Singing Lessons

Singing lessons range widely in cost in North America is $25-40 USD for a basic 30-minute lesson from an independent teacher. Specialty schools like Merriam generally charge a premium ($35-50 USD per lesson) to access better equipment and facilities, events and guest artists, and professional customer service and administration. And teachers with advanced credentials or established performing careers can charge as much as $100 USD or higher for an hour of instruction.

Merriam’s tuition rates are determined by coaching level (Certified, Specialty, Master), the length of lesson (30 or 60 min), plus any specialty programs like Enriched or Bandchops.

Annual tuition discounts are also available. To find out what program is best, and its related costs, get in touch with our admissions team.

There is a significant debate over the right age to begin singing lessons amongst educators and parents. Many parents’ instincts are to get kids into lessons as soon as they show interest – however, a child’s vocal cords are going through significant growth and development around that age, and they can easily be damaged by incorrect technique or simply over-singing.

Consequently, Merriam Music begins teaching vocal lessons at the age of 8 and up.

Hypothetically you could begin teaching someone to sing at a much younger age, but several dynamics tend to render these lessons redundant, ineffective, and potentially harmful:

The voice is changing so dramatically during this time that techniques and tonal production that were taught one year need to be entirely re-learned the next

Young singers are unable to replicate the stylings, range, dynamics, and tone of their pop singer heroes, leading to either disappointment and disengagement as their teachers prescribe “boring” repertoire that’s appropriate for their physical age, or worse, they try anyway without the teacher’s guidance, leading to significant strain on their voice

Encouraged by improved pitch, dynamics, and repertoire, young singers tend to want to ‘show-and-tell’ their new skills anywhere and everywhere they can. Parents also feel pride in their child having such an admirable skill and encourage the various public displays of their singing. Many parents and students are unsure of how much is too much, and bad habits and over-straining of the voice develop quickly

We will always consider an exception under the right circumstances, but only after an interview and assessment with our department head.

It may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of music lessons – but singing lessons can actually be the fastest route to musical satisfaction. Almost everyone sings at some level, and probably has developed more musical foundation than they realize. Compare that with starting piano lessons, guitar lessons, or saxophone lessons, where the physical playing of the instrument would be entirely foreign on day one.

A second great reason to take them is that learning to sing with confidence, and in public, can be a huge boost to your confidence and social skills. Gaining the comfort to sing in public actually leads to better conversational skills and public speaking, because in many cases you’re overcoming a lot of the same anxieties and inhibitions.