-hour students and 29 half-hours, and when I have openings again,
I'm going to offer 45-60 minute lessons to my existing students instead of
filling the open spots.

I'm making the 30 minutes work for my students. We do 15-20 mins of
vocalises and the rest of the time repertoire. As my students get better, we
can get to the rep faster. And if I do say so myself, my students are
getting pretty dang good!! (One's doing the Mother in the HS of the Arts'
AMAHL and another's doing John Adams at his HS' production of 1776!)

On the good side, I am now FULL! I have waiting lists at both my home and
outside studios; I teach Tuesdays-Fridays, and I'm sure if I wanted to teach
weekends and late into the evening, I could fill up. But this is as much as
I want to do ... and I'm loving it!

Christine Thomas, Mezzo Soprano
Wauwatosa, WI

"Humility is the acceptance of the possibility that someone else can teach
you something else you do not know already, especially about yourself.
Conversely, pride and arrogance close the door of the mind."
-- Arthur Deikman, The Observing Self

emusic.com