Singing professionally is a great, big world full of opportunity.
Many people become semi-professional singers without any formal training. Fewer become full-time professionals.
It’s not impossible to become a professional singer without a voice coach or singing teacher, but it can be a difficult road.
Can You Become a Professional Singer Without a Coach?
In short: yes.
There is no requirement to have any professional training before becoming a singer, even a professional one.
You don’t need to show a degree, certification, or accomplishments. You can just start singing!
That’s the beauty of this specific art: you don’t need any tools or equipment to practice. You can simply begin. Maybe you busk on the weekends, make YouTube videos, upload recordings to Soundcloud, amaze the whole place at karaoke, or sing to your loved ones.
However, even though you technically don’t need a singing teacher or voice coach, not having one can lead to more obstacles between you and the success you are looking for.
In order to become a professional, you’ll need talent and skill, networking, strategy, opportunity and momentum.
Very few people can achieve all of these things alone and get themselves into a position where their talent can be recognized and celebrated.
What Benefits Do Singing and Vocal Coaches Offer?
Singing teachers and vocal coaches are the perfect people to have on your team making sure your singing is the best it can be.
While a singing teacher and a vocal coach might be two different people, sometimes it can be the same person doing both jobs at once.
Either person can help you go from a beginner to an expert over time.
A teacher will likely teach you what you need to know, and a coach will help you achieve it.
Having a professional to help you develop your voice has some distinct benefits.
Ensure You Don’t Injure Your Voice
Many inexperienced singers make mistakes like singing too long, not recovering or warming up, and singing notes out of their comfortable range in a way that damages their vocal cords.
Vocal coaches are experts at helping you to avoid all of these problems, which could result in you losing the voice you love.
Give You Helpful Techniques
There are many vocal and body techniques to know in order to improve your singing.
From practice enunciating, mouth position, breath control, posture, and attitude, a singing teacher can give you the tools you need to become a better singer.
“Words make you think. Music makes you feel. A song makes you feel a thought.”
E.Y. Harburg
Guidance
Having someone in the industry is incredibly helpful. While they might not be able to hook you up with a gig or anything, your voice teacher can usually give you some steps in the right direction if you feel aimless.
They might have some contacts, know of some opportunities, or have insight into how things work in the music world.
Build Confidence
Being confident is one of the most important things to master if you want to become a professional singer.
Being timid and being in show business do not go hand-in-hand. You may be more private in your own time, which is fine, but when you’re in front of an audience you need to have that self-assuredness that the crowd can sense.
You will likely encounter people who make you doubt your ability or qualification (aka ‘haters’), so having a steadfast foundation of self-confidence is vital.
While you can work on this yourself for sure, it can help to have someone with more experience and insight give you reassurance and tips.
Foster Your Voice
Being a substantial music artist means you aren’t just playing bland covers of songs.
Your voice coach or vocal teacher can help you find and develop your ‘sound.’ Your personal brand of attitude, interpretation, and translation of music through your mind and into your art.
The only way to become a big professional singer is to have your own foundation of the way you specifically perform.
Equipment
Vocal and musical equipment can be quite expensive.
Instead of buying it all on your own, you can ask to use any equipment your mentor owns.
They may have monitoring headphones for practice or in-ear monitors for a performance that you could borrow.
A professional microphone you could use to record yourself and listen back to can also be quite helpful. While a phone or computer can also record your voice, the quality might not be the best, which can make you think you are performing better or worse than you actually are.
Find professional voice coaches for singing lessons right here on Superprof!
Are There Downsides to Not Having a Singing Coach?
Singing coaches and voice teachers are popular among people interested in singing for a reason.
They are used mostly by people who want to sing professionally, but people who want to learn to sing better for fun can also use coaches.
While you don’t need to have a voice coach, there are certain risks and pitfalls you might fall victim to if you don’t have guidance from a professional.
You Might Hurt Your Voice
For a casual singer, you might not need to worry about maintaining the quality of your voice very much.
