Online Singing Lessons: Sing like a Pro

Since March 2020 due to Covid-19, I’ve been meeting with my students online for their weekly singing lessons, using Google Meet, Zoom, Skype, and even WhatsApp video calls.

In the beginning, we really missed the in-person experience; after almost a year, we discovered a lot of opportunities and added features available for one-on-one online sessions that make the experience pretty close to the real-life lessons.

The amazing part of the technology revolution during the pandemic is the ability for anyone, anywhere, anytime, to learn online.

For many, it is becoming more convenient than traditional classes, comfy in their own home or practice studio.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LITTLE BACKGROUND ABOUT ME AS A SINGING TEACHER

I’m an opera singer and a voice teacher with 13 years of experience.

I teach students of all ages (children, teens, adults) and levels (beginners, advanced).

My technique is “Bel Canto” for beautiful singing and perfect resonance. The lessons are in English, French or Arabic.

Thanks to my diverse musical background, my lessons cover many music genres from modern pop, rock, soul, R&B, musicals, pop-opera, and of course classical as it is my specialty where I attended masterclasses, workshops, and opera studios in Europe.

I earned certificates and degrees in music teaching and performing arts. I accompany my students on piano or guitar.

My teaching philosophy is “Your Vocal Wisdom”.

I believe in transparency between the tutor and the student, with constant feedback. A positive self-encouraging attitude to trust the progress, stay patient, and remember that all kinds of arts are a lifelong discovery.

After every lesson, the student is satisfied, passionate to know more about the voice. The class is based on technique at foremost, with a fun twist and imagination.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN IN YOUR WEEKLY VOICE LESSON?

No matter which level you might be, you will learn the theory about body and voice anatomy, ear training, diction, body language, endurance, breath control, guidance for vocal performance and audition preparation, as well as understanding overall sound production.

Defining bad habits, removing vocal weaknesses are both mandatory to anyone willing to work on its voice development and technique progress.

Remember that singing is natural, and the sound produced by the vocal cords is carried on the breath: this is the bel canto technique.

Each lesson is divided into 3 main parts:

• Breathing exercises, correct posture reminder, and stretching mobility
• Warm-up exercises to increase strength, range, agility, pitch accuracy: starting with a single note, intervals, and scales using pure vowels, words, and song phrases. Humming, straw, lip rolls, vocal sirens, variety of exercises tailored based on your level, ensuring never to make you feel bored of this essential routine
• The third part of the session is usually the challenging and fun part where you apply all the basics into a song study and interpretation. We agree on the choice of your repertoire, pitch, and rhythm, trying to sing along with the original song, acoustic, and karaoke with an instrumental version, as well as how to sing Acappella.

How I make vocal warm-ups for singing more fun!

Every lesson includes technical exercises, an explanation of the science of the voice, and music theory. This is the foundation for an intelligent singer who understands sound and its current potential.

Is it fun? Not really.

In the first months, the student and I build a certain connection and I assess each one’s character, patience level, expectation, repertoire, and goals.

In-depth knowledge of every student is important to me to define the way to approach him/her in a way to assimilate and understand the technique without feeling bored of repeating the same warm-up routine every week.

I blend my expertise in the field of teaching, music instinct, humor, and mostly imagination.

By creating tangible examples, by comparing the sound produced by the vocal cords to a sea wave, a car, a book, a waterfall, whatever imagery you can visualize will help retain more information and remember the details. Plus, it is more interesting and engaging!

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ONLINE ONE-ON-ONE AND READY PROGRAMS?

There are tons of free online videos and tutorials on YouTube, forums, and blogs. Other paid general programs are available too, where you download a package of ready-to-sing exercises and you sing along with an instructor’s pre-recorded audio or video course.

I really wish people are aware of the dangerous effect of imitation without any personalized guide!

I completely disagree with these programs that mislead and fool talented singers, with a marketing campaign claiming you will learn in 30 days to sing with proper technique.

Singing, like any other art form, takes years to master and is a never-ending process.

1:1 lessons are private lessons, held online with a live video call from the teacher, with tailored exercises for a solid singing foundation. The song’s choice and style differ for each student based on age, level, music taste, and progress.

I teach you to love your voice, how to sing better, and build confidence with practice, experience, and time.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF ONLINE LEARNING FOR SINGERS?

Recording the lessons is becoming easier where you can replay the lesson, and review the instructions for improvement.

Music scores are in pdf format, I prefer the transition to digital instead of printing material for the environmental impact.

Sometimes, there are exceptions for students who need to have a hard copy.

Music academies usually have small room spaces. This is sensitive for people having flu, infection, allergy, or Covid-19!

Online, the student and the teacher are both at ease in a safe area, without the need to wear protective masks.

The best part of online lessons is that, even if the teacher is living abroad, or you have lockdown restrictions, you can still resume the lessons without any gap or cancellation.

Actually, I started the online tutoring way before the pandemic, where I helped my students with a healthy vocalize just before auditions or recordings.

Also, instead of wasting time on transportation, driving in traffic to reach the teacher’s place, maybe you could’ve spent these minutes chilling, or practicing!

DO ONLINE VOCAL LESSONS WORK? ANY DISADVANTAGES?

Some teachers find it hard to teach through a screen because they usually place their hands on the student’s body to guide them with correct posture and breath.

Simply because they cannot figure out what is happening inside the student’s body and what is interrupting the sound from being free.

I just don’t!

Luckily, having taught hundreds of students, and studied with many teachers, I am able to recognize an unhealthy sound if it is caused by bad posture, muscle tension, forced breath support, or a combination.

I start by eliminating each bad habit separately, then work on the freedom of sound.

The success of a lesson whether in-person or online is a double-sided effort between a student assimilating the information and the teacher’s method as well.

Internet connection is an excuse unless you fix the audio settings for the video service you’re using. For small interruptions, students and I have already agreed to take additional time whenever it happens, without causing any disturbance.       

The only disadvantage of online is that singing together is not possible for a slight time delay.

I play the notes on the piano, then the student sings Acappella to avoid the problem of delay. This is a minor issue considering all the benefits of online teaching and I am positively sure that within 2 years, new features in software technology would be updated to change the video experience from conference and webinar to music education.

The digital world is improving and there is no limit to what you can learn online.

If you are living in Montréal, Quebec, Canada, looking for singing lessons ‘near me’ or if you’re living in the US, London, Europe, Middle East, anywhere in the world! voice lessons are now accessible to all, thanks to online private teaching.

Book your free 30-minute trial lesson and get ready to sing your favorite songs with a good technique!

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