[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]
One place I work at, they call my workshops ‘singers weekends’.
Somebody once told me they couldn’t come on one because they weren’t a ‘singer’.
That’s madness, of course. As I’ve pointed out before (many times!) everyone can sing. Which means that everyone is a ‘singer’.
It’s much more about how people perceive both themselves and what it is that ‘singers’ do.
It’s the same thing as when people think they can’t sing. They have a very specific view of what ‘singing’ is and they’ve decided that they don’t match that.
Similarly, most people have a fixed idea (maybe even a subconscious one) of what a ‘singer’ is and if they don’t fit the bill, then they can’t call themselves one.
But ‘singing’ and ‘singers’ come in all shapes and sizes.
Big voices, tall singers, quiet voices, old singers, wavery voices, well-dressed singers, hesitant voices, famous singers, loud voices, backing singers, rich voices, small singers ... you get the idea.
There is no one-size fits all. There are as many different singers and singing styles as there are songs and people. So yes, you are a singer (whether you like it or not!).
I came across an interesting blog post the other day called Singing: no secret formula.
In it, the writer points out that there is no secret formula to singing. The only way to sing (or be a singer) is to just SING. And people who sing are SINGERS.
Do you find it difficult to think of yourself as a singer? Does it bother you when someone else calls themselves a singer? I’d love to hear what you think. Do leave a comment.
Chris Rowbury
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