I've been looking at vocal lessons near me, and so far the average price is $90 an hour. This seems like a lot of money to me. Is that how much it costs?
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Anyone taking vocal lessons? How much are you paying?
- Thread starter Gopherbassist
- Start date
Roland GR 88
Commercial User
It depends on the teacher but this is certainly on the higher end of the scale.
Local shop is up to $72 an hour now. I am in Central Indiana for reference.
for reference: twenty years ago, i managed some singers (several ensembles/groups). the vocal coach charged $50 an hour for individuals and (IIRC) $75 an hour when the singers operated in their respective groups (3-4 singers at a time). the coach invariably spent more time with them than 'the paid hour' and she was worth it = she made a difference: the already very talented vocalists learned a lot...and they performed better! 
so, while $90 might seem steep, it's probably in line with inflation and modern pricing for a good coach.
so, while $90 might seem steep, it's probably in line with inflation and modern pricing for a good coach.
Emphasis on hopefully. I have had good and bad instructors from the same music store lesson programs (a few different stores depending on where I lived at the time) at the same price. The bad ones were not necessarily bad in skill. They were just not teaching what I wanted to know. You really need to make sure you know your goals and find a teacher that knows how to help you reach them.
Do you have a college nearby? A state supported school is usually inexpensive. Enroll as a continuing ed student, if possible, and you shouldn't have to mess with transcripts and all that. Collin College and Dallas College in my area, offers various music classes including vocals. The tuition at Collin is $67 for a full semester of a 1 credit hour class. The music courses like vocal and instrument lessons and playing in a group are 1 hr courses. Dallas College is probably about the same.
I've been doing this at Collin for 22 yrs, playing in a jazz combo and big band plus a few lessons on bass and arranging. It's a good deal!
I've been doing this at Collin for 22 yrs, playing in a jazz combo and big band plus a few lessons on bass and arranging. It's a good deal!
There are a number of colleges here, I didn't even think of looking there.
I paid $50/h 30 years ago.. seems on track for a good teacher.
How much would you charge to spend an hour singing with someone who can't sing?
The music academy I take bass lessons from also does vocal lessons. $115 per month, for 30min. per week. This is the place where the (small) town kids all go for piano, but the operations does all instruments, and all ages, although a lot of people forget that.
depends on where you are and who they are...$90 sounds about right for someone who needs to maintain a rehearsal space and also pay insurance/self-employment taxes/deal with clients flaking out last minute/etc in a medium market. Even if they were able to keep a full roster for five clients day, five days a week, 52 weeks a year, after expenses/taxes/insurance, they'd be pulling in what a manager makes at Target
A great secret here in Nashville (and I'm sure there are more in LA and NYC) is that many of the artists you hear on the radio singing .. . . have at one time quietly slipped in as customer/students . . . . so they can save their moneymaker.
These days, you either get them from singing 5-6 nights a week incorrectly, or even more often today, these kids that have basically sung nowhere near that much in smaller venues or their bedrooms. It's suddenly a Big Deal to go out on the road and survive the ups and downs, interrupted rest, iffy food, and the many climate changes flying or going cross country in a Prevost. And sooner or later most of them sing themselves out, possibly to damage their vocal cords (and there are great throat/vocal surgeons here just in case).
It's a muscular, athletic activity for someone fronting a band five nights a week at Shorty's Longest Pier, or fronting a national act on a many week tour, and the show ALWAYS goes on, so learning the ins and outs of how to sing is vital. Like football, tennis or golf, do it steady for a living and a coach is vital. I've listened to and played for enough singers, I can hear in their voice if they're tired, got a cold, etc., your voice shows things first in a lot of cases.
Money well spent IF you have a qualified coach.
These days, you either get them from singing 5-6 nights a week incorrectly, or even more often today, these kids that have basically sung nowhere near that much in smaller venues or their bedrooms. It's suddenly a Big Deal to go out on the road and survive the ups and downs, interrupted rest, iffy food, and the many climate changes flying or going cross country in a Prevost. And sooner or later most of them sing themselves out, possibly to damage their vocal cords (and there are great throat/vocal surgeons here just in case).
