Per Bristow – Sing with Freedom Complete Review
I have been wanting to review Per Bristow’s singing program for quite some time. Finally, I have this chance sit down and take an in-depth look at Per Bristow’s singing program Sing with Freedom.
From all the promo videos on Youtube, Los Angeles Vocal Coach Per Bristow seems to be quite a sensation among singers from different areas in the United States.
Just how good is Per Bristow’s training program Sing with Freedom? I will try to offer my unique perspective on this singing program in this review.
Sing with Freedom Review Summary
Product: Sing with Freedom
Description: This is an online singing program produced by Los Angeles Vocal Coach Per Bristow that focuses on relieving the muscular tension of the singers’ vocal mechanism. This program provides four weeks of vocal training for singers, as well as bonus courses including sight singing, rhythm training, ear training, video Q&A, etc.
Price: $147 USD
Best for: Beginner to Intermediate level singers
Product Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Recommended: Not really.
Who is Vocal Coach Per Bristow? Is he a legit vocal coach? Yes!
There’s not much detailed information about the background of Per Bristow. Not that I’m trying to investigate on him, but with a name like that, you do get curious about his background.
Per Bristow is a professional singer, actor, vocal and performance coach originally from Sweden and now based in Los Angeles. His live singing events attract large crowds of singers and musicians to attend in many different countries. It’s pretty impressive – I must admit!
I can tell from the interactions he has with his students that Per Bristow is a very charismatic character and people just love him!
I’m not trying to be shallow, but if he can be inspiring to a following like that, whatever instructions you give to them will have positive effects in their pursuit to be great singers.
Well, an online singing program is another story…
I don’t like this singing program…if you’re looking for a quick answer in this review.
I know Per is great on a live stage as a teacher, but an online singing program is a totally different thing when it comes to teaching singing lessons.
I took a thorough look at his singing program Sing with Freedom, and I was not impressed.
Sing with Freedom is bundled up in the same package as the monthly training program of The Singing Zone for the entire year, with a monthly membership fee of $67 starting the second month.
I think it’s reasonably fair to say that Sing with Freedom is basically Per Bristow’s introductory training program for singers for the first month of training at The Singing Zone platform.
The design of The Singing Zone training platform is not a very user-friendly one. I was a little confused as to where to start when I first looked at it.
Very confusing menu and sidebar in the homepage!
Since I purchased the Sing with Freedom course, I decided to concentrate on this main course first and check out the rest later.
Sing with Freedom contains four weeks of training to free the voice of any tension and constriction, so the singer can sing more freely.
Each week focuses on a different topic to build the foundation of the voice:
1. Week 1 – Awareness and the Road to Freedom
2. Week 2 – Strength, Power, Richness, and even greater freedom
3. Week 3 – Developing Range and Freedom
4. Week 4 – The Magic of Free Breathing
Taking a Closer Look at the Weekly Training…
The highlight of the weekly training is the main video lesson of Per Bristow teaching for approx. 40 minutes, which is close to the length of a traditional private voice lesson.
With a voice teacher of Per Bristow’s status, a student could get a lot of values out of a full private lesson with him.
However, an online video lesson is DIFFERENT!
Watching a voice lesson on video for 40 minutes is too long, because of the absence of interaction between the teacher and the student.
In my opinion, a video lesson for an online singing program needs to be very concise and to the point. The teacher should have students do vocal exercises as soon as possible.
But with Week 1 training, I see this really long video of Per Bristow talking and explaining his methods, and of course, he lets us do vocal exercises with him in the video.
One long video lesson.
Did I mention that there’s no visual aid in the video lesson? The only thing you get to see is the teacher talking for the whole lesson.
I’m not saying there’s no value in his video lessons – I’m sure he’s a great voice teacher, but after watching the lesson for 10 minutes or more, it’s very easy for the students to tune out!
The video is just not that interesting to watch except Per’s handsome face.
From his delivery in the video, I can somehow sense that the lesson is not carefully scripted, or not scripted at all.
If he could teach in front of the camera for 40 minutes spontaneously, it IS impressive, but not helpful for students, because it implies that the video content is probably not well-thought out or polished enough.
Fortunately, there is a PDF lesson workbook that explains in details what is being taught in the main lesson.
Some additional articles are included as recommended reading in the week 1 module. Well, it’s nice to have but not necessary for the training itself.
Okay…week 2, 3, and 4 modules are the same format with additional interviews of vocal experts in week 4. That’s basically the whole picture of the main vocal training of Sing with Freedom. I’ll get to the bonus training materials in a moment.
That’s it with the main vocal training? What’s next…
If you want to continue your main vocal training, you will have to pay a monthly membership fee of $67 to join the complete The Singing Zone training for month 2-12.
