Demystifying the world of vocal coaching

‘Hello! My name is Pan and I'm a vocal coach. And pianist. And musical director. And piano teacher. I work as a freelance musician. And as MD of The Opera Makers. And St Paul’s Opera. Also at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. And at Morley College. As what? As a tutor. And accompanist.’ It was hard enough explaining all that to payroll, let alone my extended family in Greece. (What do you mean you accompany people? Where to? Can't they go alone? So you teach them singing? No? But you work with singers, so what do you teach them?!)

I have worked at Morley College for 6 years and it holds a special place in my heart. If you don't know anything about it look it up - there are courses for absolutely everything you can think of, from Sewing 101 to Zumba and from Mandarin to Assertiveness for Leaders and Managers. Zumba is not my forte so I work for the Opera and Vocal departments. During my time there I have met a vast array of singers, from absolute beginners to aspiring professionals, with a good dose of seasoned amateurs in between.

A few years ago, as we were auditioning people for an opera course I co-run, it transpired that many of the singers we saw were completely unfamiliar with the concept of vocal coaching, or were under the impression that it was another name for singing lessons. Which brings me to the reason for writing this: if people with a certain degree of training and understanding under their belts didn't know the difference, chances are that my aunt Toula won't either, so I'll try to explain it in as simple and comprehensive a way as possible.

But before I attempt this, there is one more question that needs answering: why does a singer need a vocal coach? Unlike instrumentalists, singers have no direct perception of how their 'instrument' sounds at the time they are using it. While instrumentalists in most cases eventually stop having lessons, a singer needs regular (or at least occasional) monitoring, even when they are at the highest level. But it doesn't stop there: such is the immensity of a singer's multi-tasking that they have to work with an array of people who give them input: apart from singing teachers and vocal coaches, also language coaches, directors, movement directors, experts in a certain field, era or musical style, even physicians or body-work practicians.* The important thing to bear in mind is that, in the Venn diagram of who does what, there is a lot of healthy overlap (as well as a few grey areas).

The shortest answer I can come up with when asked what's the difference between a singing teacher and a vocal coach is: a singing teacher comes from a predominantly singing background, a vocal coach from a pianistic (or sometimes conducting) one. Of course that's an oversimplification and there are some notable exceptions. Also, it is not to say that a coach can't be a singer or a singing teacher can't be a formidable pianist (I know quite a few of those). The main differences are the perspective and the area (or areas) of expertise. The latter is very much a personal thing and can be as varied as each individual's training, interests, influences, circumstances, idiosyncrasies and so on. Bearing in mind the overlap mentioned above, the line is usually drawn on one word: technique.

Technique in classical singing is a bit of a minefield. I could go on and on about it but that would be beside the point. What matters for this blog is this: singers usually build their technique with their singing teachers. Some teachers like to concentrate exclusively on that, others teach more holistically, and others avoid even the mention of the word like the plague. So what does a vocal coach do then?

When a singer comes to my studio, the first thing I ask is: how can I help you today? There is no right or wrong answer to that, and I think there's no reply that would surprise me nowadays. Here are some of the things that a vocal coach can help with: accuracy, either musical (rhythm, pitch, intonation) or of the text (diction, pronunciation, inflection); musicality (style, phrasing, dynamics, interpretative choices); building familiarity with the piano part; recording a learning or backing track; getting performance practice; character work; choice of repertoire - the list goes on. What it all boils down to is a single word: interpretation. So, in an oversimplified conclusion, a vocal coach comes from the point of view of interpretation whereas a singing teacher from that of vocal production. However, the webs linking these two inextricably connected concepts are very intricate, and at their heart is vocal technique - the bone of contention and the cause of much debate.

A few years ago a very distinguished and reputable singer asked me a question during an audition (it was me auditioning, this happens too!) about how I would explain a certain technical concept to a singer. I mumbled an answer skirting around the subject, not sure where they were going with that. Their reply was an unequivocal 'a vocal coach must not talk about technique, that's only between the singer and their teacher'. This got me thinking, and I have since discussed it with a host of people, especially as I am building a deeper understanding of and fascination with the subject matter. Historically, conductors and composers of opera had years of singing lessons as part of their training, which made it possible for them to understand how to write for/work with the voice. So why be so militant about it now?

The reason is simple. The bond between a singer and their teacher is that of absolute trust and is almost sacred - or so it should be. Being a singer is extremely exposing, which in turn makes singers extremely vulnerable. Not being able to hear your own sound is hard enough; getting feedback that comes in direct conflict with what you've been slaving away with in your practice room and with your singing teacher can be completely demoralising. Anything that is said to a singer should be done with a lot of care to not jeopardise this relationship (unless it is so obviously faulty that it is detrimental to the singer’s health or development or there is significant cause for concern). Having said all that: the bottom line of singing technique is effectively how the sound is produced. All of the aforementioned areas that a vocal coach is expected to work on are intrinsically connected with exactly that: sound production. And this is where the lines are blurred. So where does one draw the line, blurry or not?

I'm coming full circle to my first question: ‘how can I help you today’? This is always the decisive factor for me. I have no other agenda in my coachings other than to help the singer do the best they can under the circumstances. If they want to discuss something technical I will not discourage it, as long as I have anything meaningful to say and do so with respect of them, their potential relationship with a teacher and the effort and time (and money) they have spent developing a most difficult and delicate craft.

As if all this was not confusing enough, there is another part of my (and most vocal coaches’) identity: that of the repetiteur. If you’ve never heard the word before, a repetiteur is a rehearsal pianist, usually for opera or ballet. You see, it’s a bit cheaper to hire a pianist to play the orchestral part than an entire orchestra when a piece is being rehearsed. Though there is again a lot of overlap (and in a healthy and creative rehearsal environment the repetiteur’s input is requested and valued) they are decidedly different things. There are repetiteurs out there who are not interested in coaching as well as coaches who don’t do repetiteuring, but they are rare breeds. 

Here is a final thought. Through many years of personal experience and observation alike I have come to realise that musicians are often asked by their teachers to achieve a certain result, but much of the time (always depending on the individual, their approach to teaching, depth of understanding etc) they are not shown how to. Though it is important that each musician, singer or otherwise, keeps an open and inquisitive approach to learning and explores ways to use their instrument as best they can, this lack of guidance can stall one’s progress (as happened in my case) or even be downright damaging. If there is one thing I aspire to do as teacher and coach and I find most rewarding it is bridging this gap.

So, next time I have to explain to aunt Toula what it is I do, I can send her a google translation of this blog. Or I can just say... 'It's complicated'.

* If you thought that being a musician in general is an expensive enterprise, being a singer in particular takes the prize in that department by a few miles!