Why do voice lessons cost so much?

I often get this question from clients when they first reach out, especially younger potential customers who find me via Instagram or YouTube.

“SIXTY DOLLARS AN HOUR?! That’s BONKERS.” Yes, that is a direct quote from an Instagram DM conversation I had last year.

So let me clear things up for those of you skeptical about pricing.

Teaching, in any capacity, is specialized labor. Teaching an instrument, like voice, guitar, drums, piano, violin, etc., is an even more niche skill, as the teacher must have mastered their own instrument AND be able to communicate those skills to a novice. When you pay a voice teacher, you are not paying ONLY for the time they spend teaching you; you are paying for…

• the decades that teacher has spent learning the craft

• the years they have honed their teaching skills

• the hours they put into finding songs for you

• the hours spent preparing music theory lessons tailored to you

• the equipment (like a keyboard or piano or amp or microphone) they have that you do not have access to at home

• materials (like sheet music, recordings, exercises, theory worksheets, etc.)

• the knowledge they have about health and safety of the voice

• their connections in the industry

• their continued education in the field in order to stay up to date on health recommendations, new techniques, audition processes, recording standards of practice, etc.

Hiring a voice teacher, as with any teacher/coach/tutor is a leap of faith in a lot of ways, and you most definitely get what you pay for. Many online sites that only charge $25-$40 an hour do not even require proof that the teachers they hire are qualified to teach they instrument they claim to play. Not to mention that…

playing an instrument does NOT mean a person is qualified to teach.

These are two entirely different skills.

So when you decide to hire a “cheap” teacher, understand that this person may not have any more experience with singing than you; they may not read music or understand the physics and biology and anatomy of sound production.

Your voice is precious; you only get one and it cannot be replaced.

If you are truly serious about singing, invest in your instrument. I firmly believe, and my students can attest, health and safety are the MOST important aspects of singing. If you aren’t sure that someone is qualified to teach voice, it can potentially be dangerous and damaging to the vocal folds.

Take care of you or your child’s voice by not only checking qualifications of potential voice teachers, but also by understanding that a truly qualified teacher will be cost more money; this is not a bad thing, it means they take the craft seriously and have invested much of their own time, energy, and money into understanding and mastering the voice.