I asked a professional vocal teacher. Did you ever wonder if you could learn to sing? As I started singing one year ago, this is the most asked question I got ever since. With this article, I present you the answer to it and I present you with many more interesting insights about singing from my vocal teacher. So, should you maybe think about quitting your job and investing all the time you have in your voice in order to become a famous singer? Let’s have a look at what my vocal teacher says.

Can anyone learn to sing?

“I believe anyone can learn to sing. I am a perfect example. I did not learn how to sing from birth. I had to work very hard and learning how to manipulate my sound was very crucial. My tone was very nasal, and I learned how to manipulate my sound and understand how to place sound through instruction and teachers.”

Do some people have a natural talent?

“Yes, some people are born with natural talent. Natural talent is different from learning to sing because you actually know how to utilize your voice correctly, naturally. So, it’s less habits that you have to learn to break.”

What do most people do wrong when they sing?

“The problem is a lot of bad habits develop when singing. As you progress, in terms of straining and encouraging that muscle memory of hitting that note by pushing and producing sound from your vocal cords instead of your diaphragm. And all these aspects that we don’t see. It is internal and that is why it is sometimes frustrating to learn to sing because it is not tangible. You can’t turn on a button like a keyboard and have all the notes laid out in front of you.”

How do you train your voice?

“You’re working with muscles, with air, with sound and vowels. And all these aspects of the voice are very overwhelming at times because you have to focus on so many things. But the truth is the more you relax, and the more you let go and trust your own voice, a lot of these aspects actually fix themselves. A good example is a student of mine I had several years ago. He was by far the most challenging. He sang off-pitch, he was straining and had no idea what he was doing. But he improved the quickest out of any student I’ve had. He can sing on the pitch now; he can hit notes that are higher than even my sister could sing and she really has a high-pitched voice. It is impressive. I can get someone to understand how to fix a problem right on the spot, but a lot of times singers have issues with consistency. Consistency honestly is practice. Like any instrument, it requires you to practice. So, we have to develop this muscle memory, these good habits of singing, by practicing.”

How can you start practice singing?

“A good way to start singing is by singing other people’s songs. But please don’t imitate. A lot of times people start imitating other singers and cause problems alone by doing that. Because you don’t want to sound like anybody else. Your voice naturally will have its own tone and will feel more comfortable by producing its natural tone. So, by creating tones, you’re actually creating tension to manipulate your sound to be something else. And a lot of times you hear things on the radio or particular tones that you don’t understand how to create. So, you’ll be using that technique and encouraging bad muscle memory to create these sounds. Your natural tone will have its own sound because you’re created different from someone else, your nasal cavities are different, your width and size of your nose, your lips, everything resonates differently than somebody else. Also, your lung capacity and body shape, everything will create your natural tone and will make your voice unique."

Do you need to have a vocal teacher to learn singing?

“Practicing is crucial. It will make you be consistent with the technique that you are learning. It is easier to manipulate and to control your voice by being in lessons because you’re being encouraged with proper technique. A lot of times, trying to figure it out by yourself is very difficult. Make sure you find a teacher that you do feel comfortable with, to make the mistakes that you need to make and that you are doing this safely. So, the vocal teacher should be able to explain in a very physical way how to correct and tell you what is going on when you feel a problem arise. It is not necessary to have a vocal teacher. You can also teach things by yourself, for example with YouTube videos and books about singing. But you will progress much faster with a vocal teacher.”

How much time will it take to be able to sing?

“As a beginner you should hear differences right away, as soon as you start practicing. So doing scales and breathing exercises are tedious work but they will improve the song that you’re singing. Being a more advanced intermediate singer realistically speaking will take several years, maybe a year. It all depends on your ability to understand and how much awareness you have with your own body. A lot of times the internal things that I explain to people is frustrating because you can’t see it. You have to be able to be aware without overthinking. So important is for example, dropping your jaw, lifting your soft palate, modifying the vowel, releasing your air to your diaphragm. All these things you have to do at the same time. It sounds very overwhelming, but know that the more you trust your voice and let it go, let it do what it needs to do, to produce its natural tone in an emotional and connected way, most of the problems actually go away. I always tell the first class with my students that 80 percent of the problems that happen is because they were overthinking. For example, they are afraid of the note that is coming in the song, instead of releasing in that moment in a very confident, powerful way. They hesitate, so they keep their air in. Their diaphragm doesn’t engage, their jaw does not drop, everything is tight. So, 90 percent will be all in your head. You got to trust the process, trust your voice. Pay attention to how it feels and your emotions, and your voice will reach its natural maximum potential sooner or later.”

To sum it up, as you read my teachers’ opinion, it is possible that anyone can learn how to sing. So, to get back to the question if you should quit your job now and try to be a singer. I would probably not recommend doing that, unless you really feel like you’re going to be the next superstar. However, if you are interested in what you could make out of your voice, just start doing some exercises and sing some songs. There are plenty of them on YouTube for free. Or you could go and search for a vocal teacher. For me, it was a big step to work together with a vocal coach. But I always wondered what I could do with my voice and already in those couple of months of practicing I can hear a huge difference. I think it is so much fun to work together with your body and mind. And with everything in life, I recommend: If you want to try it, try it, because life is short!