Why You Mustn’t Take Singing Lessons to Simply 'Prove Yourself' to Anybody

Indeed, quite an off the beaten track topic this is, but I’ve been inspired to write this article because I know it can help a lot of people come to terms with how important it is to take up singing lessons not to prove themselves to anybody, but to do it for themselves. Some particular cases emanating from my studio have made me realize how a self inflicted burden such as this can affect a pupil. So let me explain the thought processes that run through such an individual’s mind, and how that affects their performance and concentration in class.

The crux of the matter is, one taking up singing lessons to prove to someone else or a group of people that they have the potential to become good singers, instead of that being a source of motivation to achieve what they signed up for, it tends to lay a huge burden upon them that constantly distracts them from focusing. Through the lesson, I have observed, that I repeat myself on countless occasions. The pupil, I find to be eternally self conscious and lacks the confidence to perform well. When I dig into the probable cause of this, I find that there’s someone or some people waiting to see HOW they fair. Now this puts a lot of pressure on them to deliver because they’re constantly worried about failure. And the end result is they DO fail miserably because they’re way too distracted to concentrate on learning. It becomes a state of constant fear and panic. Not a pretty sight. If anything, it is very annoying.

So here’s the deal. You want to learn to sing? Do it for YOU. Do not get into this to prove anything whatsoever to anyone in your circle of friends or elsewhere. (In any case, why would anyone want to do that?) If you hadn’t read this article you wouldn’t have discovered that it actually works against you. You’d be better off not taking singing lessons at all. Wouldn’t you agree? The ideal student of voice is one that wants to do it to improve their voice for THEM rather than for anybody else. And this type of student steps into class looking forward to the lesson and enjoying the therapeutic qualities of the lesson. Just the other day, one of students said to me “I really feel relaxed when I come here. This is a form of therapy. And looking out the window, your garden is so beautiful it adds to the calm.” So there you have it! If you want to enjoy your singing lessons AND come away with something, take a more relaxed approach. The less outside pressure you impose upon yourself the better. So be sure to leave your burden at the door, and enjoy the lesson.

You are the instrument, learn to sing like a pro!

JOETT

Vocal Coach & Author "Letters from a Vocal Coach"
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