Singing Lessons in Tennessee

How singing learning works in Tennessee

How does singing fit school music in Tennessee?

Tennessee requires music education in public schools through eighth grade, but that does not mean every student has a dedicated choir class. Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools offers chorus as a middle school elective, with the starting grade varying by school; White Station Middle School in Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Bearden Middle School in Knox County Schools offer choir from sixth grade. In Johnson City, Science Hill’s Topper Chorus is a fall course for ninth graders new to the choral department. A private lesson gives you or your child focused vocal work alongside these different school routes.

Who runs what for Tennessee singers?

For school honors, the Tennessee Music Education Association (TMEA) coordinates All-State choir auditions and honors ensembles, with students entering through their school directors. The Tennessee Music Teachers Association (TMTA) offers a separate spring competition route through local auditions and a state competition. For voice, Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) senior and young artist competitions do not pass through Tennessee state levels, so students prepare for a video preliminary and live national final. These routes serve different goals: school-based group honors, solo competition, or a national performance opportunity.

Auditions and events in Tennessee

How does a singer reach Tennessee's top student honors?

Tennessee singers can pursue school honors through the Middle School Honors Choir and then the All-State choir categories for grades 9–10 or 11–12. A member director may submit up to twelve students in grades 6–8 for the middle school group; its video auditions are followed by January clinics. High school All-State auditions are submitted through school directors, with the annual window in late October and early November and results in November. For solo competition, students enter spring local auditions through the Tennessee Music Teachers Association, where a Superior rating and musicianship requirements open the state competition route. Its application deadline is usually in mid-April.

What do auditions ask you to prepare?

For Tennessee All-State choir, singers use the audition procedures and tracks provided for the season, so your school director is the practical guide to the required material. Middle school Honors Choir auditions are video submissions and ask for an ascending and descending scale and “Dona Nobis Pacem.” TMTA local auditions use Elementary, Junior and Senior categories, and students need a Superior rating plus musicianship requirements to advance. For MTNA senior voice, prepare two art songs in different languages, sung in their original languages, with live piano accompaniment for both video and live rounds. In weekly lessons, an event piece typically takes three to six months to prepare well.

What else is there to enter?

For a judged experience outside school choir honors, the West Tennessee Solo and Ensemble Festival includes solo entries, and singers may perform with or without an accompanist. Its Memphis event is held in April, so students who want to perform independently can prepare a piece with a pianist or sing without one. The festival also welcomes ensemble participation, making it a useful option for students who prefer to perform with others.

Homeschool and private school students

Homeschool students and students at schools without a band or orchestra program can register for Mid-State and All-State Honors Orchestra or Band auditions through Vanderbilt Youth Orchestras in Nashville, but those are not choir auditions. For a singer seeking regular ensemble experience, Nashville Notes offers choir programs for homeschooled students from preschool through high school in Middle Tennessee. These routes let you build musical experience outside a school choir, while keeping the audition option distinct from a vocal honors path.

Starting at any age

Starting a child on singing

A child can begin singing lessons when they can follow a simple tune and enjoy using their voice; there is no need to wait for school choir. Tennessee schools offer different entry points, including sixth-grade choir at several middle schools and a fourth-to-eighth-grade choir at Ethridge School in Lawrence County. Private lessons help a young singer build healthy vocal habits and confidence before an audition, then support the music and skills school choir asks them to develop. Starting before the school route opens gives your child time to learn without rushing.

A teen in Tennessee

A teen can join school choir at different points in Tennessee, with several middle schools starting in sixth grade and some high school programs welcoming new singers. All-State choir auditions follow a defined fall window, while the Tennessee Music Teachers Association’s solo competition route takes place in spring. A teen balancing classes, rehearsals and other activities benefits from weekly lessons that keep vocal technique moving forward between school commitments. The right route depends on whether your teen wants a choir honor, solo competition, or simply stronger singing at school.

Starting or coming back as an adult

Adults can start singing or return to it at any age, and Tennessee has several ways to sing with others. The Oak Ridge Chorus welcomes all voice types and uses a vocal hearing for placement; in Knoxville, adults age 18 and older can audition for the Knoxville Choral Society, where prior choral experience is helpful but not required. A weekly one-on-one teacher meets you at your current level, whether you are learning the basics or rebuilding confidence after time away.

Finding the right teacher

What should a good singing teacher do?

A strong voice teacher builds healthy technique while choosing music that suits the singer’s age, voice and goals. For a Tennessee student aiming at choir honors, that means steady work on the skills needed for auditions; for an adult, it may mean developing confidence and a comfortable sound. Fit matters because students make better progress with a teacher whose pace and way of explaining feel right to them. Every Lesson With You teacher holds at least a bachelor’s degree in voice. You can choose a teacher yourself or ask us to recommend one, and switch teachers at no cost if the fit is not right.

