One of the most insidious and incorrect notions about singing talent is “Either you have it or you don’t”. That psychologically damaging point of view prevents many people from even attempting to reach for their dream of becoming a good singer. I recently had a student come to me whose mother constantly told her not to sing, and that she had no talent. However this girl managed to hold on to her dream of becoming a singer, through some very tough years, of living in an orphanage in Eastern Europe, eventually being adopted by a wonderful family, brought to the US, and finally coming to me for voice lessons. What a happy ending to a very tough start in life! This girl is learning to speak English very quickly and is so happy to be in a situation where she can explore and develop her vocal gifts. Her adoptive mother told me that the only thing that kept this girl going for all those years was the hope that someday she could be a singer.
More important than “talent” (which is a euphemism for anything that comes easily to a person) is dedication, persistence, and disciplined practice habits. Over and over again, in my over 30 years of teaching voice, I have seen supposedly less talented singers overtake (and leave in the dust) the supposedly more talented ones, because of their commitment, dedication, and disciplined practice habits.
It’s lovely to have something come easily, or to be “naturally gifted”, but sometimes it may be more beneficial to have to learn skills such as singing by working on building a vocal technique with a step by step process that is perfected over time.
The benefit to working hard to develop a good foundation of vocal technique rather than just being blessed “talent” is that often, so-called “natural” singers lose their natural abilities at some point. And since they never really knew how they sang before, they are unable to fix their voices if anything goes wrong. It’s better to develop skills over time, and to know exactly how you are creating sound, by working with a good voice teacher.
Nothing takes the place of persistence and determination. If your dream is to become a singer, you can do it, with the right training and a healthy amount of persistence, dedication, discipline and determination. Develop those qualities in yourself and you will certainly rise!
I wish you all the best as you reach for your dreams! Tricia Grey, MM
At Sing Like a Star Studios you can learn the vocal technique of the stars. If you don’t live near Atlanta, you can take voice lessons with Skype. Please visit our website at www.singlikeastar.com and click on the GET STARTED tab to register for a professional vocal evaluation and consultation.
