Online learning on YouTube is more prevalent than ever, and in almost every case, it’s a good thing. Voice lessons may be one of the few exceptions. Here is a guide to learning how to sing on YouTube, the various pitfalls, and how online learning compares with in-person lessons with an experienced voice teacher in Cleveland.
Can You Learn To Sing on YouTube?
Yes, if you are only learning to sing with decent technique at a very basic level, you can learn to sing by watching YouTube videos. This is a loaded question though.
If you aren’t able to discern which videos are correct and authoritative, you will not learn how to sing well. And no, views or likes are not a good indicator of authoritativeness. Also, if a concept doesn’t make sense to you online, or if you are doing exercises wrong, you won’t have anywhere to turn for correction.
So the short answer is yes, there are things you can learn online. The long answer is that if you want to take your singing to an advanced level or deal with pain, tension, or other more difficult concepts, you will not get a good education on YouTube.
Considerations When Taking YouTube Voice Lessons
Each Voice Is Unique and Requires Specific Exercises
Each voice is unique, and this goes beyond the differences that bass, baritone, soprano, and alto voice types present. Every voice has different potential, resonance, and challenges, and as a result, you need drills and vocal exercises catered to your specific voice.
Experienced teachers have studied many different voices, and they have worked with students of all kinds. When you first start to sing for them, the teacher will already be thinking about pieces of repertoire and drills that will help you reach your potential. A static video, unfortunately, cannot do this. Yet another factor is that learning to sing at different ages has various considerations as well – you wouldn’t want your teenager learning from a video geared towards adult amateurs, for instance.
You Will Spend So Much More Time Simply Finding Good Resources
There are thousands of voice-related videos on YouTube, and weeding out the bad ones while finding the good ones can take an absurd amount of time. Sadly, many people will simply search for “how to sing better,” watch the first video, and stop there. Just because a video ranks #1 does not make it correct!
When you study with a teacher, you simply show up to your lesson, sing, receive feedback and practice instructions, then practice accordingly each day for a few minutes. It’s efficient and authoritative. If you value your time, you are better off skipping the YouTube education when it comes to singing.
You Have To Know Which Questions To Ask
To study concepts on YouTube, you have to know exactly which questions to type into the search bar. Things like “how to decrease tension when singing,” “how to sing with natural vibrato,” “how to train my head voice,” and more. But what if you don’t even know what questions to ask?
A teacher solves this problem. They know what you need after hearing you sing, and all you have to do is say that you don’t understand something or share your goals with them. They will handle the rest.
Most YouTube Videos Want You To Buy a Course – They Are Teasers
It’s very difficult to monetize a YouTube channel, at least in a meaningful sense. Because of this, many teachers post teaser videos with a pitch to subscribe to their paid course at the end. This only leads to frustration, and incomplete knowledge of how to sing can often be worse than no knowledge at all.
As with any niche, paid online courses pitched by charismatic folks speaking in platitudes should be taken with a grain of salt. They are incentivized only to get your payment, and they are not responsible for results.
You’ll Get More Value Out Of One Month of In-Person Lessons Than a Year Online
You are better off paying for a month of in-person voice lessons than subscribing to an online course or investing hours in YouTube learning. The cost is very low, all things considered, and the value is substantial. It’s also low risk – you will not have to commit to several months of lessons when you first sign up. To be honest, you will probably get more value out of one hour with a skilled teacher than six hours on YouTube.
Get a Free Trial Lesson At The Aurora School of Music
The sooner you start voice lessons in Aurora, OH, the sooner you’ll be singing more beautifully and healthfully. You are always welcome to a free 30 minute trial lesson at our professional arts facility – we want you to feel 100% comfortable before signing up, and we believe in the expertise of our faculty. We are looking forward to hearing from you!