If there was a point Bart's response, I fail to see it.
Like Karen, I invested almost 2 years with a teacher who was absolutely wrong for me, although I had no way of knowing it at the time. How was I to know that not every soprano is destined to be a lyric coloratura? Two years I spent trying to "lighten" and "brighten" my rather large voice. She also made me believe it was my fault that my voice simply would NOT cooperate and sound like a bird. I spent two years feeling guilty and stupid.
When circumstances allowed me to search out a different teacher, I was lucky to find one who believed in letting students find their voices, and developing whatever emerged to its best most beautiful form. The rest, as they say, is history. Oh -- and money had absolutely nothing to do with it. Each teacher charged the same amount, so that aspect of it was a "wash."
My advice to students: if you feel you're not making sufficient progress, if your teacher implies that it's YOUR fault that this is happening, if you're giving it your best shot (practicing diligently, etc.), then you have every right -- no, _obligation_ -- to change teachers. It's your voice, and somewhere out there is a teacher who can help you find it and develop it. If you're totally new to learning how to sing, you need to give a teacher a fair "trial" -- but not every teacher is good for every student. If you're experienced, then you'll know what to look for. Karen's correct -- it's part psychology, and it's a great teacher who can help provide the emotional underpinnings that go hand-in-hand with the technical knowledge and pedagogical prowess to help you achieve your goals. My two best teachers were instrumental in helping undo the damage done by my first teacher -- both emotionally as well as technically.
Bart, you may have a lot of offer us here on Vocalist, but if I were you, I'd probably want to get the feel of the territory before launching into tirades of passionate, but basically unintelligible, riddles.
Cheers!
Lana Mountford
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