The Things I Need To Become a Good Singer Part 1

I remember the day I told my Dad I wanted to become an artist after finishing high school. He was not surprised at all as he and my Mom had always supported my call for performing arts but he said something that I will always remember: “Whatever you choose to do, be the best you can at it”, and that phrase has really stayed in my mind as I can infer lots of valuable things from it.

So, I decided that Singing was one of my paths, and consequently, I had to ask myself: What do I need to become the best singer I can be? What is the formula for becoming a good singer?

1. Heart, The Catalyst

First things first, the heart is the number one thing that we need as it is the catalyst in the arts field. Having a heart translates as having natural intense emotions of joy and fulfillment when you are making art. In our case, when we really have fun singing without worrying about anything, our brain releases a vast array of endorphins, which are natural hormones that stimulate the feeling of pleasure, well-being, motivation, and happiness.

Among these hormones of happiness, dopamine is probably the more crucial one as over time, it has been considered the center of pleasure, because it is responsable for regulating motivation and desire, as well as introducing behaviors that are positive and beneficial and that make us to keep singing. Therefore, having heart for singing is the catalyst as it is the first thing that motivates us to sing, and it leads to passion, which is an attitude that we, by our own decision, use to put energy, strength or any intention into our interpretation when we sing making us become better singers as we can connect with the audience.

2. Talent, The Natural Gift

Obviously, talent can not be omitted as it is the innate ability or facility with which we are born towards a specific activity. In other words, talent is what makes us the gems that need to be polished, and certainly, having it is an advantage because it is the natural gift that can make us succeed in singing, and that may vary in each individual, as not everyone is born with the same amount of talent. Nevertheless, it is not determinant to sing properly as without stimulation, practice and adequate exercise, this natural and organic ability can not be able to be fully developed.

In fact, this is what happens with many promising singers who abandon their development and waste the opportunity to fully exploit their talent for singing, most of the time due to a lack of heart, lack of knowledge or technique, as we saw in the previous lecture, lack of opportunity in terms of economy and because of the vicissitudes of life of course. Hence, having talent, no matter how much we have, is a reason to become better singers as it is a blessing, a gift to be grateful for, and that has been given to us in order to be developed, with a purpose we might discover.

3. Discipline, The Required Commitment

In third place comes the ability of people to put into practice a series of principles related to order and consistency for the execution of a certain task and activity, which is called “discipline”. Without discipline, it is impossible to become better singers, to become good singers actually, as discipline means cultivating the habit of practising, and it is widely known that commitment and practice are keys to growing our talent enormously.

What`s more, discipline involves the ability to control impulses, especially those that separate us from our objectives, and it definitely exceeds motivation as motivation tends to oscillate over time. Not every day the amount of motivation is the same as there could be external factors that affect it, such as worries, stress and so on, but having discipline makes us keep going even if it is for a short practice and that without a doubt is what makes us go really far and what makes us stand out from the crowd.

In summary, heart, talent, and discipline are the first ingredients of the formula for growing as a singer and becoming a good one. Nonetheless, these are not the only things you need. So, you are invited to read Part 2 as at S&C Music we gladly share with you more about this amazing art.