I nearly quit teaching!!

December 2023 - I had 18 gigs. Yes you read that right. EIGHTEEN gigs! I was living the life. Waking up late, going to the gym, learning songs, getting all glammed up to go and sing - go and do the thing I love doing so much. Sing. I love singing. I don't know when I fell in love with it. I grew up in a really musical family so there was always singing and music around. My mother was a full time jazz singer/pianist. She had (and still has) the best taste in music, was always writing music for us to sing, and making us 4 kids sing in harmony. Blessed to grow up in that kind of environment (the music was mostly jazz/soul/rnb/calssical and all the classic folk/story tellers like James Taylor, Carole King and Joni MItchell)

I had my first gig at 18 years old. In a small cafe, singing my original songs and covers - playing guitar to accompnay myself, with another young guitarist for support. Was the dream.

I started doing jazz gigs a few years later after many open mics and some travelling.

In 2008, someone asked me to teach them how to sing 'like youuu Lauren!".. I said "I can't do that but I can try to help you sing better - and like youuu. Here are some lip bubbles and scales etc...."

So off we went.... then someone else asked me.. then someone else... Well - quite quickly I found out I was quite good at teaching. In 2009 I started teaching in a local music school and in 2011 did a 1 year certification in Vocal Pedagogy at the Queensland Conservatoirum of Music in Brisbane, Australia (yes I'm Australian!)

I've loved it ever since.

But fast-forward to January 2024 - 16 years later - when I told myself - I'm going to quit teaching. I'm getting a little bored of teaching beginners, of teaching breathing - aaand I just had 18 gigs in a month - and all I want to do was sing for a living! Well, it was just like I was having a meeting with all of my team members: Me, Myself and I. So, it went like this:

Me: I want to quit teaching singing.

Myself: Oh no you can't do that!

Me: Why not??

Myself: Because you haven't finished teaching yet. You haven't impacted the people you want to impact, and you haven't met the students who you need and who need you. You have so much more to give and teach and learn - and you know it!

I: I agree with Myself. You are just on a high from having so many gigs in December and for Christmas - but you will really miss teaching if you quit now.

Me: Well - ok, I hear you both. But if I keep teaching, something's gotta change. I can't keep doing it the same way I've been doing it for the past 15 years. I'm playing too small, and I don't have enough commitment from myself OR from my students.

I: Well you really need to charge more to begin with. You've been charging the same amount for years now and you have grown and you need to value yourself. You have so much to give and offer: not just technical singing lessons, but also performance, style, songwriting, piano, guitar, you have recording facilities AND you have loads of gigs and performance opportunities for your students!

Myself: Also, you need to organise some courses/workshops/and start a membership program.. things like that.

Me: It sounds great- it sounds big and scary! But I do have a friend that runs a business course to sort that side out.... and I'd love to do more study - there's another pedagogy course I want to do to make sure I'm still at the top of my game!!

Myself: Sounds perfect!

Me: It's £4000 investment - but it will make a huge difference.

I: You got this.

Me: Alright. I'm in. I'm All In!

Everybody: Woohooo!

And htere you have it. London Vocal Coaching and London Vocal Coaching Academy was basically born out of that discussion one gloomy day in January 2024. There were a few family issues that slowed me down a little, but I'm back on the ball now and making big plans for 2025!!

Watch this space!

xoxo