PROFESSIONAL SINGING TEACHER PROGRAM
Become a skilled singing teacher.
Making the jump
Making the jump from being a singer to teaching others to sing can be as overwhelming as it is exciting. Even if you've taught before or have theoretical knowledge from your studies, the practical nuances required for the art of teaching can still feel mysterious.
At Vocal Advancement, we’ve worked with hundreds of thousands of singers and thousands of singing teachers and have refined our approach along the way. Now, we want to share that proven methodology with you.
Teach with confidence.
In our robust, 3-year Professional Singing Teacher program, we offer a framework of tools and logic to be applied, step-by-step, as you make your mark in the world of vocal development.
A testimonial from one of our teachers
"IVA has given me the tools & structure I've needed to go from ground zero to a full-fledged teaching studio."
Annie Little
Studio City, USA
Your Program, Your Journey
This program is for you if you want to become a professional voice teacher and are dedicated to giving yourself the best start. It’s also for you if you’re already a voice teacher looking for a comprehensive and profound toolset to bring your teaching to the next level.
- Complete the program in 3 years, at your pace
- Learn within a cohort led by a dedicated mentor
- Study when you can with live or recorded sessions
- Select electives that customize your experience
The program is comprehensive.
We take a highly practical approach to singing teacher training
and cover the basics we wished we would have known from the start.
Personal Vocal Development
Many are surprised by how much focus we give to our students' own vocal development. Here's why: It's critical teachers are equipped not only with a deep understanding of vocal techniques but also the ability to demonstrate those techniques effectively.
Teacher Training
Beyond demonstrating techniques, teachers must, of course, teach the "why" behind those techniques. So, a core part of our program includes equipping teachers with logical approaches to teaching theory, anatomy, and beyond.
Ear Training
Ear training is a fundamental aspect of our program because "if you can't hear it, you can't affect it." By honing your ability to hear and assess vocal nuances, you'll learn to diagnose and address vocal issues with greater accuracy and speed.
Teacher Development
With training on how to teach and how to hear, you have a solid foundation to grow. But that doesn't mean learning stops. Hands-on study with experienced teachers will help you pick up on things that can take years to notice, like body language, posture, and other subtle cues that can impact teaching effectiveness.
Elective Studies
As an IVA student, you have the freedom to choose topics that align with your passions and aspirations. These electives encompass a wide range of subjects (like music genres, business, musicality, and performance) that complement the foundational vocal training provided in our curriculum.
Evaluation
Other programs may tell you that testing doesn't matter, but we know it's essential to ensure our teachers deliver the highest standard of singing lessons. We give you many opportunities to test your skills and get feedback from experienced professionals to help you improve.
Here's how that breaks down each year.
You will start with concepts that allow you to immediately build a solid teacher structure (or improve your current one). And then, bit by bit, we add new layers and concepts that take your teaching skills to the next level.
During year one, participants learn a basic framework for structuring lessons, assessing a student’s voice, and prescribing targeted exercises based on IVA tool logic:
- How to design the structure for your lessons
- “Cause and Effect” philosophy of teaching—the quickest way to produce results in your student’s voice
- Three general voice tendencies: Learning to assess vocal registration
- An introduction to understanding and teaching vocal balance
- Best practices on starting pitches—the usual top pitches to start a vocalise
- Best practices on using vowels in teaching singing
- Best practices for using consonants in teaching singing
- Best practices for using scale patterns in teaching singing
- Song application: How to successfully apply vocal technique to songs
- Learning how the voice works: Basic voice science and anatomy
During year two, teachers are introduced to more refined distinctions between voice tendencies and a more detailed explanation of tool usage:
- Taking vocal assessment to a deeper level: specific voice tendencies
- The muscular and mechanical perspectives of the vowels and consonants toolbox
- Intermediate scale patterns
- Lesson communication: How to convey information in a lesson following the “Cause and Effect” philosophy
- Knowledge of passages: Where the shifts in male-born and female-born voices occur and how pattern and scale pattern choices interact with them—the muscular and mechanical perspectives
- Intermediate song application strategies
- Voice science of the phonation system
During year three, teachers will begin to explore registration and tools where the acoustic perspective is integrated with the laryngeal
one (phonation + resonation systems):
- Advanced voice tendencies
- The acoustic perspective of using vowels in teaching voice
- Advanced consonant toolbox—consonants for specialized targeting
- Advanced pattern toolbox—patterns for specialized targeting
- Enhanced knowledge of passages—the acoustic perspective
- Advanced song application strategies
- Voice science of the resolution system: How formats, harmonics, and acoustic pressures interact in the voice
Expect to learn in three ways.
