I find myself telling people in conversation all the time that I think everybody is a singer. Inevitably, the person will respond, "Yeah, but, some people are better than others, right?". And, I'm still like, "Meh. I think everybody's voice is pretty good." I truly believe it!
And then they say, "Yeah, but, my sister is actually tone deaf".
And I'm like, "Eh. Probably not."
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) says only 2-5 percent of the US population has real problems perceiving pitch. I would like to highly recommend visiting their Test Your Sense of Pitch site for a fun, albeit sometimes laughably annoying, 10-minute quiz. Also highly recommend handing this article to a friend and then sitting back to observe their facial expressions as they take the quiz. Very fun!
Now, don't get me wrong. Some singers sound better than others. There are lots of singers who have had training or just happen to be born with a beautifully shaped vocal tract, but, I truly believe every person has a beautiful voice! It's just that most of us, myself included, need practice to get there.
A person's sense of pitch is different from the skill of matching pitch with one's voice. Like most skills in life, singing beautifully is a something that can be learned. It's not the kind of skill one can pick up from simply reading an article or watching a youtube video. It takes time to learn how your voice works. It takes time to learn how it feels when it's working well.
I have been practicing singing since I was a kid but I've also had some extraordinary teachers and mentors along the way. A large part of my learning has taken place in choral rehearsals! In fact, I calculated the other day that between singing in choirs and leading choirs - I've spent approximately 23,250 hours in choral rehearsals so far in my lifetime.
And, those hours don't include the practice I do on solo projects or just singing around the house. Really, when left to my own devices, I sing pretty much ALL THE TIME. Just ask the dogs! (insert laughing emoji here...they love it!).
Luckily for me, singing is fun and has all sorts of health benefits. Considering I could be spending that time practicing all sorts of other skills - like alligator wrestling or walking on hot coals, I think I'm doing pretty well.
Come sing with us!
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