The 20 Hour Course
For those getting started and teachers who want to fill in the gaps
What's in the course
The BAST 20-Hour course will introduce you to the fundamentals of being a great singing teacher.
In this course, you will learn everything we wished we’d known when we started out! Our goal is to ensure you feel confident and equipped to get started on your singing teacher journey.
Content
- Basic anatomy and physiology of the larynx and respiratory system
- Teaching and learning styles, goals and methods
- Teaching tools – sounds, scales and instruction
- Assessment – body, and voice (spoken and sung)
- Acquiring a history
- Voice classifications
- Vocal registers
- The transition between vocal registers
- Diagnosing the voice (spoken and sung)
- Vowels and consonants
- Intro to formants and harmonics
- Vowel tuning
- Vocal exercises – The what, how, when
- Application into song
- Repertoire
- Learning styles and teaching strategies
- Considerations in teaching children, teens, adults and the elderly
- Motivating students and your self
- Vocal pathology
- Vocal health advice
- Setting up your studio
- Teaching online
- Good business practices
- How to market your service
Length
20 hours in total either over 10 weeks or as an intensive.
Learning objectives
To get the student teacher to a place where they feel comfortable and equipped to start teaching one-to-one singing lessons.
Delivery
Lectures, interactive practical exercises, Q&A, and discussion. The class is recorded and the presentations, audio, and weekly resources will be made available for download by the student.
Self-study
We encourage self-study. You are an adult and we hope that you will put in the work required to get good at this job. There is only so much we can do in 2 hours a week, so the rest is up to you. Each week has an accompanying Pop Quiz and we have tons of suggested self-study activities and reading to recommend between classes.
Resources and references are available at the end of every class presentation.
Evaluation
There is no formal assessment made on this course (yet…). Your BAST Trainer will be making an ongoing evaluation and will guide and advise individuals as to the areas they need further work on as well as where they may be able to gain further skills or knowledge if appropriate.
On completion
You will receive:
- a Certificate of Attendance signed by your BAST Trainer (minimum 90% attendance + Keyboard and BAST Scales Test)
- 12 months Free BAST Membership where you can meet previous BAST grads, Teaching clinics, educational webinars & training videos, connect with other singing teachers, get discounts off BAST and partner events, products and resources, 21 issues of iSingmag, a 14 lesson Vocal Warm Up Course and access to all the trainers for advice and support PLUS more.
- Access to the BAST Singing Teacher’s Members Community Group
- First notification of future BAST discounts on educational events and offers
Eligibility
We highly recommend you have the minimum of the following:
1. Three-five years of performance experience and/or a qualification in music/performance/singing from a recognised university or college.
2. Basic keyboard skills are preferred but not essential to begin the course. As a requirement to get the course certificate, you need to pass (60%) the Keyboard & Scales Evaluation Test. We believe that to teach effectively you need, at the very least, be able to play scales, arpeggios and root-position chords. It is therefore highly recommended non-players get piano lessons.
3. Basic Music theory is preferred but not essential to begin the course. All the note names including #’s and ♭’s , triad and seventh chords, commonly used time signatures (2/2, 4/4, 3/4, 12/8), note and rest values plus their dotted values, triplet. All Major scales and triads. Note values Semi Quaver (Sixteenth Note) Quaver (Eight Note), Crotchet (Quarter Note), Minim (Half Note) and Semi Breve (Whole Note), dotted and their rests.
Test yourself
There is a basic online course we have created for those who need development in this area. To find out if you already know what’s needed and/or to do the BAST Keyboard & Scales course JOIN or LOGIN to the Free BAST Membership and go to the Pop Quizzes and Course Section.
