So many people out there have amazing singing voices, but if they never take the time to hone their vocal skills and learn vocal technique, they are one of the millions of wanna-be singers who are limited to singing in their bedroom, shower or car and potentially never sharing their voices with the world!  How sad is that?

Worse than never sharing their voices with the world, however, are “wanna-be” singers that share their voices with too many people before they are trained and ready.  As much as I love to advocate putting yourself out there, I firmly believe that singing for others after the cute age of 12 needs to done in a manner that is thought out and prepared for.  We live in a generation of YouTube and Facebook where many people are showcasing their “talent”, but I think it’s always a win-win if those people have been consistently training their voices and fine-tuning their skills prior to singing for the world.

Another scenario I often see is people with extraordinary voices who are limited in their vocal ability simply because they don’t learn the fundamentals and consistently work on their voices and implement the things they’ve learned into their voices.  As they say, “Knowledge is power,” and the simple act of getting serious about one’s voice can open up a world he/she never knew existed.

Because of this, I’ve compiled a quick list of 10 REASONS WHY YOU NEED VOCAL TRAINING:

1.  You feel like you’ve got a good voice.

If you personally feel like you have a good voice, chances are, you do!  That might sound strange, because we all know of people who love to sing (think Florence Foster Jenkins), but they have absolutely NO business doing so.  But that is a rare exception.  Most of us have a natural affinity toward things we’re good at.  In other words, we are magnetically drawn to activities we can excel in and we resist activities where we struggle.  It’s human nature.  So, if you feel in your heart of hearts like you are good at singing, then you probably are!

2.  Other people praise your singing.

Again, what goes through most of our heads is the preliminary auditions for American Idol where the guy walks in and gets booed for even being there in the first place.  And there’s always some comment like, “My Grandma said I was the best singer she’s ever heard.”  This is not what I’m talking about though.  If quite a few people (besides your Grandma) have commented on your amazing voice, chances are you have an amazing voice.  And if so, you need to take that voice seriously and get it trained!

3.  You look longingly at professional singers and think to yourself, “I want to do that!”

Admiring other singers is one thing, but if you are constantly drawn to their level of ability, vocal range or skill, and in your mind you think to yourself, “I want to do that!” or “I could do that better than her or him!” then chances are, you should!  And don’t be fooled into thinking those professional singers you admire didn’t start somewhere — just like you!  They aren’t lucky or gifted or blessed any more than you are.  Chances are, they went through the process like you’re going through and came to the realization that they needed to make a commitment and they were determined enough to achieve their dreams.  So can you!!

4.  You sing whenever you have a spare moment.  In fact, it’s all you do!

Do you sing in the shower?  In the car?  In public?  In private?  You may even drive people around you crazy with all your singing at times.  You are constantly walking around with a song in your head and a skip to your step.  Well, that probably means you LOVE to sing and you should be taking it seriously.  It’s easy to look past these characteristics in ourselves when it’s all we know, but I would imagine that most people don’t usually have a song in their heads.  But if you do, you’re probably someone who enjoys music and singing and all things related.  This is what is unique about you and it’s something you need to pursue!

5.  You express yourself through song.

Musicals and operas don’t seem silly to you:  People singing their thoughts on stage and dancing to the tunes they are singing.  It doesn’t seem silly because this is your every day life!  You always have a song for an occasion.  You sing when you are happy.  You sing when you are sad.  This is how you express yourself and who you are.  Songs with words seem like they are meant just for you and they touch you in a way that no other form of communication touches you.  The world can seem crazy and make no sense whatsoever, but you turn on a special song or start singing the lyrics from a song that comforts you, and all of a sudden, everything makes sense again.  Crisis averted.  Confusion resolved.  Clarity regained.  You wouldn’t even think about living a life without a song to express your feelings and who you are and you can tell someone specifically what songs you love and what the lyrics to those songs are.

6.  You have an area of your voice you need to work on.

Just like there are professionals who are trained to do accounting and professionals who are trained to build homes and professionals who are trained to cut hair, there are professionals who can teach you how to work on specific areas of your voice and get over or resolve vocal issues.  Most likely, you wouldn’t try to cut your own hair or build your own house unless you already had experience in doing so and knew what you were doing, so why would you leave it up to yourself to figure out things that a voice teacher could resolve in a matter of a few lessons — or sometimes, a few minutes!

7.  You love singing but you struggle to hit high notes, low notes or sing for long periods of time.

Again, these are things you need help with and can’t do by trial and error (unless you want to seriously wear your voice out), so it’s best to leave it to a professional to show you how to do these things properly and avoid heartache, frustration and potential damage to the voice.  These are things every teacher should know how to teach you, so don’t go it alone.

8.  You are terrified to sing in front of anyone.

That’s right.  You should get vocal training if you are scared of singing in front of someone.  Why?  Because a good teacher and nurturing singing community will help you overcome your fears.  The fear alone is not enough to keep you from getting vocal training.  Or it shouldn’t be.  We all have fears.  Most of the students who have walked through my studio have been terrified of singing in front of me the first or second time, but after a few times, they began to feel comfortable, and as a result of being comfortable in front of me, they were on their way to becoming comfortable singing in front of other people too.  Baby steps!

9.  You want to sing in a choir, a band or a worship team, but you just don’t have the confidence to start.

All of these things are amazing tools for singers to learn and grow.  I always suggest that my singers begin with singing in a choir, because this is where you learn musicianship and all of the fundamentals of being a great musician.  In essence, I truly believe that choirs are where we find our true voices.  Once we have done that, we can move on to other things.  But if you are hesitant to jump into a choir or just don’t know where to start or how to prepare for an audition in order to actually get involved in one of these groups, a well-informed voice teacher can give you the confidence and tools you need to take that first step!

10.  You want to challenge yourself.

I truly believe that learning to sing is one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, endeavors you can do for yourself.  There are so many wonderful non-vocal rewards to singing too, like being disciplined, having accountability, achieving a goal, developing confidence, overcoming fear and I could go on and on.  Learning to sing is such a wonderful gift you can give yourself.  Our voices are a part of us and are capable of doing so much more than we ever thought possible.  I have literally seen shy people come out of their shells and overcome their fears.  I have seen newly divorced women open up a whole new avenue of self-expression and healing.  I have seen men and women alike explore their passion and surprise themselves with what they are able to do.  Sometimes it’s life-transforming.  Sometimes it’s career-transforming.  But it’s always a wonderful investment in oneself and it brings about pure joy for those who take the plunge and do it!

This list certainly isn’t exhaustive.  There are many reasons why YOU should consider vocal training, but I wanted to get you thinking!

If you love to sing and think you might have a shot at it, it’s time you start taking yourself more seriously and take some form of vocal training!  You won’t regret an investment in a life skill you will always be able to use — whether professionally or personally!

Have a great day!

xoxo,

Amy