Are Vocal Lessons worth it?

Are vocal lessons worth it? Yes! But I'm not sure about the worth for a 7 year old. **I'd** be inclined at that age to let her more general music ed be enough for now since it does have a vocal element to it. Then if she is still interested at 11-13 amp it up.

But I also confess to not wanting my kids in too many activities at one time because I didn't want to spend my life ferrying her around and waiting. So for me, piano lessons and theatre camp would have to be enough.

My dds are 7 and 9, and have been taking piano and voice lessons since they were 6. Our voice teacher does not "train" the child's voice the way she might with an older, post-puberty child. She says at this age, it's about having fun, learning new songs, how to perform, how to project, etc. Most of her younger students sing songs from musicals or Disney movies. Once they are older, she begins teaching things like breath control, diction, etc.

Lana

I think lessons are definetly worth it. My DS had been in chorus for 3 years and about 6 drama productions before he said he wanted lessons so he had exposure but the lessons took his voice to the next level. Not sure at her age unless its just an extra activity to put her in for fun I would wait.

Could you check with her music teacher at school to see if she might suggest something. While I agree that 7 is young, my 27 year old daughter started performing at 5 (as Gretl in Sound of Music in the High School Play) and she just loved it. Her music teacher at the time would do after school lessons and had fun ways to teach breathing and diction.

My dd did sing in her elementary school choir and was in countless musicals before she joined her performing choir. She has always had a good ear and will memorize songs instead of learning to read the sheet music. She wishes she was better at sight reading and solfege.

I would focus on looking for opportunities for her to perform and sing in public (school plays, recitals, etc.) and hold off on lessons until she's older. Keep up the music lessons so she can learn to sight read.

We are thinking about this for our DD as well, but will wait until she is older for formal lessons as others have recommended. In the meantime, we both encourage her to sing casually whenever she wants to (she's 5) and will seek out other musical avenues such as theater, etc. for her to pursue if she wants to once she's a little bit older. My niece switched to voice lessons after taking piano lessons for years and it really helped her quite a bit.

Speaking as an elementary music educator and choir director with a master's degree in voice performance - no, she should not be taking voice lessons at 7. She is better off in a children's choir setting until around 12 or 13, and she absolutely will learn a lot about good vocal technique both in music class and from a good choir director. She should be learning to produce a light, clear tone using her head voice. She should be learning the beginnings of proper breath support. She should be learning to sight read pitches and rhythms, and she should be learning music theory. If she's not learning those things in music class and choir, your teacher isn't doing her job.

If my child wasn't a getting high-quality choir experience at school, I'd look for a children's chorus in my city that was focusing on good quality literature and vocal training. Not necessarily a church choir but a very few do have excellent music training programs. Once she is a little older and the vocal mechanism is a little more mature, then you still need to make sure you're working with someone who has experience working with young voices. Look for recommendations from your choir director, not necessarily other parents.

ETA: the voice is not a muscle. Your diaphragm and intercostal muscles, among others, control breath and do need to be trained and strengthened, but the vocal folds themselves are not a muscle. At age 7 they're still very immature and need to be treated gently.

Absolutely they are worth it if she is serious about singing. My niece has been heavy into musical theater for at least the past 5 years, if not longer. She's been taking voice lessons for I think 3 years now and she has improved DRAMATICALLY.

When we moved back here I hadn't heard her sing in several years. And everyone has always said, "oh, she's so great, just wait until you hear her.", etc. But truthfully, before when they said that and I had listened, I wasn't that impressed. I actually thought to myself, "kid you are wasting your time". (I never said it out loud though, just so we're clear!). But then I heard her last year and I was absolutely blown away!!! The strength of her voice is awesome!!! And she can hit these notes and it is just so gorgeous! I have no doubt that the vocal lessons had TONS to do with that growth.

I don't know that if start at 7 though. It just seems really young. I think my niece started when she was 10-11? Not 100% on that. She's 14 now.

My husband has a college degree in Vocal Performance. You should ask for a private consult w a vocal coach. There are varying opinions on when to start...as you can see.

I studied voice and vocal pedagogy in college. Singing is great, but voice lessons should wait until they're 14. You can ruin a young voice if you push it too hard. She can sing with childrens choirs and learn her basic music theory now, she can use that for life.