Guest Posting: Three Ways to Find a Voice Coach by Sarah Stockton
You’ve always heard you have a way with voices. You make all your friends and family laugh with the crazy characters you play. Or maybe you’ve been told you have an excellent speaking voice. You don’t need a voice coach. You’re ready to embark on a career as a voice actor now. Or are you?
Just because someone is told they have a beautiful singing voice doesn’t mean they sign a record deal the next day. Reality television shows like American Idol have, ironically, given a lot of people unrealistic ideas of what it takes to break into a competitive business. The same is true of voice acting. Natural talent is a must. But so is hard work. Before you can withstand the rigors of voice acting, you need to learn how to care for your voice, and how to make the most of it. A voice coach can help you do those things. Here’s how to find one.
Classifieds/Yellow Pages
The most obvious choice—the Yellow Pages. Yes, they still exist. But you don’t have to pull out that thick, dusty book you’ve been using to prop up your computer monitor. The Yellow Pages are online now. So are a few competitors. You should be able to find voice coaches in your local area on one or more of these sites. If all else fails, you can go ahead and flip through that book you never thought you’d have to use again.
Online
Other than searching local listing sites, there’s always a regular Internet search. Open a search engine and start looking by entering words and phrases that pertain to what you’re seeking. Mix it up to get the best results. For example, the most common search will be “voice coach” followed by your city, or the nearest large city. You can also try “voice teacher,” “acting coach,” and “singing coach.” A teacher who specializes in acting or singing may still be able to help you with your voice acting, or at least refer you to someone who can.
Word of Mouth
Do you already know some voice actors? If so, they’re going to be a very valuable resource to you. Ask them if they’ve worked with voice coaches, and see if they’re willing or able to refer you. You can also speak with agents who represent voice actors, and request their advice on a voice coach to work with. Also check out voice actors’ Web sites. They may talk about how they started their careers, or even have a page of resources new voice actors can use. If they don’t, try sending them an e-mail and politely ask whether they can point you in the right direction. The worst they can do is either say no, or not respond at all, but it’s worth a shot.
You may have loads of voice talent, and be destined for voice acting stardom. But you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t at least try to improve your skills before you start sending out demos.
Sarah Stockton is an Outreach Coordinator for Voices.com, a site connects businesses with professional voice talents. She enjoys helping potential voice talent find their start in the voice industry.
2 Comments so far
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Good article. I sing a lot in a group and you’re right, you need to care for your voice. Kind regards,
Bob #==(o )
By Bob Houlston on 03.03.12 5:52 am
OH MY!! So much has been overlooked here in the way of finding truly qualified voice and speech coaches. You cannot afford to take a chance with your most precious vocal instrument: Vocal cords are easily damaged from training with a well-intentioned but untrained “natural” performer or character voice. Ask the Ear-Nose-Throat doctors if there is a trainer who implements best practices—a Speech-Language Pathologist who is licensed in your state, and has special continuing educattion courses in Voice and Voice Disorders. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association website http://www.ASHA.org is the place to begin. See also The Voice Foundation, Entnet.net. Many, but NOT ALL theatre coaches and singing teachers recognize the warning signs of vocal cord abuse or have been trained in healthy recovery techniques. Ask your teacher whether they have an MFA degree, have performed recitals, which students of theirs have been successful—and if they are a member of VASTA of The Voice Foundation.
I do not understand how Ms.Stockton could overlook these resources that are likely to pop up in her GoogleSearch
By Kay B. Meyer on 03.06.12 10:19 am
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