It Takes A Village - Choosing the Right Voices to Guide Young Performers

It Takes a Village: Choosing the Right Voices to Guide Young Performers

Okay, I’m going to get on my soapbox for a few minutes.

Lately, I’ve seen a lot of posts and articles offering advice about choosing audition songs, finding the “right” theatre program or camp, selecting a voice teacher, and preparing young performers for opportunities.

And there’s something I think we need to talk about:

Who is giving the advice matters.

There is so much information available to parents and young performers now, which can be an incredible thing. But not every person giving advice has the background or expertise to give advice in every area.

Someone may be an incredible director but not be a vocal technician. Someone may be a wonderful choreographer but not understand what is developmentally appropriate for a young singer’s voice. Someone may have years of teaching experience but not have professional experience in the specific area your child wants to pursue.

And that’s okay.

None of us should be everything to every student.

I teach and coach young performers, and I have a wonderful network of friends and colleagues who do the same. I call them for advice. We talk about students. We bounce ideas off each other. If there is an area where someone else has more expertise than I do, I want that person involved. Why? Because my goal isn’t to be the person who knows everything.

My goal is to help the student succeed.

Let’s Talk About Audition Songs

I see audition-song recommendations all the time that make me cringe a little.

Sometimes the song is completely inappropriate for the age of the performer. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense for a developing voice. Sometimes it’s simply a strange recommendation for the particular audition.

There is no magical list of “best audition songs” that works for every performer.

A strong audition song should be:

• Age-appropriate
• Appropriate for the singer’s current vocal range and development
• Appropriate for the audition
• Something the performer can act and connect to
• Something they sing consistently well
• Something that makes them feel prepared and confident
• 
  

If you work with a trusted voice teacher or vocal coach, use them as a resource.

They know your voice. They know where you are developing. They know what you do well and what you’re still working toward. A song that sounds amazing when one student sings it may be completely wrong for another student.

That individual knowledge matters.

Parents: Do Your Homework

The same principle applies when choosing a voice teacher, theatre program, camp, coach, or artistic home for your child.

Look beyond the impressive biography.

A degree doesn’t automatically make someone the right teacher for your child. Teaching at a school doesn’t automatically make someone the right teacher. Professional credits don’t automatically make someone a great educator, either.

Those things can certainly be valuable, but they are only pieces of the puzzle.

Ask questions.

What is their actual training? What ages do they regularly work with? What is their experience with developing voices? What is their teaching philosophy? Do they understand the professional world your child hopes to enter? Do they continue learning themselves? Do they recognize when something falls outside their expertise?

And maybe most importantly:

Are they willing to collaborate with other professionals when that is what the student needs?

To me, that is a sign of a strong educator—not a weakness.

Be Honest About Who Is On Your Team

There’s another side to collaboration that I think families and students need to understand:

Your teachers can help you best when they know who else you are working with.

If you are taking voice with one teacher, acting with someone else, dance somewhere else, working with an audition coach, or getting additional vocal coaching, be honest about it.

You shouldn’t feel like you have to hide one teacher from another.

Good teachers aren’t competing to “own” a student.

We are supposed to be helping that student grow.

Knowing who else a student is working with gives us important information. It allows us to communicate when appropriate, understand what the student is being asked to do, avoid giving conflicting advice, and help reinforce the work that is already happening.

There have been many times when I have reached out to another professional—or encouraged a family to work with someone whose expertise would benefit that student.

That isn’t losing a student.

That is doing your job as a teacher.

But that collaboration becomes much harder when teachers don’t know what else is happening.

So talk to your teachers. Tell them what you’re working on. Tell them about your auditions. Tell them about your goals. Tell them who else is part of your training team.

The more complete the picture we have, the better we can help you.

And If You Leave, Leave Well

Students change.

Goals change.

Families move. Schedules change. Financial circumstances change. Sometimes a student needs something different. Sometimes a teacher or studio simply isn’t the right fit anymore.

It is okay to leave.

What matters is how you leave.

If you are moving on from a voice teacher, studio, coach, theatre program, or another long-term training relationship, have the conversation.

You don’t need to make it dramatic, and you don’t need to feel guilty.

Just be honest and respectful.

If something isn’t working, sometimes that conversation can actually fix it. Your teacher may not even know there is a problem unless you tell them.

And if leaving is still the right decision, that’s okay too.

Thank the people who invested in you. Communicate clearly. Follow whatever withdrawal or notice policies you agreed to. Don’t disappear without a conversation if you can avoid it.

Leave the relationship with the same professionalism with which you entered it.

The performing arts world is incredibly small. You may work with that teacher, director, choreographer, studio, or organization again years from now.

More importantly, these are people who invested time and energy into helping you grow.

You can move forward without tearing down what came before.

No One Person Can Be a Child’s Entire Village

This is the part I feel most strongly about.

It takes a village to help young performers pursue big dreams.

A voice teacher doesn’t replace an acting teacher.

An acting teacher doesn’t replace a dance teacher.

A director doesn’t replace a vocal technician.

A choreographer doesn’t replace a college audition coach.

And none of us should be threatened when another professional has something valuable to offer one of our students.

I am incredibly grateful for the professionals I can call when one of my students needs something beyond my own expertise. I want the kids I teach and direct to have access to as many knowledgeable, caring professionals as possible.

Because ultimately, this isn’t about us. It’s about them.

Connections Matter, Too

The performing arts world is surprisingly small.

Relationships and connections matter.

The people you meet today may become the directors, teachers, choreographers, coaches, casting professionals, collaborators, and friends you encounter again years from now.

That is another reason communication matters so much.

Don’t create unnecessary competition between the adults who are trying to help you. Don’t feel like you need to keep secrets about where you train. And don’t burn bridges every time you move on to something new.

Your artistic community should grow with you.

Part of my responsibility as an educator is helping young performers begin building that community.

I want the students I work with to meet other teachers. I want them to experience different directors and choreographers. I want them to learn from guest artists. I want them to walk into new rooms knowing people who believe in them—and having the confidence to build new relationships when they don’t.

And that philosophy doesn’t stop at the doors of our own theatre family.

If I can help a young performer find the right resource, teacher, opportunity, or connection—even if that child doesn’t train with me—I want to help.

There is room for all of us.

Choose Your Child’s Village Carefully

So when you’re reading the next post telling you the “perfect” audition song, the “best” summer program, or exactly what your young performer needs to do next, ask one more question:

Is this person qualified to give me advice about this particular thing?

Then do your own due diligence.

Research the teachers.

Ask about their backgrounds.

Talk to families.

Ask questions about their philosophy.

Pay attention to whether they collaborate with other professionals.

Be open with the people who are teaching your child.

And when it is time to move on, move on with honesty and respect.

Most importantly, find the people who truly understand your child.

Young performers deserve adults who aren’t trying to be their entire village.

They deserve adults who are willing to build one around them.

I am incredibly grateful for the talented teachers, directors, choreographers, coaches, musicians, and theatre professionals who are part of my village—and who continue to pour their knowledge, experience, and encouragement into the young performers I love working with.

None of us can do this alone.

And I don’t think we’re supposed to.