Just a couple days ago, I ended my private voice lesson experience with my last vocal jury of my entire college career! In a previous post, I had explained my experience being part of an acapella group since my freshman year at Bryn Mawr but I have also been a voice student throughout my time in college, and it’s been valuable.

My journey with voice lessons goes back to my freshman year of high school, when I wanted to learn something different from piano, which I had been subjected to learn since I was little. I had always been more interested in singing and my main access to singing-related activities was through church or school choirs. Voice lessons allowed me to go further in depth with my understanding of vocal technique and I gained an appreciation for the blend of technicality and imaginative creativity that goes into singing. Coming into college, I knew I wanted to continue my vocal education alongside my other academic studies.

To be a voice student, the resources I needed were at the music department at Haverford. I received 10 lessons per semester with the options of being a part of Chorale, Chamber Singers or becoming a Music major or minor to receive subsidies for lessons. Since I’m double majoring with a minor and my time outside of classes had already been taken up by acapella and other clubs, it made sense for me to do Chorale out of all the subsidy-offering options since it is only once a week for two hours.

Chorale has always been a laid back experience for me, but that isn’t to say the music is elementary. As a large choir featuring Bi-Co students and local community members, our size has allowed us to perform grander pieces such as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, otherwise known as “Ode to Joy”. Chorale also gives voice students opportunities to audition for solo parts in Chorale pieces. The highlights of my time in Chorale over the four years include talking to community members, the first rehearsal with the orchestra, and performance day. While the last couple rehearsals of the semester are always time consuming, it’s so satisfying to finally hear all the music being put together after a long semester’s worth of work.

But back to my voice lessons! My experience with voice lessons has been a ride, especially because I had them virtually for a period of time during the beginning of the pandemic. Each semester, I learn 3-4 songs while focusing the majority of my time on the two songs I want to present during my vocal jury at the end of the semester. Continuing where I left off with the type of music I studied in high school, most of my music pieces in college have been grounded in Western classical tradition. However, I found that one of my biggest periods of growth was when my voice teacher catered to my interests beyond the genre to incorporate more musical theatre, jazzy, and cabaret styles. I felt like I became more confident in my voice and in my performance because I was able to apply the techniques from classical music to more contemporary styles and vice versa. The flexibility I gained allowed me to make more creative choices while singing. When juries rolled around, I knew I could go all in and have fun presenting my songs.

What has also been nice during my time as a voice student has been tapping into the community of voice students. There’s such a mix of majors, members of various student performing arts groups, and backgrounds among us and it’s always been cool to have vocal lessons be a little point of camaraderie between ourselves. I really appreciate the support I’ve received from other fellow voice students and love being able to see their performances, whether it’s a solo in a Chorale concert or an acapella performance or a recital!