Claire Cannon wanted to take her singing teaching career to the next level, so she signed up to Vocology in Practice’s (ViP) Authorised Teacher pathway. Here’s what she took away from the experience.

When it comes to professional development, vocal coach Claire Cannon has a theory, “It’s all about being around people that know more than you,” she says. “If you feel like you know more than anyone else in the room, you need to get out and get into a different room!”

It’s this commitment to learning that has shaped Claire’s career. After graduating from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, Claire worked as a pro singer and taught as a side hustle. When she decided to make singing her primary focus, she didn’t wing it – she turned to BAST Training. “My trainer was Kaya Herstad Carney, and I just loved it,” Claire says.

After studying with BAST, Claire established her own successful business, Claire Cannon Voice.

Becoming a ViP Authorised Teacher

While studying with BAST, Claire settled on the idea that, when the time was right, she would go on to become a ViP Authorised Teacher. [People generally need five years of teaching experience to sign up to the ViP pathway, though anyone can sign up for educational events such as conferences.]

“It took me a while to put the years in, get the experience and build up my knowledge,” Claire says.

When Claire finally joined the ViP Authorised Teacher pathway (incidentally, Kaya is ViP’s Education Director), she welcomed the flexible learning approach as she could juggle study around work and family commitments. It took Claire just over six months to progress through the pathway.

“One of the great things was that it confirmed my knowledge and that what I was doing was correct,” she says. “As singing teachers, most of us are on our own running a business. Students come to us for up-to-date information, so to have that confirmation [that you’re doing the right thing] is great.”

What’s next?

Staying true to her belief that you should never stop learning, Claire now plans to do an MA with the Voice Study Centre.  

“My thing now is to hone in on what my speciality is,” she says. “I think I want to delve a lot more into the artist development side and mentorship. So that’s my next adventure.”

Eligibility criteria

To learn more about ViP and what kind of experience you need to become a ViP Authorised Teacher, listen to our full-length interview with Claire and Kaya on the Singing Teachers Talk podcast.