how long shoud u practice and is it bad to practice 4-6 howers a day for a 14 teen year old?

Question

( i am asking all vocalists and vocal teachers/coaches

Answer 1

good lord! it's amazing that you haven't used your voice up already!
You are 14, still growing, still in need of lots of sleep, good food, fresh air. You voice probably hasn't settled into its adult form yet. 4-6 hours a day is NOT GOOD.
I'm a professional singer. I work in an opera house. We have 2 4-hour rehearsal sessions a day when we are doing the staging for a show. We very rarely sing that whole time, as we are getting used to the movements on stage ( go left NOW!). None of us would sing that long.
True, we warm up for 15-20 minutes. When we are just rehearsing the music, we can go for 2 hours, but with small breaks, and lots of water to sip in between.
If your schedule allows it, stagger your sessions into smaller time units. Your first warm-up of the day should be no longer than 15-20 minutes. Touch on the basics of breath support and middle register, but no extended excusrions into the upper or lower register until you feel you are completely warmed.up. then, 30 minutes sessions 2 to 3 times during the day, and a gentle warm down in the evening before bed, to "smooth out the wrinkles" of the day. Maybe 5 minutes.
As you gain in endurance and stamina, then you can gradually ( and this is over months) increase your sessions. Otherwise you are going to hurt yourself. A voice is meant to last a lifetime, and sometimes it just takes time to get it sturdy enough to do so.
Best wishes and keep on singing ( only a little less :)))

Answer 2

What's a "Hower?" and someone is "14 teen?"Jeepers. For starters, I think I'd concentrate on academics. BUT that's not the question.

OK. I'm also assuming somewhere out there is a 14 year old who doesn't want to practice.

Here's what I did as a teenager. Although I'm a violinist, the same goes for other instruments - including voice.

Warm up - 10 - 15 min
Exercises - 10 - 15 min
Recital pieces - 20 - 30 min
Warm down - 10 - 15 min.

Hey, there's over an hour right there! No fair!

Do this practice routine 3 - 4 times a day every day 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

BUT WHEN? Well, here's the absolute minimum. And yes, I tell my private students this as well.

Get up at 6 a.m. Practice an hour. Go to school.
Come home from school. Practice an hour.
After supper/before homework. Practice an hour
Do homework. Go to bed.

Now do take note: this schedule can be modified for performances, rehearsals etc. but this is the general idea. And no you don't get off for summer vacation.

I did this for 17 years - from the time I was 4 years old until I graduated from college. Did I like it? No. But that's the kind of commitment you have to have to make it. You won't get on center stage by jabbering on the phone with your pals.

Answer 3

I am a strings teacher for public school and private lessons. If your daughter is taking violin through the school and this is her first year, she should practice a minimum of 60 minutes per week, spread out over at least 3 different days. This will give her some freedom as to when she puts the time in and might make her feel like it's her decision. After a while you may want to up her time to 90 minutes per week. After several years of playing, daily practice of at least 30 minutes is required. Sometimes in the first year there is not as much material to practice, and if no private lessons are being taken techniques may be practiced incorrectly at home so it is best not to force too much practice time in the very beginning. 60 minutes per week is just fine.

Answer 4

At 14, I doubt your voice is mature enough to take on 4-6 hours a day of rehearsals, especially if you're working on anything strenuous. I'd say no more than 1-2 hours a day, at least until your voice matures some more.

Also, if you are spending that many hours rehearsing each day, you really don't have time to do anything else once you've done your schoolwork. No matter how dedicated you are to your craft, you still need to make time for other activities that you find fun. You'll burn yourself out way too quickly if you don't find time to have fun every once in a while.

Answer 5

YES!!!!!!!!
you shouldnt practice more than a few hours a day, 2/3 at most of straight singing...even then you should break it up into 30 min - hour sessions, dont sing 3 hours straight. (if you are in choir - mouth it some times, sing along in your head)
it is very damaging to your vocal chords to sing to fatigue. if your voice feels hoarse or sore or tired or bad in any way- STOP. That is damaging to anyone at any age. Do not do it or your voice will be trashed and you wont be able to use it but a few more years.

Answer 6

YES! That is way too much for anyone! Singing is different than all other types of music practice because it is actually your body. Imagine running for 6+ hours a day....that is crazy. The absolute most you should sing for someone your age should be an hour. Make sure you completely warm up your voice and if something hurts, stop singing.

Answer 7

i've been taking singing lessons for just over a year now and 4-6 hours a day is pretty intense - especially for a 14 year old. i'm no expert but i can only imagine that that would be doing more harm than good. exercising your chords for so long will eventually do damage if it hasn't already. i'd cut it back to 1-2 hours a day if i were you.

Answer 8

i think the duration of your singing depends on you really, but singing for 4-6 hours straight is definitely not good. i sing about 2 hours a day you could probably go on for another hour and still be good. Just make sure you drink lots of water or else your vocal chords will get dry and usually hurts it in the process when it's overworked.

have fun singing =]

Answer 9

If you're doing it nonstop, definitely excessive.

I'd try to keep it to fewer hours a day, and I'd consider breaking the practice sessions up into several shorter ones. You'll improve faster that way, and you'll give the pipes a chance to rebound in the rest periods. You'll probably find that four or five half-hours will advance your abilities just as well as one six-hour grind.

Answer 10

i do think that is too much. i myself sing at school and on hectic days the most i practice is about 3 hours, spread apart throughout the day. i think it really has nothing to do with your age, but for anyone, excessive singing can wear you out, mentally and vocally. take a break, or if you really want to practice, you can always hum softly, just try not to stress your vocal chords too much