When Beverly Sills was 20 years old, she supplemented her income by playing piano and performing in an after-hours club in Manhattan. “It was back in about ’49,” she explained on the Dick Cavett show. “My father had died and we were having a rough period of time.” Soon, as the story goes, she was discovered by “a very distinguished man with a derby on his head” who offered her a position singing for tips at one of the more posh gentleman’s hangouts in New York.
Similarly, Andrea Bocelli initially took up a law career, the profits from which he used to finance his singing lessons. He also sang in bars and clubs when even the legal funds ran low.
Nowadays, a juris Doctorate or a 10:00 p.m.-to-3:00 a.m. singing gig may seem like a lucrative personal stimulus plan (perhaps the nightclub path more so than the law school plan). Unlike most professionals who earn their degrees and, with the exception of the odd seminar or single class, are done with formal education, a singer never stops learning how to use his or her voice. With most vocal coaching sessions costing $60 and up, the idea of staying on a $50 week may seem daunting.
Sing Out and Speak Up
If you’re fortunate enough to already have an excellent vocal coach but are finding work hard to come by in this economy, make sure your coach knows. “Be assertive and creative about finding a way to fund your lessons,” says Rochester coach Cara D’Emanuele. “Don’t be embarrassed to bring up the subject, and think out of the box.” For many coaches, holding onto a promising student is worth more than making their full fee, and they will be willing to work with your situation if you bring it up.
As a litmus test, I sent an e-mail out to 50 vocal coaches across the United States and Canada, asking what they normally charge per hour and what, if any, price breaks they could offer to a classical singer strapped for cash. Within a few days, all had replied, and 45 said that they would work (and have worked) on sliding scales, shortened lessons, and other arrangements made on a case-by-case basis. Your $60 hour could easily be cut to a $40 45-minute session.
“There is not a ‘corporate rate’ that is set by anyone else,” says D’Emanuele. “Therefore, altering that rate does not need ‘board approval.’ I am simply able to make a case-by-case decision, and I do that often.”
Barter for the Bar Lines
Growing up in a low-income, working-class neighborhood, lyric soprano Nicole Cabell paid for her voice lessons by doing household chores for her teacher. She now sings everywhere from Covent Garden to Carnegie Hall. And while you may think your days of taking out the garbage and painting fences are, like the allowance you once did them for, long gone, consider what your coach may need. Could her living room do with a fresh coat of paint? Would he love to have someone organize his office? Have their kids kept them from having a couple’s night out since the last Democratic administration? Are you a tech whiz that could help them set up their website?
For many coaches, hiring an assistant is a luxury they cannot afford. However, exchanging an hour of their time for an hour or two of yours is another story entirely. Establish a contract and schedule: Considering this arrangement a business transaction will prove to your coach that you are responsible, value their time, and take your finances—and your career—seriously.
Max Out Your Resources—Not Your Credit Card
“Facebook, Facebook, Facebook—Facebook is amazing,” says Elizabeth Pojanowski, who has stayed in touch with colleagues, classmates, and professors via the popular social networking site. “A lot of times they go places—to different programs, different companies—and people that used to be your peers can sometimes even become your employers.” The mezzo-soprano has been able to coach with former classmates for the price of a coffee and feels more comfortable working with someone who knows her and knows how she sings.
“I just had an audition last weekend for the NYIOPs in San Francisco and [former classmate Allen Perriello] helped me out,” she explains. “We had a half-hour coaching beforehand, and then I had a pretty decent audition.”
If you aren’t already on Facebook or Twitter, join and begin building your network of friends. Such networking sites allow you to easily keep in touch with a range of people you may not normally see again in real life. And if you need a coach for your upcoming audition, you can “tweet” it out or post it as a status that will reach your entire network. You’ll be surprised at who comes out of the woodwork.
Practice the Coffee Cantata
As Pojanowski mentions above, a java and a scone may get you more than a caffeine/sugar rush. Ask your coach if you can take her out to coffee after your session, and then take advantage of the extra time away from the piano to pick her brain. Many questions that would often eat up time in your session can be saved for a more casual (and less costly) environment and, in the end, could save you from booking extra sessions.
“I know lots of singers that get more out of the coaching by asking me questions on Facebook or taking it to e-mail,” says Toronto-based vocal coach and professor Christopher Foley. “I don’t charge for any of that.”
Remember Cost vs. Worth
Make sure you have the right kind of coach for your needs—and remember that a cheap session may end up costing more in the long run if you have to undo the influence from a sub-par coach. So get references and credentials if you’re switching coaches to save your budget.
However, if you’ve found a coach that understands your instrument—a coach with whom you feel comfortable and who helps you reach your fullest potential—he may be worth cutting back on eating out or premium cable channels. If that’s the case, make sure you get the most out of each session.
Also important, advises Foley, is to “learn your music. Do your background work for text and style, listen to recordings—you don’t need a coach to do that. If you’re on a budget, the best way you can use a coach is to get that extra set of ears, but first do your own homework.”
Set the agenda for your session. Come up with a list of goals and questions beforehand to ensure that you cover the ground you want to in your hour. And if it starts to veer off-topic, don’t be afraid to politely, yet firmly, steer it back on track. Foley would be the first to admit that “many coaches—including myself—tell really good stories, but that’s not always what the singer needs.”
Return the Favor
Like music in general, there is no room for one-sidedness. As your career grows and thrives, you may be able to again afford full-price sessions. When you are able to do so, let your coach know so that he can afford to help another singer with empty pockets. And should a colleague or student come to you looking for advice or help on a piece, remember that you were once in her shoes. Let her buy you your favorite latte in exchange for 30 minutes of aria work.
