We will accept voice students as young as 5 years old, but we highly recommend beginning your youngest kiddos in our Music Together or Rhythm Kids classes for at least one session before enrolling in private lessons. Most students do best beginning voice lessons around age 8.

Formerly, it was discouraged for young children to participate in voice lessons, but in 2002 the American Academy of Teachers of Singing agreed that it is better to begin teaching good vocal technique young, to prevent possible injury and bad habits from forming. 

Since one of the primary ways children learn is by mimicking what they hear, there is some risk that unhealthy techniques will develop in the attempt to recreate a particular sound. Voice teachers work with students to help them develop healthy technique to create a sound for any style of music they’d like to sing! 

Voice lessons are about more than just singing. Vocal training engages the entire body and you will be instructed on correct posture, breathing and vowel shaping. Good singing lessons involve:

• Continuous diagnosis by your teacher on your personal vocal needs
• Exercises and repertoire/books selected according to the cause and effect principle to direct the lesson to what you need in your voice
• Applying those techniques to a song of your choice

Vocal changes take time and effort. One or two voice lessons will not be enough time for a teacher to have a real impact on how you sing. Expect to give it a few months before you hear changes. The more you pay attention to the adjustments your teacher suggests, the faster you will get results. Keep in mind that any adjustments to vocal technique are most effective when you apply them every time you sing – with the radio, in the shower, in choir class, and anywhere in between.

Voice lessons at PPAS are offered in 30, 45, and 60-minute sessions. In most cases, voice lessons should be as long and as frequent as your time and finances allow! 

Children 10 and under should begin with 30-minute lessons. From there, we recommend you schedule the lesson-length that works for you – there is no wrong answer! An hour-long lesson provides ample time to work on vocal technique through exercises as well as through repertoire, with time to put it all together at the end. 

When you’re training your voice, frequency is much better than duration – if 60 minutes a week is not financially viable for you, it’s better to have a 30 minute lesson every week than to have a 60-minute lesson every-other week.

Your teacher will work with you on things such as posture, breathing, tone, diction, intonation, ear training, and general musicianship. Depending on your goals, you might spend more time on one thing than others, or focus on things not listed above.

Both! In most situations your teacher will work with you on music you choose, as well as songs that will help you to develop your vocal technique.

Your teacher will spend your first few lessons getting to know you and the things you like and the goals you have for lessons, and they’ll never force you to learn music you really don’t like!