The way in which you equip and design your studio can have marked effects on the comfort of the student and the results you can achieve during a single lesson. The studio should be at least 12 feet square and the middle of the room should be clear of any obstruction. Include a mirror on one wall of the studio so the student can watch himself while he sings. You should also include a simple karaoke machine and a tape recorder. If you only plan to teach voice in your studio, only have the materials available to do so. For example, it is unnecessary to display every book that you own about music. If a student requests a book that you do not have available in the office, bring it to the next lesson.
Include a music stand and a single chair for yourself in your studio. Your students should not be sitting while they practice. Have plenty of music and compact discs available in the studio. If you plan to assign a certain piece of music, you should have a recording of that piece for the student to study. Finally, your studio should be equipped with a piano or keyboard for vocal warm-ups and pitch matching. If you have some experience on the piano, it can be helpful for the student if you accompany them while they sing.
Begin each lesson with a warm-up, both physical and mental. These warm-ups can be designed to fit an individual student but should include some circles with the arms and some vocal glissandos. If you have a piano available, perform some scale warm-ups for the student to match. This type of warm-up works very well to develop pitch matching and vocal range. The warm-up should last no more than five minutes for a half hour lesson. This time can be doubled if you plan to teach the student for an hour.
Follow the warm-ups by reviewing what the student learned the previous week. If this is the first lesson, you can use this time to move on to method books or sight reading. For everything the student sings, provide three ways in which the student excelled and two ways in which she can improve. This reinforcement maintains interest and corrects mistakes while still promoting a positive attitude. If the pieces assigned the previous week are acceptable in performance, you can assign new material. However, if significant work should be done on the piece, you may assign it for an additional week. Avoid assigning the same piece for more than two weeks. Doing so can cause the student to lose interest. Instead, assign a different piece that addresses the same issues.