I've been saying this for years.
For various reasons, so many people believe that if they don't sound like (my idols) Shirley Jones or Julie Andrews, Hugh Jackman or Michael Ball; or the more well-known super stars of the past 25 years or more ~ Whitney Houston, Josh Groban... Adele* and Taylor Swift... Paul McCartney, Steve Perry... or Barbra ~ if you believe that you cannot sing because you do not sound like those folks, I'm here to say that I believe you are wrong.
*Adele developed vocal issues - 2011 & 2017 - because while her voice is way cool, how she was using her instrument was detrimental to her health.
Just because you don't sing like the folks you hear on the radio... does NOT mean you can't sing. Seriously, it's a fallacy. And, believe it or not, Pop Stars and Celebrities are not always the best example of good singing. I'm not criticizing what sells records. Making music and The Music Business seem to often be at odds, strangely enough.
When I tell you that yes, you can sing, I'm talking to the younger you who was told by "the expert" aka your music teacher whom you might have had in elementary or middle school. That music teacher was either too lazy or too overloaded or overwhelmed to help you learn to match pitch, so told you to just "mouth the words." This breaks my heart. Then it makes my blood boil. Truly.
Singing is for everyone. Science is catching up... proving that Singing Together is good for us. ALL of us.
Every Body.
Singing together is for the masses. Singing Together has been done since humans started hanging out together, and the joy that singing together brings to us ~ our heart, mind, spirit, body and soul... well, it is difficult to put into words.
“Singing is a deeply human thing — the human voice is the most expressive instrument of all! It allows us to join in the solidarity of community, or to express the innermost stirrings of our soul. Singing is not just for some of us — it is, indeed, for everyone!” ~ Tziporah Miriam Halperin, Voice Teacher
“For many cultures singing is not performing at all. For these cultures, music is an act of compassion. By singing, these cultures make the world a more beautiful place. Music becomes an act of sharing. There is no audience for this act of compassion; everyone participates.” ~ from this website (Unitarian Universalist Association Website Ariticle on Making Music Live)
I don't "should" very often... but I'm passionate about this, everyone should be singing.
Remember what Henry Ford said? "Whether you think you can, or think you can't - you're right."
Stop with the can't, start with the "I'll Go For It."
Deke Sharon, who, if you don't know who he is yet, if you continue reading this series... you will, I adore Deke! Anyhoo... he has a fantastic, short, entertaining video, "So You Think You Can't Sing" which helps me prove this point. Deke has done an amazing job sharing why everybody should be singing, all the reasons we should be singing together.
Science is catching up to just how healthy it is to sing. Sing in and with a group of people.
"Research has found, for example, that people feel more positive after actively singing than they do after passively listening to music or after chatting about positive life events. Improved mood probably in part comes directly from the release of positive neurochemicals such as β-endorphin, dopamine and serotonin." ~ from "Choir Singing Improves Health, Happiness - and is the Perfect Icebreaker"
Honestly, I don't know yet how parts to this series there will be. There's lots of people who believe what I do about how we all should be Singing Together.
But here's one of the many many things that may stop us from singing, from my completely unscientific experience of the general population... the reluctance (fear?) of singing with (in front of?) other people has more complex reasons than just "I can't match pitch."
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