How Long is This Going to Take?

This question puts a lot of pressure on all involved – on the teacher to meet the unspoken goals of the student, on the student who feels that progress is not coming quickly enough, and the overall environment of the studio. There is never an easy or straight–forward answer, and this causes even more frustration for the student. The progress is in the practice, and as a teacher my goals are to give my students the tools they need to efficiently practice outside of the studio. So, the real question is: how much time is going into practicing? Students need to take practice techniques that teachers give them to improve; meeting once a week in lessons is not enough to progress.

I encourage my students to take notes and even record their lessons so that they can go back and listen to the things we worked on and use them to practice. There is no rush; enjoy the work. Take the time to schedule in practice times throughout the week, and make a point to improve outside of your lesson. Students may find that they can either answer this question on their own, or realize that it does not matter how long it will take.

                                                              – Sarah Miga, B.M., Voice Instructor