Why do some people sing and others do not?

Have you ever wondered why some people sing and others do not? We all have vocal chords. How

we use them depends on many things. In theory, if you can speak, you can sing. Do you use your

whole body to speak? Do you “feel” what you are saying? Do you express joy, anger, fear: do you

express your passion through your voice? If you do, you are part way to singing.

To communicate effectively with our voices we also have to learn to really listen to what others are

saying. To sing, we need to focus our listening abilities and learn to match the sound we make to the

sounds we hear. We need to be able to sing in tune and to harmonise. For some, it may seem a

difficult task. But, for anyone who “always thought they would like to sing”, working with a good

voice and singing teacher can help achieve this goal. Let go of the fear that you can’t do it and try!

For a child who wants to sing, working with a good teacher will ensure that the voice is trained and

developed without strain.

Singing is fun but it is not all about singing as a soloist. If you can clearly hear the music and sing in

tune with the music, it is possible to join a choir or singing group. However, many people think that

to be able to sing with a group you have to be able to “hit” the right note without help. Most people

need a guide and that is what the sheet music provides. Reading music is like reading a map to

reach a certain destination. Listening to the sound of a particular note, reproduced by an instrument

or a voice, is like finding the “You are Here” point on the map. Once that point on the map is found,

you know in which direction to go and how far to go to reach your destination. Identifying a note on

the sheet music with a particular sound is the first step towards learning how to relate the positions

and timing of the different notes and to being able to reach your “destination” of reproducing the

right sound. Of course, it is not absolutely necessary to learn to read music to sing with a group.

However, even having a little knowledge makes it much easier to reproduce the sound that the

composer of the music intended. The level of enjoyment of participating in making music is also

increased. Let go of the fear that you can’t do it and try! We do not have to be professional

musicians to make music. Anyone who wants to can have the uplifting experience of making music.

Once you have learned to sing and have experienced the satisfaction, and the fun, of singing in a

group, you will not want to stop! Successfully adding your voice in harmony with a singing group is a

very inspirational and motivational experience. Try it and see!