Throughout my childhood, I always had a real interest in singing.
However, I was always under the impression that singing was a natural skill - you either had it or you didn’t. And if you yearned for it, no matter how hard you tried, if you didn’t have the talent, it wasn’t going to happen.
Boy was I wrong!
When I first started learning with a teacher, I quickly realised that there was more to singing than just natural talent.
Singing is more than just the physical act of singing. It also requires multiple other cognitive skills - there's a lot of thinking involved in learning how to sing, and in appreciating music.
Solid vocal training for about a year brought out parts of my voice that I never knew existed! I began to think and understand how concepts such as pitch, vocal registration and breathing worked together. Finally, a nice vocal sound was beginning to form!
It is important to remember that learning how to sing is essentially like learning how to train any other muscle in our body - and mind!
With the right exercises and guidance, it is possible to develop the skills that every ‘naturally gifted’ singer has, in a way that works for your own voice. Every "body" is different, as is the sound we produce.
Tackling your own understanding of the singing voice, understanding your own capabilities and being guided through the process can lead to the 'illusion' of a ‘naturally gifted singer’ with time and practice.
Overall you do not need to be born with the ability to sing! With the right training and guidance, you can learn the basic concepts surrounding singing to take your voice to the first, or next level.
Nicole Issa is one of our resident artists, songwriters and principal voice + singing teachers. Nicole has worked with many professional gigs, such as Triple JJJ's Like A Version and Splendour in the Grass.
Comments