But for people who use their voice as an instrument, it’s just as important to know how to maintain it just as you would any other instrument like a piano or violin.
Without a vocal coach to give you personalized practice techniques, observations, and feedback, you could very well cause irreversible damage.
Not warming up properly, not maintaining the voice when not singing, straining, shouting, and overworking the vocal cords can all cause harm including vocal nodules.
This damage can potentially affect your singing and maybe even your speaking for the rest of your life.
If you plan on singing professionally, and especially if you want to use dynamic techniques and a wide range of octaves, you are better off being safe and having someone help you protect your voice.
You Might Not Reach Your Full Potential
Even if you naturally have a lot of talent and skill for singing, there is a possibility that you won’t unlock your higher potential without a coach.
You might believe that you are the best you could ever be, but in reality, a vocal coach would be able to help you achieve even more.
Without that expertise to push you (safely) to explore your talent, you might spend your singing days in the average range of what you are really capable of.
You Might Not Learn Certain Techniques
There are a lot of subtle techniques in the singing profession.
You can research on your own to find out what they are, but without personalized attention, you might never master them or fully understand them.
Very small tweaks in your singing method result in huge differences. But, it takes a skilled eye and ear to know what could change as well as explain how to make the change.
Ensure you learn all the tricks of the trade with professional singing lessons on Superprof!
You Might Not Learn to ‘Own’ Your Songs
The ability to really ‘own’ a song and a stage is what sets professionals apart from amateurs.
If you haven’t developed conviction, attitude, flavour, sound, or whatever you want to call it, you run the risk of being a rather bland performer.
And while you might give a performance worthy of Vegas in your car, if you can’t bring that same energy to a show, you won’t be able to make a name for yourself.
This is another skill that vocal coaches are able to help you hone. They specialize in helping you master your own voice, which encompasses the flair that only you can bring to the songs you sing.
Do Professional Singers Hire Voice Coaches After Becoming Famous?
There are some notable singers and vocalists who became famous without any formal singing instruction. Some of these people include
- Andrzej Zaucha
- Vagabon
- Martinho da Vila
- Curtis "CJ" Harris
- Graham Bonnet
- Annie Herring
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers
- Clinton Kane
- Megitza
- Donald Fagen
- Emma-Lee
- Ryan Tedder
- Barbara Lang
- André Linman
- Ryszard Henryk Riedel
- Phiroj Shyangden
- Kevin Michael
- Matthew Kiichi Heafy
- David Moss
- Sharon Janny den Adel
- Alberta Adams
- Ross Jennings
Some of these singers go on to never or hardly ever seek out a voice coach.
But, for the most part, professional singers and actors who need to sing for a part regularly hire vocal coaches to ensure their skills and technique remain top-notch.
For example, Lady Gaga worked with a vocal coach every day for six months to ensure she would be able to perform her “Sound of Music” tribute in 2015.
Other professional singers who have hired vocal coaches throughout their careers are
- Tom Keifer
- Matt Heafy
- Hanson
- Nelly Furtado
- Alicia Keys
- Hayley Williams
- Christina Perri
- Justin Jagoda
- Simon Neill
- Celine Dion
- Michael Jackson
- Madonna
- Beyoncé
- Katy Perry
- Justin Timberlake
- Josh Groban
And many, many, many, many others!
The voice is a unique instrument that changes with age and environment and health. It can get diseases or be injured and heal differently than before. The owner can suddenly realize they are putting unnecessary stress on it and need help to solve the problem.
Professional singers frequently use voice coaches to learn specific techniques or pieces. Actors also use voice coaches, sometimes to learn how to sing from scratch, for parts in movies and TV.
While it is possible to become a professional singer without a coach or voice lessons, it is not necessary to deny yourself that help. It doesn’t make you any less of a talented or hard-working singer to have a professional assist you in developing your voice!
Find an incredible voice coach for singing lessons Adelaide or wherever you are here on Superprof!
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