Many people believe that learning to sing is a natural gift, and you either have the skill or you don’t. However, that is largely untrue. It is possible to learn to sing, and to improve on your natural abilities with practice. Just as in learning any other skill or talent, you can learn how to sing but it will take time and practice. Here are some ways to learn how to sing:
Take Vocal Lessons: The fastest way to learn valuable information on how to sing is by finding a vocal coach and taking a few lessons from them. In just an hour, you can learn the proper technique for how to sing, and exactly how to stand to make your voice sound stronger. Having an experienced ear listen to you sing can provide you with some feedback on ways you might need to improve, and where your strengths and weaknesses lie. If you can afford this, even one or two lessons can get you on the right track.
Join a Choral Group: If you lack the confidence to perform on your own, but you want to gain some experience singing in public and learning more about performance singing, then joining a choir is a great way to learn how to sing. If you are just learning about music and vocal performance, find a casual choral group that performs in churches, or goes caroling together. Not only will you gain confidence, but the leader of the choir can help you just like a vocal coach would, without the added expenses.
Of course, not everyone is able to find a vocal coach or a choir with which to perform. If you want to fine tune your own vocal abilities before letting anyone else hear you, here are some tips for learning how to sing on your own first:
Preparation: Before you begin by tackling high or low notes, warm up your vocal chords with simple exercises like the scale, using words like “la” or “so” repeatedly. This prevents you from doing damage to your vocal chords, and results in you sounding better when you begin singing.
Breathing Techniques: Breathing is an important aspect of singing, and should be practiced even when you aren’t actually singing. You should be breathing out, or exhaling, as you sing the words, and your stomach should move inwards as you do so. On your inhalation breath, the tummy pushes out. If this feels strange to you, practice it while placing your hands on your stomach to get familiar with the feeling.
Tuning and Pitch: Make sure you are learning to sing in the right pitch, and on key, by singing along with piano scales at home. Or, play a note on the recorder and then mimic it, repeating the note until you are confident it is correct. You can record this and play it back to ensure that it is correct.
These tips and techniques can help you learn to sing. Above all, practice will improve your singing abilities the most.
Anna K is a blogger and a freelance writer who takes particular interest music education especially for those who wants to 
