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I've always had two loves in music: voice and piano. It always seems, however, that I can't possibly progress at both simultaneously, so generally it's been one maintaining and one progressing. For the past 6 months or so, it's been voice that has been progressing, and piano just maintaining.

I've decided to try and see what kind of career I can make from singing while still teaching. I will keep my piano students that I have, mostly are at the beginner and intermediate levels, and only add voice students. When the piano students progress beyond my abilities to teach them, then I'll refer them out. I let my piano teacher know today that I would not be continuing lessons, and she seemed to think that it was a good decision. I've never really dreamed of making a career out of performing piano, even though I do a lot of accompanying. So I'll maintain what I do, perhaps working on pieces at a leisurely pace, but there's just not enough time in the day for me to do both.

Does anyone else have this issue? I don't want to not play piano, because I do love it, but it's just come to a point where the choice had to be made. Has anyone else gone through something similar?

I had to choose between piano and violin in 10th grade. I dropped violin because I was a little better at the piano. My violin teacher was angry about my decision. Then I changed piano teachers to someone much better.

And then in college I picked up voice along with piano. Now I teach both piano and chorus. I think I'm much better at the piano than singing. In an ideal world, I'd have lessons on all three: piano, voice, and violin. But I know life is too short to be great at all three. I also like composition, but that gets totally swept to the side.

I have had similar problems as you. I played two instruments, piano and violin at the time and I chose piano over violin because it was my first love and also because my violin teacher's tuition was getting to the level that I could not afford. I still play the violin, but am no longer taking lessons and now I'm taking lessons in the viola as well. I took lessons in voice but stopped, so singing is possible for me too.

I think that a choice always has to be made. It's not the best thing to go through and yes, it's always tough, but the way that I see it is this: It's better to do one instrument justice, then give both instruments only half your heart.

Me too! I'm hoping that with my reorganizing of my life I'll be able to have the time to compose as well. I've got some songs just sitting in my brain that will eventually need to come out.

Yes, that is what I've been thinking. Generally what I would do is switch focus from piano to voice and back again, but lately voice has stayed in the forefront. I will always love piano, so I'm sad to "give up" like this, but I do not wish to have a career in performing piano, and I do in voice. It's not easy, is it?

That's what I hoped my daughter would do, but she chose ballet instead of violin and has been very happy since joinging SF Ballet School.

Do you consider joining a chorus as studying voice? I was thinking of hiring a voice teacher, but both her piano and theory teachers recommended chorus, so she has joined SF Girls Chorus. The teacher there has assigned her to the soprano part.

I think joining a chorus is beneficial for all pianists. Singing helps phrasing and articulations. My "singer" students are better at phrasing (though they aren't the best pianists in my studio). Learning a second instrument also helps.

I have one student who takes dance lessons three times a week. It hasn't done anything to help her with rhythm. I think it's just a case of girls wanting to have fun.

I hate hearing this "one day, some day you'll have to choose" talk. I do voice and piano, much like you Morodiene. I am still young and don't know what I am going to do with it. I am a lot more advanced with voice than piano. I still love piano a lot. I hate to see the day where I have to choose!

Rebekah,
I felt that way up until very recently. But now I don't feel like I've "chosen," but that at this point in my life, I'm doing more voice than piano. And really, I've just decided to make a career out of voice and not piano, quit piano lessons, but I'm playing piano as much as I did before. I don't ever think I thought of making a career out of piano performance, but voice was always there as a possibility.

Ohh ok... you know my mum made me choose last night, she said next year she wants my brother to do some extra cirricular activity which means I have to sacrifice one of mine!