Creating an ideal environment for your child’s in-home voice lessons isn’t just about comfort during the lessons – it’s also about creating a space for lessons and practice in your and your child’s life. With that in mind, this page offers some suggestions about what kind of a space and equipment you will need to make your child’s voice lessons and practice as enjoyable and productive as possible.
Above all else, it is critical that there be a space in your home devoted to music. It doesn’t have to be large – a corner of a room will do – but it should be reserved for your keyboard or piano, sheet music, and other things required for lessons and practice. Ideally, this space will be in a quiet area without a television or other distractions.
Equipping Your Lesson Space
Here are some things you should keep in your practice space:
- A piano or full-sized keyboard. A well-maintained acoustic piano is ideal. Electric keyboards are available for $75 and up, and you get what you pay for. Try to get one with an adjustable stand so it can be set up at a comfortable height. A table or the floor is not a suitable place for a keyboard.
- Two chairs of appropriate height. “Appropriate height” means a height that allows the student’s feet to reach the floor comfortably when sitting, and that is neither too high nor too low for the keyboard. Adjustable keyboard benches are widely available and can be purchased inexpensively.
- A CD player. The CD player will be used for practicing vocal exercises and songs using recorded accompaniments. Since the volume of the accompaniment invariably affects the volume of the singer, it should be able to play quite loudly. Most low-end boom boxes will need to be turned up to their maximum volume in order to be loud enough. A stereo system is ideal if you have one in the practice room. Standard computer speakers are totally inadequate for this purpose.
- A place to keep sheet music and CDs. This could be a folder or a shelf, but needs to be accessible to the student for lessons and practice.
- A notebook to record practice and assignments. This should be accessible to the student during both lesson and practice times.
- A mirror (strongly recommended). A mirror, located where the student can see herself during practice, helps the student see what she is doing physically. Some students prefer to practice in their rooms instead of in the lesson space. If that is the case, it is especially important that the student have a mirror in her room.
Maintaining Your Lesson Space
Although most of the equipment I’ve listed is low-maintenance, it’s important to keep everything in good, working condition. To begin with, you should realize that the less you spend on a given item, the sooner it will need to be replaced. Low-end CD players and keyboards, in particular, have a tendency not to last long.
If you have an acoustic piano in your practice space (which I couldn’t recommend more strongly), it will need to be tuned regularly. This costs around $100, and I would be glad to recommend a piano technician to do the job. Generally, a piano needs to be tuned every two months for the first six months after it has been moved, then six months later, and then annually after that. If you are purchasing a piano, you should also hire a piano technician to look at the pianos you are considering for purchase. Pianos – particularly used ones – can have significant problems that will not be at all apparent to an untrained observer.
Other Space Considerations
If your child has not had music lessons before, setting a space in your home aside for the activity may seem daunting. You may need to make some compromises when allocating space in your home and budget for a practice space. However, after your child has demonstrated a commitment to singing, you may want to make further improvements to the space to facilitate the more intensive practice required of intermediate and advanced singers.
One of the most important things for you to consider is the acoustics of the room you’re using. For lessons and daily practice, it’s best not to use a very resonant room. Instead, try to locate the practice area in a carpeted, fully furnished part of the house, in order to deaden any echo. If you are able to have a room specifically designated for practice, you can install foam padding on the walls, as well. This has the added benefit of insulating the rest of the house against the noise.
A second possible improvement is the addition of an acoustic piano, if you don’t already have one. Pianos don’t have to be prohibitively expensive, but they do need to be maintained regularly. If you get a piano, also get a bench of the right height. The bench is the right height if the student can sit on it and play the piano with her shoulders relaxed, her wrists straight, and her forearms parallel to the floor.
If your child is at an advanced level, shows outstanding commitment and potential, and wants to pursue singing in a non-classical style, you can also consider investing in a sound system, including a microphone, monitors, mixer, and speakers. A recording setup is another possibility. High quality recording equipment can be had for $1,000 or more. If your child is interested in recording independently, it is well worth the cost if she can learn how to use the equipment effectively. Studio time can cost more than $75 per hour, and one track may need to be recorded over a hundred times to produce a professional-quality recording.