Sigh…I really want to start complaining, but I will finished with the bonus courses before I do that.
There are bonus courses on ear training, sight reading, rhythm training, and video Q & A.
My favorite bonus course is the Video Q & A section in which Per answers questions various students have in recorded videos, which is pretty cool, I must say, because he is interacting with students live and solving their vocal problems in the sessions.
Okay, this is what I really think about this…
Sing with Freedom is the first month singing training of the The Singing Zone curriculum.
The bonus courses are nice, but the most important course is the 4-week vocal training that I showed you earlier.
Let’s say for my weekly training – Do I have to watch the long video lesson every single day for training?
At least there should be audio files of vocal exercises for students to practice everyday. But no, the long video lesson is what you get for practice during the week.
Let me clarify that there IS an audio tracks section in the platform that has some audio tracks for the students to sing with, but those are not really practice routines but song tracks for the training starting in month 2.
The whole program is not refined enough, and thus, its effectiveness will be very limited for students.
Frankly, $147 for a not very well-designed singing curriculum is totally not worth it.
If you are looking for a complete vocal training program that’s well-rounded and most effective for singers of all levels, I recommend Robert Lunte’s singing program The Four Pillars of Singing. It is a brilliant, most detailed, and complete vocal training system online. (Read my review.)
Objection! There are so much training materials in Sing with Freedom…
Yes, if you include the bonus courses of sighting singing, rhythm training, ear training, and all the other classes, there are quite a lot of materials on the platform included in the Sing with Freedom package of $147.
However, MORE doesn’t mean BETTER or GOOD, just more!
You could give me a hundred courses on the site, but I wouldn’t need it.
If you just look at the most important 4 week vocal training of Sing with Freedom, the training materials are too simplified and not well-thought out.
$147 for a singing program like this is NOT WORTH THE PRICE!
If you are looking for a complete online singing program for singers of all levels, you will most definitely benefit from Robert Lunte’s The Four Pillars of Singing.
The price for Robert Lunte’s program is $199 for lifetime access, and you won’t be needing to spend another dime for more training materials, because there are hundreds high quality video lessons, audio mp3, training routines, and many others.
Robert’s vocal system is very sophisticated and yet most comprehensive. I can’t say enough about it. Go check it out! (See my review HERE)
The Pros and Cons of Per Bristow’s Sing with Freedom
Let me sum up this review by giving you the pros and cons of Sing with Freedom.
The Pros:
1. Taught by popular vocal coach Per Bristow himself.
2. Four weeks of fundamental vocal training that relieve vocal tension.
3. Many bonus courses included in the Sing with Freedom package.
4. PDF workbooks of weekly lesson provided for each week’s training.
5. Video Q and A providing solutions for students vocal question.
The Cons:
1. Weekly video lessons tediously long with not visual aid.
2. Lack of audio training tracks for practice.
3. Main vocal training only includes the first four weeks of training.
4. A monthly membership fee of $67 starting the second month if you were to join The Singing Zone program starting on the second month.
5. Sing with Freedom is overpriced at $147 USD.
Finally, Should I join Per Bristow’s singing program Sing with Freedom?
I do not recommend this singing program. I don’t think it will benefit students at all, because the training routines and curriculum are not very well-designed.
It really surprised me that a popular vocal coach like Per Bristow would produce a singing program at this mediocre level. I mean he can really sing. Watch this video of him teaching and demonstrating:
I’m sure Per is a very effective voice teacher in a traditional voice lesson, but an online singing program has its format and structure. I don’t think Per did a very good job in producing and designing the Sing with Freedom singing program.
Which singing program should you invest in then?
Well, if you’re a beginner looking to start your vocal training, I would recommend 30 Day Singer produced by Guitar Tricks. It’s one of the best singing program for beginner I have ever seen.
If you are looking for a complete training program for singers of all levels, I would sugges you invest in Robert Lunte’s The Four Pillars of Singing with lifetime access to the training platform.
If you have any questions, comment below and I’ll be more than happy to discuss with you.
To great singing,
Rex
Thank you Rex, I have been a singer most of my 60 + yrs. and I accompany on drums with bands and solo guitar. I was looking for help with my voice because of soreness and my range dropping over the last 2 yrs. I was looking to join the singing zone but, after reading your email review , I will look into Robt. Lunte’s program. What do you sugest for hydration of the vocal chords or soreness. Thank you, Salvador
Salvador,
I applaud you for looking to improve your singing voice. Hydration is easy to attain. Use a spray bottle and fill it with drinking water. Spray water down your throat. This is not the same as drinking water because drinking activates the swallowing muscles which block off the vocal cords from the water drank down the throat. Soreness is a more complex issue. Do you get sore from speaking or singing? If so, it’s most likely from incorrect vocal technique that can be corrected through vocal training. If you just have soreness without doing anything, then you probably need to see an Ear Nose and Throat doctor.
