The Importance of Feedback for Singers

To be able to make progress, and this is not only true for singers, we need feedback. Without assessment, we have no reference; we do not know if we are on the right or wrong track. The evaluation guides us to the right direction of our goal.

The best feedback a singer can get is of course from an audience. The audience will judge our whole performance. These are among other things:

• Interaction with the audience
• Accompaniment music
• Movement and gestures
• Clothing
• Voice in general
• Being on pitch and rhythm with the accompaniment
• Friendliness
• Novelty and originality
• Technical aspects like lightning, acoustics of the room, etc.

A positive feedback will keep you going. There is nothing more rewarding than to get a standing ovation.

However, the audience is always subjective: A heavy metal rock singer is not likely to get the criticism he deserves in front of classical music enthusiasts.

Unfortunately, it is inconvenient to get reactions this way. How often do you have the opportunity to play in front of an audience? Beside that, it is difficult to interpret this kind of aggregated feedback.

The next best possibility to get feedback is from a human person. Preferably: A singing teacher. Since it belongs to his daily business, he will be able to give individual hints on the different aspects listed in the beginning. He may give you tailored tips and exercises to improve your singing e.g. posture, breathing, singing techniques, etc. Not all teachers will support all singing styles. However, good professionals are capable of giving neutral and unbiased feedback.

Last but not least, there is computer-supported feedback. They are far behind real persons, but in the dedicated areas, where they can give feedback, they are objective and very competent. The big advantage of computer programs, which can evaluate your singing is that they never get bored. To visit a real teacher for pitch training is very boring for the teacher, he always has to tell you where you are wrong. It is also annoying for you to bother the teacher always with similar mistakes. Just because you need more time to get the concept of an inner ear working for you, does not mean you should not pursue it. To be on pitch and rhythm is such an important part of music that you cannot afford to ignore it. Singing out of tune and rhythm will destroy most of the other effects of a performance. So feedback in these areas is essential.

If you chose software lessons to improve your singing, check that the software can give you feedback on the aspects that you would like to improve. Keep in mind that software, which can evaluate you on pitch and beat, requires a microphone, since the computer has to hear your voice or clapping. Since the software evaluates your accuracy, it can track your progress. Seeing that your scores get better over time, motivates you to continue with the training. The interactivity of programs also makes learning more fun than just watching video tutorials.