Hello there! It’s me! The person you instantaneously tell
your music horror stories to the minute you learn that I have a university degree
in the subject! Even the adults who work with my children preface every singing
activity with “don’t listen to me- I have a horrible voice.” I want you to lean
in close and listen very carefully- you don’t! Gasp! Believe me when I tell you, the ones who
are apologizing for their instrument, usually have no reason to do so. Here is
where the problem lies. By yourself, you actually have a great voice! The out
of tune rendition of “Happy Birthday,” that ends with an apologetic shrug and a
frantic glance around the room to make sure no one recorded it; has little to
do with the quality of your voice and everything to do with your ear not being
trained to match another person’s pitch. Great singers listen to each other;
amazing singers listen to everything and use their ears to strengthen the
technique they have worked so hard to achieve. There are very few people in
this world who couldn’t become great singers with a few vocal lessons and a lot
of singing in groups.
But here’s the thing. Singing is like weight. Your children
don’t notice you have a flabby belly until you point it out and they don’t realize
that you can’t sing like Lady Gaga until you flag your flaws. I am no Indina
Menel but I love to sing and do it as often as possible around the house. And
guess what, my children could care less! My kids ask my husband and me to sing
their favorite songs and then they joyfully join in! So sing! Don’t let any
child know you are less than perfect- teach them what a release it is to belt
out your favorite songs in the car, while washing dishes or changing diapers.
Why is this so important? Well, singing, like exercising, has health benefits.
I would quote the stats from any number of peer reviewed music journals but I
can hear you over there thinking “well, they have to say that, it’s their job!”
so instead, I found an article in a magazine most of us are familiar with- Prevention. It says that singing “helps
you to bond with others and make connections,” that it is thought to “improve
your heart rate variability or the amount of time between heartbeats” and most
importantly “helps curb snoring and may help people with asthma.” If you don’t
believe me, check it out! www.prevention.com/health/6-health-benefits-of-singing.
Whatever you do; sing frequently. The more you do it, the
better you will get! Don’t wait until karaoke and several adult beverages are
involved. It may help your health, it may make your children more confident in
their own abilities and it will certainly guarantee that the music educators like
me aren’t left singing alone.
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