My Voice Teacher Journey | Part 1

Hello friends, what a summer it has been! I hope you were able to enjoy the sunshine, take a step back, and recharge as we head into the colder months ahead. For Chorus Studio, it has been an exhilarating, eventful whirlwind of a month! Launching the studio, teaching private lessons and workshops as well as working on the operational side of the business has been exciting, at times exhausting and challenging, but more importantly, it has also been meaningful, inspiring, and rewarding.

One of the wonderful aspects of embarking on this venture has been the opportunity to become a voice teacher. During a voice lesson, time seems to fly by, but it is extremely meaningful because it is a time of connection and vulnerability. I am inspired every time I teach because of the bravery that is involved in putting yourself out there, to let your voice be heard. And I want to delve into that experience with you.  Over the next few posts, I’ll be sharing my musings on the process of becoming a voice teacher. 

The inkling of becoming a voice teacher had actually started around 5-6 years ago. During a singing lesson, Rebecca asked me if I had ever thought of becoming a voice teacher. I remember being quite taken aback by that idea: me, teach voice? I mean, I had only just started embracing my alto-ness and let go of the last dregs of my hopes of sounding like a Disney princess (yes, I know alto-ness is not a word, and yes, I know it’s even more ridiculous if you’ve heard me speak because I sound more like a Pumba than a Moana or Ariel but one can dream, okay?). 

Besides secretly questioning Rebecca’s judgement, I also had a busy schedule: I was working a full-time job, taking part-time courses 3 nights a week, teaching piano part-time and doing weekly shifts at the Vancouver Crisis Center. While the prospect was exciting, it was definitely not in the cards for me at the time. But her question stayed with me, and I would keep mulling it over in the following years. 

Fast-forward to last year, when Rebecca and I started talking about opening a studio, she again brought up the idea of teaching voice. This time, I felt only excitement. Okay, that’s a lie, I also felt some trepidation and nervousness, but as an anxious person, that’s pretty much my default state. But in all seriousness, I was very excited to teach because at that point, the choir was nearing its third year of existence, and it was the best year yet. Beyond the membership numbers, what has been truly gratifying to witness is the growth of the community. 

Being able to witness numerous singers, new and experienced, blossom and come into their own whether through choir rehearsals or Singers Circle, has been extremely rewarding. Some of my favourite memories are of looking back and remembering the first time a singer musters up the courage to audition for a solo at choir and to marvel at how far they’ve come since then. I wanted to be able to further serve our community and help guide singers on their journeys as performers and artists. I was ready.

That’s it for Part 1! Thanks for reading, and I can’t wait to share more of my journey with you!