It is sometimes discouraging to find that a student who has been thus turned down has gone to another teacher and been accepted in spite of his lack of necessary qualities. For the honor of our profession it seems dreadful that any student should be so fooled, even though he may well deserve it.

I refuse to tell anyone that I think they will be able to make good unless I sincerely think so. And in this vein, an amusing incident happened in my studio one day in New York. A woman came in for a voice trial. She announced that she was in New York to study singing. She had come from one of the Southwestern states and she wanted to find a good, honest teacher. Yes, she expected to make a career of singing. I heard her and I looked at her and my heart sank. I would have to be cruel. It was the only way to be kind, and I told her as gently as I could to go home. "I am sure you will find plenty of good teachers," I told her, "but you will be wasting your time. Your voice needs too many years of work. You should have started sooner." She was startled.

"You mean you won’t teach me?"
"I’m sorry."
"But I’ll go to another teacher. Any number will take me!" "Perhaps."
"But I have gone to several. They say I should study."
"I don’t think you should, that is, with a career in mind."

And then, to my surprise, she beamed, "That’s fine!" She left in high spirits. There are so many strange characters wandering about this world that I soon forgot her and her weird behavior entirely. Then one day, a few weeks later, a young man arrived in town. My secretary told me he had written to arrange for a series of lessons, sight unseen. He arrived for his voice trial, seemed to know what he was about, and his voice was excellent. As he was leaving I asked how he happened to come to me. He grinned engagingly and said, "My sister came to New York to find an honest teacher. She went to several, but you were the only one who told her in no uncertain terms that she shouldn’t attempt a singing career. She decided that you were really sincere; you see she knew she didn’t have the voice or personality or appearance. She was only trying to find a teacher for me."

I have never had such an experience repeated. For the average procedure is to go to the teacher who promises the most golden future, without any "ifs," regardless of whether that prophecy is sensible or not.
On the other hand, it is difficult to say that someone will or will not be able to sing after studying. But it is up to the qualified ear of the instructor to hear not only the voice as it sounds today, but also what training can do for it. And there are times when one teacher will hear what others do not.