Some old wives’ tales never go away. One such tale is the idea that we grow older to a point where we become unteachable. It is possible to be unteachable, but that has nothing to do with age. Being open to learning new information and skills is a matter of mindset.
If you add this outdated message to a common misconception about singing – namely, the idea that you are either born a great singer or you’ll never be one – then why would anyone bother to pursue a passion for singing later in life?
But both messages are untrue. Great singers can be made at whatever age you decide to develop the skills. In fact, as is the case in many fields, the ones who have to work harder often go further.
Singing should be approached as a sport.
What is any sport, after all, if not the development of muscles, motor skills, and motor habits? These are the things required to become a better and better singer. And again, a person can do this at any age.
There are real advantages to pursuing a new skill later in life. Most likely, you have a better big-picture view of how things progress than you did when you were younger. You’re also less likely to stress the little things and more inclined to put time and energy into activities you enjoy. You also likely have a self-awareness that you didn’t have when you were younger. All these things are huge advantage when developing new motor skills.
One disadvantage is that your muscles are not as strong and probably fatigue more quickly than they used to. That means it’s extra important that you warm up your voice and work it out regularly, to build and maintain agility and stamina.
How do you do all this? I have the answer. You knew that was coming, right?
The Retired Hobbyist.
This is one of my Singer-Athlete DIY vocal development membership bundles. No, you don’t have to be retired to sign up. You just need to be an older new singer. It includes:
- The Singer-Athlete Vocal Workout Library – a collection of warmups and workouts covering every singing skill you may want to develop and maintain.
- The Singer Starter Course – a six lesson online course that covers different foundational aspects of great singing.
- The Mature Voice – a video series where I share tips on improving and caring for your mature voice.
- Harmonizing Playlists – two playlists of vocal exercise that allow you to practice finding and holding harmony notes.
- Stepping up Your Karaoke Performance – a video series where I give tips on performance in general and karaoke specifically.
- And more great extras that are added monthly, or so.
In this video, I share snippets of the introduction to the series called the Mature Voice Guide to Success, which is part of the Retired Hobbyist membership bundle. I talk about why not only it is NOT too late to learn to sing but also that this is the PERFECT time for you to pursue your love of singing.
And this video only covers the reasons you’re ready and capable of learning a new skill like singing. I haven’t even gotten to the health and well-being benefits of singing! You can learn a little more about that by reading more about the Retired Hobbyist bundle on my website.
Other mature singers like you are pursuing their love of singing as we speak, and using that pursuit to bring greater joy, challenge, and friendships with likeminded people into their lives. You can do it too because…
No, you’re not too old to learn to sing!
