*This content was translated by AI.
Recently, a junior vocal trainer came to see me, expressing a desire to receive formal lessons.
As a senior, I expected to offer only casual advice or feedback, but his perspective was different. He stated that he did not want a one-time meeting but wished to set aside time regularly to learn consistently. The lessons with this colleague and junior instructor have now been ongoing for three months.
One day, after class ended, while we were sharing a casual beer, he asked me an unexpected question.
“Do you really believe that a person who cannot sing will improve their skills if they take lessons?”
It was such an obvious question that I laughed.
It might seem strange to some that a vocal trainer who is already teaching students seeks knowledge from another trainer and questions the fundamental trust in vocal education. However, recalling why professional athletes at the pinnacle of their sport always have dedicated coaches, it is not so strange. The better the athlete, the more they need another "eye" to objectively observe their play and subtle movements.
The same applies to singing.
People seem to know their own voices best, yet they are also the ones who find it most difficult to listen to their own sound objectively. There is always a gap, often larger than expected, between the voice I hear with my own ears inside the booth and the sound that flows out through the monitor speakers via the microphone. Moreover, subtle habits ingrained in the body through long-term repetition are extremely difficult to discover on one's own. Familiarity can sometimes become a rut, trapping oneself and hindering growth. Ultimately, what we need is not more dazzling techniques, but another mirror that honestly reflects the blind spots we cannot see.
In fact, staying in a teaching position for a long time often leads to the contradiction of being able to find others' flaws with remarkable precision while always directing one's gaze outward, failing to see one's own stains. Therefore, there are no exceptions for those who teach. On the contrary, the longer one teaches, the more easily they fall into the trap of familiarity, believing they are always right. The moment learning stops, the instructor's ears become deaf, and the depth of education stagnates. Thus, a good teacher should not be an all-knowing problem solver but someone who continuously learns new things.
A vocal teacher taking lessons is not a sign of inadequacy. Rather, it is an act of flexibly acknowledging one's own limitations and willingly standing before the mirror for better sound and correct teaching.
Perhaps, the true master who feels no shame whether in front of a recording studio microphone or in the lesson room facing students, is someone who guards against the delusion of knowing everything and continues to fill themselves with knowledge.
<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>
*This content was translated by AI.
