Do All Singers Need Classical Training?

There’s a debate happening right now in the voice world.

On one side, the traditional view:

If you study classical technique, you can sing anything.

On the other, a growing reaction:

You don’t need classical training at all to sing contemporary styles.

If I’m honest, I don’t fully agree with either. I fall somewhere in between.

The Problem with “Classical Can Do Everything”

For a long time, classical training was treated as the universal solution.

Teachers would tell you to build the voice classically, and everything else will fall into place.

And to be fair, there’s truth in that.

Classical training develops:

• breath coordination

• resonance

• legato

• consistency across the range

These are not stylistic choices. They are functional skills.

But here’s where I think the old model falls short:

Classical technique doesn’t automatically teach style.

A singer can have a beautiful, well-coordinated classical sound and still struggle to sing contemporary musical theatre, pop, or belt in a way that feels authentic.

Musical Theatre Is Its Own Discipline

As Mary Saunders writes in Bel Canto Can Belto:

“Musical Theatre training is no longer proceeding as if it were an extension of operetta. It has its own very specific technical demands that can’t be successfully addressed within the confines of classical pedagogy.”

This is something I deeply agree with.

Musical theatre has evolved. The sound has changed. The expectations are different. Today’s singers are asked to navigate multiple coordinations and stylistic demands that require more than just a classical approach.

And yet, the voice itself has not changed.

Which means we can’t simply abandon foundational training in the name of style.

The Problem with “You Don’t Need Classical”

In response, some teachers have moved in the opposite direction:

You don’t need classical training at all.

Just train directly in the style you want to sing.

But this often leads to a different issue:

Training sound without building the instrument.

Saunders offers an important caution here:

“You will be unwise to encourage your students to venture into the style that we call belting before they have a well developed head voice and the ability to sustain a smooth legato line or consistent vibrato.”

This gets at the heart of the issue.

Without:

• a developed head voice

• legato

• consistent vibrato

singers are often relying on effort rather than coordination.

That’s not sustainable.

Belting Is Not Instead Of

Perhaps the most important line from Saunders is this:

“Belting is not instead of, it’s in addition to.”

I would take it one step further:

Belting is only sustainable because of what comes before it.

A well-developed head voice gives the instrument flexibility.

Legato builds efficiency and connection.

Vibrato often reflects balance within the system.

Without those elements, belting becomes unstable and often forced.

A Different Approach: Foundation + Cross-Training

So where does that leave us?

For me, the answer is not choosing one side over the other.

It’s integration.

Classical technique is the foundation.

But it’s not the full picture.

We build the voice first using time-tested principles of coordination and efficiency.

Then we cross-train.

We teach singers how to adapt that instrument to:

• musical theatre

• mix and belt

• contemporary styles

Not by abandoning technique, but by applying it with intention.

Final Thought

I don’t believe classical training is everything.

But I also don’t believe it’s optional.

It’s the starting point.

Not the destination.

And when we approach training this way, we move beyond the debate and start building singers who are not only versatile, but sustainable.

By Meagan Mayne