[a freshman in the vocal department] 1. From "Vocal Teacher" to "Vocal Trainer"

*This content was translated by AI.

As the years changed, it became more common to meet and greet new people. Handing me a handshake, I introduce myself, "I'm vocal trainer Peelivga." When I was in college in the mid-1990s, the word "vocal trainer" was rarely used. At that time, everyone called me 'singing teacher' and 'vocal teacher'. At some point we started calling the person who taught the song 'trainer' rather than 'teacher'. Is this change a simple title trend, or is it a sign that the attitude of the times toward singing has changed.

The word 'teacher' has a clear hierarchy. Being who transmits knowledge, teaches correct answers, and evaluates disciples. Apprenticeship, history, and distance between teacher and disciple. On the other hand, the word 'trainer' is different. Someone who sets goals together, manages their condition, adjusts their pace, and accompanies them by their side until the results are in. It is close to the role of taking care of the player's body, mind, and routine together in the sports field.

Singing is not a test subject that originally memorizes the correct answers and passes them, but it is more of an "art of condition" involving body, psychology, habits and environment. In that sense, the word "trainer" may be a name closer to the essence of the song. Nevertheless, the fact that this word has only become common now overlaps with changes in the industry and culture surrounding music.

At some point, songs began to resemble the language of sports. Ranking, elimination, season, heyday, slump, career management. In the audition program, chart competition, and survival structure, skills became a "performance to manage," and voices became a "body whose grades fluctuate according to condition." Music is still art, but the stage on which it is placed has gradually come into a system of competition compared to records.

There was a similar trend in the West. Under Broadway and Hollywood, the pop industry and the long-term tour system, singers are no longer just students learning to sing, but performers who must be on stage every week. In the process, the roles of "vocal coach" and "vocal trainer" were differentiated, and the concept of managing physical strength, breathing, mental and routine along with technical guidance was naturally combined. Among the world's leading pop stars who went on a large world tour, there were many cases where a dedicated vocal trainer accompanied them behind the stage. During the long tour, it was a role to coordinate the performance schedule by checking the condition of the neck, recovery routine, and subtle changes in vocalization together. Rather than being a better singer, he was more of a "man who made me endure to the end." It is mentioned within the industry that a vocal trainer accompanied Michael Jackson on his long-term tour to manage his condition and coordinate his voice before and after the performance. The 'trainer' at this time was more of a sports trainer who managed the entire season by the player than a teacher who taught classes.

In Korea, similar languages have been introduced as the idol system has been established since the 2000s. Trainee system, hours of training per day, long tour and broadcast schedule after debut. Singing is no longer a 'skill to sing well', but a 'target of management' that must endure without losing condition. From then on, the term "vocal trainer" began to be used more naturally than "vocal teacher."

Therefore, the word 'vocal trainer' is not a name created by a change in the way the song is taught, but rather a name that appeared due to a change in the structure of the song. When individual talent can no longer be left as a personal problem, we look for managers, not teachers. Rather than someone who transfers technology, a companion is needed to coordinate the body, time, and psychology together.

This year, many people will open their lesson rooms with the mind of "I want to sing well." The name they call may still be 'teacher', but the coordinates behind the word are likely already closer to 'trainer'. In this small change of title, the view of the times when singing was not viewed only as a matter of talent and the logic of an industry in which the structure works before the individual are contained.

Song is still an expression of emotion and an area of art, but the way it makes it endure has completely changed. I am called 'trainer' instead of 'teacher' at the scene of the change. And this series is the observation record of a person standing in the middle of the change.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.