My teacher once reflected that most students who are going to quit do so at after 1 year to 2 years. For those of you who teach privately, what's your experience? Why do you think most students quit? Lack of money? Lack of time? Unrealistic expectations (i.e. thought they would be a "supa-sta" by 1 yr) Moving on to find a better teacher (or one that promises a fast fix?) Also, what are the drop out rates for vocal majors in undergrad/grad schools
Why I started thinking about this...After recently hitting the 2 year mark (with an excellent teacher, that's not a prob.), I find it harder to motivate myself. I think this is probably because I unrealistically thought I'd be much farther along than I am vocally. It's hard work everyday, & the pay-off seems unbalanced compared to the effort I have put in so far. It's not that I am unwilling to put in the work, it's that I question whether I'll ever straighten out my vocal issues to the point that I have a stable technique & well developed voice. But I am encouraged because I have read in more than one credible place that it takes 3-4 years of good vocal training to build a basic voice, and 6-8 to get it to professional quality. (When I get discouraged, I remind myself that I have another 4-6 years to go by these standards, and that I am probably right where I am supposed to be for now.)
I have heard/seen many people say over the past 2+ years how fantastically their voice (or student's voice) developed in oh, just a year, or just 6 months even, etc...and quite frankly I can't imagine it. My instructor tells me it can happen, but it's the exception, not the rule. I'm very skeptical when I hear people profess their fach (lyric coloratura, dramatic sop) as young as 19/20. All I know right now is I might end up being some type of a mezzo, might be some type of soprano. My goal for now is not to classify my fach but to develop ease and efficiency in production, which will lead, I hope, to reliable technique. Then maybe natural timbre/fach will emerge.
Sandra
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