It's a muscular, athletic activity for someone fronting a band five nights a week at Shorty's Longest Pier, or fronting a national act on a many week tour, and the show ALWAYS goes on, so learning the ins and outs of how to sing is vital. Like football, tennis or golf, do it steady for a living and a coach is vital. I've listened to and played for enough singers, I can hear in their voice if they're tired, got a cold, etc., your voice shows things first in a lot of cases.
Money well spent IF you have a qualified coach.
So Anyway, my Middle School Grandson gets a weekly voice lesson at our local university.
$30 1/2 hour, probably with a graduate student.
1/2 hour is probably all him and his instructor can take....14 y/o boy.
BTW- I'm in a little trio where we take turns singing. I was never a primary singer, so I never pursued any voice instruction.
I'm sure taking some lessons would have helped me with the mechanics of breathing, projection, etc.
$30 1/2 hour, probably with a graduate student.
1/2 hour is probably all him and his instructor can take....14 y/o boy.
BTW- I'm in a little trio where we take turns singing. I was never a primary singer, so I never pursued any voice instruction.
I'm sure taking some lessons would have helped me with the mechanics of breathing, projection, etc.
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$30 for a half hour? Wow. That's what I paid 30 years ago.
If the instructor is good, that sounds like a steal.
If the instructor is good, that sounds like a steal.
I got my vocal instruction in high school and then in college as a voice major. Next thing you know I was touring playing bass and singing. All my gear was stolen but I still had a guitar so I just played guitar and sang. In 1985 got my current bass but couldn't afford an amp (still raising kids at that point). In 1997 I started gigging again and then moved to Vermont for 7 years. Work ate my life during those 8-years and when I started gigging again in 2006, my high register had disappeared. I would try to compensate by using more breath support while reaching for the higher notes and sometimes that would work but most of the time it just blew my voice out and I'd have a sore throat for a week or so.
Then I found Per Bristow online with his "Sing with Freedom" program. If I recall correctly it was a 3-month program for $197. After that it was like $60 a month and if you were around for a while, it would go down to $47. I did that for a year and went through all of his modules. And it was well worth it.
He has much different techniques teaching how to sing than the classical instruction I received in college as a voice major. I not only got my high range back but over time increased my range significantly. So much so that I sang 4 AC/DC songs in the original keys with our 5-pc. band. Never could have even thought of doing that before Per. I keep getting offers to come back for $47 a month but I've been through everything he has on his site. I should warn you, you will need to practice someplace you can make some pretty weird sounds without people coming in to see if you're OK. It's all part of his "learning how to sing without tension" and it is very effective. A good place to practice is in the car on your commute into work.
Here's the website -- "The Singing Zone "
If you can take lessons from a real person, be sure you get references and hear how those people sound before committing to anything long term. It's not uncommon to learn everything a particular teacher can teach you and then moving on to a better (and more expensive) teacher. Make sure that teacher is teaching things and addressing problems you want addressed.
It depends on where you live, but in this current economy, if you live in a big city, that sounds about right (IF they are worth it).
My voice teacher in San Francisco taught solid technique and helped me to grow as a solid singer (mind you, which took 3-4 years to get to). She charged $75/45min. This was back in 2008-2015.
A word of advice, make sure that you’re clear on what you want to learn/gain from the lessons and you are clear on what the teacher will teach exactly (as well as how their format of lessons are).
Depends on where that is and how experienced/accomplished the instructor is.
In NYC lessons with accomplished professionals can easily be $120-$200+, while group classes can be as little as $25 (with very very little personalized attention).
My wife paid for lessons for me (after finding out the band I just joined 2 months ago REQUIRE vocals). $60 per lesson (one hour) from an opera singer (music major with his Grad degree - very good teacher and well worth it). Central Florida area
