Category: Safe Haven
Hi All, What do you think is better--choir or voice lessons? I think they're both great. Voice lessons is more hands on and personal, but choir gives you a chance to sing in a group and get some knowlege without being the target of so much criticism personally lol. Anyway, I liek both. Thoughts?
Caitlin
I was in choir for a few years. It was fun. I've never taken voice lessons.
Yeh, I took voice last year, but my teacher moved away, and I haven't resumed yet. It's soooo fun though!
Caitlin
Actually there are advantages to choir and voice lessons. Voice lessons can enhance your choir experience by making you better able to sing in a group. I don't really think they are mutually exclusive things. As a matter of fact, when I was majoring in music in college, we were required to do both.
well, I have done both quire and voice. They both have their advantages, and I must say I like both. They do teach you pretty much the same thing, but vocal lessons are a bit more intense.
Yes, Trinity, you're absolutely right. My voice teafher told us all the time that voice enhanced our chior experience. And yep Japanimangel, agree, hehe.
Caitlin
I like choir better.
Really, Alison? Interesting! Why?
Caitlin
Trinitty's right. In voice you can learn to become a better solo singer, while choir teaches you to sing and blend better with a group. I've done both as well and I can't say I have a preference.
Hey. I too have done both. I preferred voice lessons though, because it enabled me to sing better as a soloist, and that was a big advantage for me when I took music vocal in high school. It gave me a better chance at getting the main part for one of our theatre music performances! It was unreal! :)
Personally, I'm a major fan of private voice lessons, because choir will never teach you breathing techniques, or how to shake vocally bad habits. Also, pronunciation is a little tricky to teach in a bigger setting.
wow then I must have had an amazing teacher for our quire! He tought us breathing, and pronounciation and everthing! He was also my vocal teacher. He was amazing!
lol same with our choir instructor. She made sure that everyone pronounced the words accordingly, and did their breathing properly. She was a perfectionist, heheh :) I preferred private vocal lessons, though, particularly because she focused more on what *I* needed know and what *I* needed to improve :)
I've only ever done choir, I've yet to try private voice lessons. It sounds interesting though. With choir, you don't get individual attention, and that's something I think I need to help make my voice a bit better.
I think that I like choir better. I'm not sure though. I'm taking voice lessons right now and I think that my voice teacher, who is also our music teacher, is sort of training my voice to just do the opera genre. I am not comfortable doing opera, I'm more comfortable with pop and stuff like that. I think that in voice lessons you're trained to sing proffessionally and to take care of your voice. My teacher thinks that I have acid reflux disease and she is telling me that I should not have any caffeinated drinks and not eat after 8:00 PM. Any advice on what I should do?
Thanks,
Macy
PS: I'm hoping to go on American Idol after graduating from college, and I already know that I'm not going to do opera in front of the judges or if I win American Idol, or even in front of the audience.
I much preferred voice lessons. I gained confidence with them. In Choir, I never heard myself sing, and the rules are of course less flexible, so you don't develop a style of your own.
Now, I think I'd join a Choir just for the fun of being part of a group, something I did not appreciate when I was younger.
In some ways, its kinda like individual versus group instruction. I know that's a very broad statement, because as was previously stated, the rules are different in choir than in solo performances. That out of the way, individual voice lessons are by far the better way to go. As was said in the last two posts, you can really hear yourself and gain confidence. You'll also gain the discipline needed to succeed, because you're acountable to whoever is eaching you. As to the Acid Reflux problem, you might se someone like a GI person or even your general physician for a diagnosis and treatment. That's nasty painful stuff. Good luck,
Lou
Thank you for the suggestion. I'll see what I can do. BTW, she also thinks that my breathing is kind of loud and that I have asthma.