Rex
It’s obvious from your review that you didn’t actually try the program. You talk about ‘watching’ and ‘listening’.
1. One of the first instructions is to DO it. Just watching does not give you an accurate feel.
2. To answer your question, No, you are not expected to watch the videos over and over. If you had bothered to do the first lesson, you would have heard the direction to practice on your own. The workbook is there to remind you what to do.
3. The program is not just for beginners or intermediate. Many professionals have found it useful.
4. It is particularly helpful for people with voice problems.
5. It IS expensive. Fortunately there are periodic deals.
On the website are many videos from professionals talking about how the Sing With Freedom program helped them. I actually learned from their comments while I was saving up to purchase the program. I am on a limited income. I also have a lot of damage to my voice. To this day I am still improving.
Anyway, since you’ve already bought the program, why not actually try it. An hour a week for 4 weeks (plus whatever time you choose to practice) shouldn’t be that arduous. Then, if you still don’t like the program, you will have a real basis to write about it.
Diana,
Thanks for your input! Unfortunately, I cannot follow the methodology of every singing program I review on this site. I came from a Mix voice background, but I am training with Jaime Vendera privately every week right now. I spend way more than most people on vocal training – more than $400 a month. I’m just presenting my point of view about this particular singing program, so people can have more information and point of reference to decide for themselves whether they want to invest in this program.
Different methods work for different people. I’m glad Per’s singing course is working for you. That’s great! You should stick with it!
Rex
Yes. You need to watch the entire course and do the exercises to judge a program. How can any of your reviews even be considered if you are not watching the course and doing the exercises? I have done every course you can think of and none of them have worked for me. I just started the singing zone course and WOW!. This guy really knows what he is talking about. I struggle with a lot of tension and strain when I sing, and I thought it was due to lack of breath support and I would do the breathing exercises and the maintaining the breath on the exhale. Then I started to realize that maybe my issue is at the vocal cords themselves and have to do with adduction. Per Bristow focuses mainly on the vocal cords and everything else is just accessory muscles that you DO NOT NEED. Singing becomes easy. You dont need to worry about anything. Just let your vocal cords do what they do. (of course this is after you do the exercises and let your muscle memory sink in). I am done with all of the mums and googs and meows. That stuff never worked for me and caused me strain. I am going to do Gary Catona’s Ultimate Voice Builder workout every day to strength my muscles and keep building muscle memory with Per Bristow so that when I sing, I just trust my vocal cords and I sing. No tension, no use of accessory muscles or thinking about dropping the larynx, or raising the soft palate. I trust both Per and Gary in that these things are not needed. That is purely manipulating the voice using muscles we should not be using. Do yourself a favor, if you own The Singing Zone, actually watch all four videos and try it out! This program is GOLD!
Lea,
That’s great! Thanks for your input! I’m sure Per’s method is going to help a lot of students!
Rex
Rex,
The comment I sent you just now may have been harsher then I intended. I can see you put a lot of energy into watching and cutting and pasting. Let me try again:
1. You cannot get an accurate impression of this course unless you DO it. Just watching doesn’t cut it.
2. If you had finished the first video, you would have known that you are only intended to watch the videos once. The workbook is there to guide your practice.
3. If you had done the course, you would have known why there are very few audio tracks. The goal is to develop awareness of what the muscles in your tongue and throat are doing when you sing. Thus it is important to ‘feel’ your singing, not follow along with tracks. (That comes later.)
4. The program is particularly useful for professionals and for people with voice problems.
5. It IS expensive, but it is so worth it. Also, there are deals.
I strongly recommend you invest the time to DO the basic course. An hour a week for 4 weeks (plus any practice time), shouldn’t be too much to ask. Then, if you still don’t like it, you can at least write an informed review.
Diana
About me: I am an experienced amateur. When I started the program a year and a half ago, I had serious voice problems and sometimes could barely speak. I’ve done some of the advanced material, but every so often I do the beginner course again. Every time my voice gets better and stronger.
Diana,
Thanks again for presenting very valuable information about this singing program! I’m sure your input will help this review to be a more balanced one. We all have different angles of looking at things. Doesn’t mean we conflict with each other. Even if we do, it’s also perfectly okay to disagree. I’m pretty sure this review is not perfect, and your input does compensate for my shortcomings.
A little bit about me, I did go through 4 years of undergraduate, 2 and a half years of graduate schools as a vocal student, and 15 years of professional singing and a couple of years of voice teaching. So, I might look at a singing program like this from a very different angle than most people. (I say this not to brag…really)
Rex