Guide to Finding a Voice Teacher on Le Bon Coin

To find a private voice teacher, Le Bon Coin is one of the best places!

Things to Check When Looking for a Voice Teacher:

First, you’ll check the rates offered by the teacher. There are significant fluctuations in the rates of private voice teachers depending on location. In large cities like Paris, Lyon, or Marseille, the rate will be much higher than in the provinces. If the price is very low, it may mean that it’s a young teacher who lacks experience. Conversely, if the rate is very high, this can be explained by experience and qualifications.

The minimum rate seems to us to be around €25 and the maximum around €40. Beyond that, it’s mainly justified by the teacher’s extensive experience.

It’s also important to check the qualifications of private voice teachers. Normally, they should have a DEM (Diploma of Musical Studies) which is the basic qualification to be recognized as a professional musician by the State. The DEM is obtained after training in a conservatory or national music school. However, if you’re looking for a music teacher specialized in an instrument that is often self-taught like guitar, it doesn’t matter if they’re not qualified. Voice teachers can also have a DE (State Diploma) which authorizes them to have the status of teacher in public institutions or a CA which validates their knowledge and skills required to teach in conservatories. In these two cases, they’re likely to be more expensive.

If the teacher has no diploma, don’t panic, you can still dig into their profile. It’s probably a student in the process of professionalization preparing a diploma in a conservatory. In this case, it can be an advantage because their rates will be lower than those of qualified teachers and their motivation will often be great!

It’s important to check in the ad if the voice teacher gives more details about their experience and background. These can be a guarantee of quality, instill confidence, and explain higher rates. Sometimes some don’t have diplomas but they are accomplished musicians who have already given dozens of concerts and recorded albums…

In short! Diplomas count, but they’re not everything. The main thing is your feeling during the first contact and during the first lessons.

It’s also important to check in the ad if the voice teacher is certified “personal service”. Indeed, sometimes this is the case, and in these cases, the rate will be very advantageous for you since part of the amount you pay for their lessons will be tax-deductible or will be returned to you as a tax credit if you don’t pay any. This implies that the teacher is self-employed and that they have taken the steps to be certified by the prefecture of their region. They are still few in number, but more and more teachers are taking the step to have their structure certified as personal service.

In private voice teacher ads, it’s important to check their specialties and areas of preference. Some teachers may be generalists while others are oriented towards classical, jazz, pop, or metal. Depending on what appeals to you most, you’ll surely be able to choose.

Additionally, look in the ad at the levels the voice teacher is looking for among their students. If you come across a particularly demanding conservatory teacher who only looks for students who are already advanced, it’s quite rare but it happens, it’s clearly not for you if you’re a beginner…

If the teacher mentions their social networks, it’s interesting for you to go take a look to see if it’s a profile that might interest you. You can see on them if they’re a member of one or more music groups or if they give concerts. You can listen to them!

And the most important point: Don’t hesitate to ask questions by email or phone before a possible first lesson.

In addition to giving you more information about their profile and details about their teaching, this exchange will allow you to directly see the color: whether it’s through their kindness and politeness, their way of talking about music, or quite simply, the feeling between you.

Here are some questions you can ask if their answers are not in the ad and which will allow you to better understand their teaching background:

• “How long have you been giving lessons?”
• “How do you organize a voice lesson and what is its duration?”
• “How many students do you have?”
• “Do you accompany your students with a musical instrument?”
• “What type of music do you sing?”
• “What do you prefer about the teaching profession? (in other words, ‘do you enjoy giving lessons?’, which is not the case for all private teachers…)”
• If this is your case: “Do you know how to train beginners?”

Pitfalls to Avoid When Finding a Good Voice Teacher, Indicators to Consider:

Be careful of unclear ads, not very straightforward, or even shaky. We’re talking here about ads that are content with “I teach you to sing in a fun and good-humored way.” Try to move towards more detailed content where the teacher mentions their diplomas, specialties, and experience.

A rate that is much too low or much too high should seem suspicious. Even if the lesson is given by a teacher without much stage experience or without a DEM, good voice lessons at 10 euros don’t exist (or else you’ve found a rare gem), and those at 90 euros are given by coaches of professional singers.

If you see in an ad for a private voice teacher who claims to be a specialist in several very distinct fields (lyrical, jazz, pop, metal…), you need to ask questions. You need to differentiate between a generalist teacher who can bring you keys and initiate you in many different registers and a teacher who says they know how to do everything and be a specialist everywhere: it’s not possible.

2 last tips for finding the best teacher:

• Give yourself a lesson or two to get an idea, don’t commit right away to 10 lessons for example.
• Ask for a demo ;)

We hope this article has been useful to you.

Good music and good browsing on Tokatab!