LESSONS: Voice

Aside from developing the ability to sing, vocal study also brings many of the benefits usually associated with musical instrument study, and has its own inherent advantages. It is perhaps the best way to learn how to read notation, for a number of reasons. One is that the range is limited. For the most part, vocal music is limited to a range of about 1.5 octaves, and is always monophonic. But more importantly, learning to read music as a vocalist requires that the student not only recognize that, for example, the second lowest line in the treble clef represents the G above middle C, the student also needs to know what that G will sound like in relation to the note that comes before it in order to sing the note, whereas an instrumental music student (at least a string instrument/percussion student) needs only to identify the G and know where to place which finger/hand/foot. The former actually involves reading, whereas the latter involves “decoding”, but not actually reading, per se. Whether at the amateur or advanced level, a vocalist with the ability to read notation will always have an advantage over a vocalist lacking it.

Another advantage of vocal study is that, in comparison to instrumental music, it takes much less time to master well enough to perform in public. After a year of taking vocal lessons, a young student with a knack for singing might even find an opportunity to perform in a professional theater production, whereas an equally experienced and talented piano student, for example, is likely to be years away from that kind of opportunity.

Whether as an instrumental or vocal music student, applied music study offers a highly effective and valuable means of developing a student’s intellectual and creative abilities.