How do live online singing lessons work?

A live Zoom singing lesson lets the teacher hear pitch, tone, breath and phrasing in real time, then offer feedback while you sing again. Set up in a quiet room with your device at face height so the teacher can see your posture and breathing; a piano or backing track can be used when the music calls for it. Unlike a studio visit, there is no commute, and you can work with a teacher who fits your voice rather than choosing only by location. In Nashville or Nolensville, you get the same one-on-one weekly lesson and the same choice of teachers.

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Singing in Tennessee

Where to hear singing

Tennessee offers several ways to hear singers alongside other musicians. In Memphis, Opera Memphis presents free performances throughout the city during 30 Days of Opera each September. Many University of Tennessee at Chattanooga music department concerts, recitals, and performances are free to the public, while in Nashville, students can attend eligible Chamber Music City concerts for $10. These contrasting performances let you hear how voice works in opera, chamber music, and other live settings.

Where to play with others

Tennessee adults can sing with the Dyersburg Choral Society, an adult volunteer group open to all that asks for a sincere interest in singing and regular rehearsal attendance. In Cookeville, Mastersingers offers another concert-focused option; singers are expected to attend at least 80 percent of rehearsals or demonstrate that they know the concert music. Those groups suit adults looking for regular ensemble work, while individual lessons help you build the confidence and vocal skills to contribute.

Singing around Tennessee, area by area

Nashville area

Nashville offers families several ways to hear vocal and instrumental music together. The Nashville Symphony has college-student ticket offers, while Vanderbilt Blair Academy performances are free and open to the public. For singers, the Nashville Community Choir gives adults a non-auditioned ensemble option. The area’s mix of choral groups and concerts makes it easier to connect private vocal study with live music and group singing.

Memphis area

In Memphis, the Memphis Youth Symphony Program’s fall concerts offer students and seniors a chance to hear live orchestral music. The city’s musical life includes a range of performance styles, so a singer can listen beyond choir repertoire and notice how phrasing and expression change across settings. That broader listening can help you or your child make more informed choices about the music to explore in lessons.

Knoxville area

Knoxville offers a welcoming youth choir option through Concord United, which accepts students in grades 6–12 without auditions or tryouts. Families can also hear Knoxville Symphony Masterworks or Roy Cockrum Chamber Series concerts, where children 12 and under from Knox and surrounding counties attend free with a paying adult. Many University of Tennessee music concerts, recitals and showcases are free, giving singers and families more chances to hear live performance.

Chattanooga area

Chattanooga singers can explore the Chattanooga Girls Choir, which offers a youth choral setting, while families have a strong concert option in the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera. Most performances offer a student and child ticket discount, so hearing orchestral and operatic repertoire is accessible to young listeners. Those live experiences can help a singer connect vocal technique with the larger sound and storytelling of staged music.

Clarksville area

Clarksville’s free Downtown @ Sundown concerts bring families together for live music at Downtown Commons during the warmer months. Young singers can hear performers and styles beyond school repertoire, then carry that listening into their own musical choices. A shared concert outing can make listening an enjoyable part of a student’s musical life.

Kingsport area

In Kingsport, First Presbyterian Church-Kingsport’s Chancel Choir is open to adults and advanced high schoolers, and interested singers can receive vocal training there. The group rehearses weekly, giving singers a regular place to work on ensemble sound alongside individual study. The city’s Twilight Alive series also offers eight weeks of free downtown live music for families to enjoy.

Johnson City area

Johnson City offers the East Tennessee Children’s Choir, which rehearses weekly during the school year. Young singers get a dedicated choral experience, while the Johnson City Community Concert Band presents four to six free concerts each year for families to hear live ensemble music. Listening to instrumental groups can also help singers notice blend, phrasing and musical shape.

Morristown area

Morristown’s Walters State Community College Morristown Campus Community Band concert is free to attend. The campus also presents John Rutter’s Requiem with the Morristown and Sevier County Campus Chamber Choirs. Hearing the band and a large choral work offers two distinct ways to experience live music in Morristown.

A little singing history in Tennessee

Tennessee’s singing traditions include both concert choir and regional forms. The Fisk Jubilee Singers began in Nashville in 1871 as a nine-member student ensemble and continue to sing Negro spirituals, an important part of the state’s choral history. In Wear’s Valley, Old Harp singing has been centered for more than a century, with its convention held each year in late September. These traditions show young singers that vocal music here can carry history as well as technique, and give adults a meaningful connection to the sound and community of the region.