Is perceived progress in singing performance necessarily a good indicator of the quality of the teaching method?

Question

I'm taking singing lessons from a few teachers; I am trying to figure out, in a reasonable way, which teacher to stick with.

I'm in a situation though, when I don't have a way to evaluate the quality of the teacher (eg. credentials, renowned school, etc.).

Generally speaking, is perceived progress in singing performance necessarily a good indicator of the quality of the teaching method?

I have experience in other fields (eg.) sports, but progress doesn't always implies learning a correct structure (eg., in a given sport, one may increase strength, but not technique, and lead to the false impression that the increase in performance is appropriate).

How easy is to develop "hidden" or subtle bad habits, in singing?

If I (perceivedly) improve using a given method, is that a good enough reason to stick with it?

Answer 1

This is very subjective. The quality of a particular teaching method is only one factor. It may be very good quality but not necessarily suit all students, or teachers, for that matter. Teachers of experience will have developed their own strategies (hopefully) and so be able to adapt to the individual pupils. So there may not even be what you call a 'quality method' that fits all.

Your 'perceived progress' is rather dependent, too. It may well not only be the method one teacher uses, but the personal reaction between the two of you. If it's good, you'll want to do more, and the progress will be better. How that progress is quantified is another issue. Just feeling that you're getting better is o.k., but it's not much of a yardstick.

Taking exams is the tried and tested method to check progress, but in your case, that's not easy with several teachers. Which one was most responsible for your pass? Who knows!

How would you know that a particular method works best? Maybe stick with only one for a few months, recording yourself regularly. Listen back to judge improvements. Then try another, then another. But time is passing by. If you have the time to do all that each tutor is asking of you, keep going to all, and use what you consider the best bits from each. I don't think there is an absolute answer to your question in the circumstances.