The great big uber meta picture of why to sing

Yesterday I was at a party hosted by a professional tenor. He is a great singer with “stage animal” presence that is a lot of fun. I am a vocal dwarf next to him. I have not had 10% of the performing career that he has had. But that doesn’t bother me the way it used to. We are different people with different voices. That is more than okay; it’s wonderful.

I get joy from pursuing improvement in my singing. I like performing, practicing, and learning. If anyone also likes even just two of those things, then I am happy to work with them.

There isn’t any age or number of years after which someone must stop singing or studying. There is no ability threshold that makes voice lessons “worth it” or not. Since every voice is unique, the fruits of our efforts bring something to our lives (and often to others’ lives) that will not come into the world otherwise.

I’m not talking about a “Singing Career”, being better than others, winning, or re-living glory days. I’m talking about your private relationship to singing in your life right now. The impulse to sing is a deep part of being alive for many people and should be welcomed. If you want to sing, do it; desire is enough to justify the activity. Of course, it’s also okay to say “I’m done” and do something else. To paraphrase a quote or ten, the world needs more people who are fully alive. Singing is one of humanity’s favorite and most effective ways to feel alive!

Give yourself permission to be alive!