Can’t carry a tune in a bucket? Terrified at the idea of letting your voice be heard by anyone else? Always felt left out watching seemingly natural singers perform? Good news: Anyone who can speak can sing.

Although it’s 100% true that some people exhibit a more innate tendency toward musicality than others, it’s also true that all voices can improve (and most ears, too– TRUE tone deafness is very uncommon). Singing is nothing more than sustained speech. The ‘sustained’ part is one element that makes it tricky (maybe you’re heard of ‘breath control’ or ‘breath support’), and the fact that music requires a sense of both pitch and rhythm can also be a challenge for some. You may have heard that music makes several parts of your brain fire at once– this is what makes it a challenging pursuit: that’s a lot of multi-tasking! But, these are each manageable skills when broken down to the basics. Some people start singing at Step 15, whereas you may need to start at Step 1… but that’s OK! With a little diligence (aka Time and Attention), you’ll see progress toward your goals. In other words, yes, it’s possible to go from being perceived as Tone Deaf to Talented.

Age can also be a factor in music learning; much like language learning, our brains soak up lots of external influences in our early years, making it much easier for children under the age of 9 to learn new languages and also musical skills like differentiating pitches and rhythms. But, rest assured, even if you didn’t have a musical upbringing, you can still learn these skills! But, as a teen or adult learner, you should expect that your development may be slower and clunkier (if you’ve ever tried to learn a foreign language, you’ll know what we mean!). For many older learners, this awkwardness (and the associated embarassment) stops them from ever reaching their goal– don’t give up! Eventually that awkward stage will be behind you, and the efforts will be so worth it.

If you feel you do not have a natural aptitude, having an assessment by a teacher is a great first step to establishing your game plan. A trained music teacher (in particular one who knows enough voice pedagogy to differentiate whether any pitch issues are caused by a hearing disconnect, or simply by a vocal technique issue) can help you break down exactly where your weaknesses lie so that you can work smarter toward solving your challenge, not harder. Ready to rise to the occasion? Book your Free Consultation now. We can’t wait to get to work on your progress!