Each cohort starts and finishes together with the same dedicated mentor who serves as a guide during your studies. Within the cohort, you'll also have learning experiences that are—
—one-on-one.
Get direct feedback from experienced instructors.
—with a group.
Gain diverse perspectives from learning within a global cohort.
—on your own.
Study whenever and wherever it makes the most sense for you.
Each year, you get to participate in our range of events.
We have a range of live events all year. You can attend live (in person or online) or access high-quality recordings of sessions after the event. (Get excited! Teachers love participating in these live events!)
Testimonials
Photos from IVACON & Live Events
"Practical training" doesn't only apply to the voice.
Not only do you have to be a master at your craft to own & operate a studio, you also must wear the hats of business owner and marketer. Don't worry; we cover that, too.
- Business
- Marketing
- Psychology
You may still be wondering...
The program operates on a credit-based system. You have three years from when your cohort starts to complete the requirements and pass the final evaluations. For each course phase (years 1, 2, and 3), you have 12 months to complete the requirements. Moving to the next phase requires successfully completing requirements and passing evaluations. Get a detailed breakdown of the curriculum here.
All education is offered virtually and on your own time. However, we hope you will join us in person for the IVACON conference when it's offered. To help you plan your time, we provide a suggested timetable.
Yes! You can take all our education online, live during its scheduled run or you can access a recording later. Training is offered live (either in person or online where appropriate), and you can choose how to attend. Learn more about program offerings here.
You will receive a Certificate of Graduation when you graduate from this program!
As a graduate, you are also listed on the IVA website as alumni and can become part of our membership community, The LIST. IVA Alumni will have opportunities to continue their growth through live events, training, and conferences.
For the most up-to-date pricing and curriculum information, please request a program guide.
You have three years from your cohort's start date to complete the requirements. Your time is split into three 12-month periods. We will provide an example timetable to show you how to structure your time to get the most from your education, and you'll be guided step-by-step by a dedicated mentor for your cohort. Request our program guide to get a sneak peek of what to expect.
A certain amount of time is required to develop and hone the skills of teaching voice that cannot be rushed, so programmatic work cannot be completed faster than three years.
No! Our courses are designed to help you whether you have taught voice lessons for 15 years or have never taught a voice lesson before.
Our training is open to applications from all countries except Russia.
Don't worry! The entire program was created using basic English.
In order to apply for the 2025 cohort, we ask that you download our program guide and read all the details first. The program guide discusses cost, curriculum, and application instructions in detail. If you've read the details and are ready to apply, you may do so here.
Absolutely! Please get in touch with us using the "Talk with our team first" button below.
Allow us to introduce ourselves.
We would very much like to know you. In the meantime, here is a bit about our global community of educators, touting a collective 130 years of experience.
Stephanie Borm-Krüger
Stephanie Borm-Krüger was born in Munich in 1975. Since graduating from high school, she has pursued an educat...
Spencer Welch
After a successful career as a recording artist, studio musician, producer, and vocal coach, Spencer Welch is ...
Kathy Kennedy
Kathy brings over 25 years of real-world experience as a singer to her thriving teaching practice. She has enj...
Jeffrey Skouson
Singer, producer, pianist, and top vocal instructor Jeffrey Skouson trains more than 150 students worldwide. M...
Andreas Grussl
Voice instructor, vocal producer, and lawyer Andreas Grussl runs a very successful voice studio in his hometow...
Heather Baker
Heather Baker is a Contemporary Voice Teacher based in the North of England. She is one of the Institute for V...
Linda Tomkinson
Linda Tomkinson is a vocal coach and owner of SingWithLinda’s Artist Hub. She is known as the voice teacher wh...
Tom Bathgate
Tom Bathgate has spent the last 16 years helping singers discover their voices and realize their full potentia...
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Bottom line? You can be good, or you can be great.
Becoming great on your own can be a long, treacherous journey. We invite you to take advantage of our hundreds of years of collective experience and take a straighter path to becoming the greatest you can be. We can't wait to watch you thrive!