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| - The good news is Michael Daniel is the exception, not the rule. If you don't want to read the entire review, please consider the following before going to any instructor. 1.) Do not prepay for any lessons without a firm date and time set in place. 2.) Always audition the instructor. If he claims to be a vocal instructor, check out his/her website, or ask them to sing something or play something if they play an instrument. If you don't like what you hear, you just saved yourself some money, time, and freedom from further aggravation. 3.) Be wary, skeptical, and cautious of any outrageous claims that seem too good to be true. If the teacher makes a claim to be a rock god vocalist/guitarist, ask him about his education and where he studied, who taught him if he studied privately. Oh, and let me qualify that with musical instruction, not business college, not cosmetology. A solid instructor will be the one continually improving his own skills, not just claiming they're the best in the state, country, planet, or universe. Listen to any sound files on their websites. I found out a little too late about the ones on Michael Daniel's site. 4.) Ask the nearest musical instrument retailer for recommended teachers in your area or use websites that prescreen their instructors where you can pay weekly or month to month and have the option of a refund or some other recourse should the first instructor not work out. I went to Michael Daniel at the beginning of 2007 in the hopes that he was an actual voice instructor. Michael markets himself quite well and talks a good game in the beginning. It's very easy in fact to get the first lesson scheduled; however, should you be so bold and go to Michael beyond the first lesson, make sure that you do not prepay him until he has you in a regular time slot. I counted 8 voice messages all within a month's time from Michael that were to reschedule me after the first lesson. I also made the mistake of prepaying him for the 4 lesson package. Most instructors would not even accept prepayment unless they could schedule someone on a regular basis. No self-aggrandizing, sensationalistic statements about overbooking being commensurate with the quality of the instructor make any sense. You're all too wise for that, and can learn from my mistakes. After the first two lessons, it was clear that the package deal was not going to be worth it. I went to a different instructor after canceling and forfeiting the money for the last two lessons with Michael, and it was a night and day difference. I studied with the same teacher for 2 years after Michael Daniel, and never had a bad lesson. Regardless of Michael's claims that he's the best, the 2nd teacher I went to was superior in every possible way. He has a voice and range that are incredible as well. I would go back to him and would recommend the other teacher over Michael any day! A funny thing happened. The 2nd instructor had 3 other guys who had also taken lessons from Michael, and their stories were very similar to mine. I actually went to a few other instructors as well, and every single one of them treated me with respect and encouragement and always were able to schedule me in no matter how busy they were. I am far happier with actual progress I have made over the years from qualified instructors, and Michael ain't even close. After reading another review on this site about the personal attacks from Michael, I can vouch for that also. I was upset to read about someone else having to go through the same experience as it seems many of us have, and wish this site would have been available before I took my first lesson from Michael Daniel. If that had been the case, he never would have gotten a penny out of me.
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