How Old is Too Old to Benefit from Voice Lessons?

“I love to sing, but I think I’m too old to improve my voice. Can I still benefit from voice lessons?”

Absolutely. One important part of vocal training – perhaps the most important part – is to keep the voice flexible, agile and healthy as our bodies continue to mature. But don't underestimate your ability, as an adult, to improve and develop your instrument. Proper technique and good vocal habits can make a huge difference in the quality of one's singing voice at ANY age!

When Does the Voice Reach Maturity?

Singing voices mature at different rates. Women’s voices start to mature at around age eighteen, with lower, rich tonal qualities developing for years after that. Men’s voices mature much later with more beautiful richness evolving over the years.

When I was a young singer, one of the contest experiences I had was singing for The Metropolitan Opera Auditions which is a national vocal contest designed to educate and encourage young, talented singers interested in opera. It was an exciting competition and a wonderful performance opportunity. These prestigious auditions are still held every year throughout the country. The main prize is the opportunity to sing with The Metropolitan Opera Company. Singers who compete in The Metropolitan Opera Auditions must be between the ages of 20-30 - not exactly young singers, though many of us would love to be that age again. My point is, for this prestigious competition to find and consider talented young classical singers, the participant’s voices have to have started to mature and that doesn't happen until at least the 20's. Trying to force maturity in a voice prior to natural maturity can be detrimental.

Keep Your Voice Healthy Throughout Your Life.

From the time you begin to sing, through the age that your voice is fully mature, it is important to keep the voice healthy. Without good singing habits, you can damage your vocal chords and limit your lifelong potential. It doesn’t matter at what age we get serious about vocal health – as long as we get serious about it. Keeping the voice in good condition, whether for singing or for the all-important task of speaking, will serve you well throughout your life and in this way, good vocal training can help.

My mother, Betty Peterson, was a professional singer. She sang with the Seattle Opera Company many years ago and was a soloist with symphonies around the Pacific Northwest. She had a beautiful lyric soprano voice and one of my great joys while growing up was singing duets with her on a regular basis.  When she entered her early sixties, she began to have difficulty with singing. Her voice would crack and she was losing her agility. She could no longer rely on the smooth, effortless vocal production she once had. Eventually, even her speaking voice was raspy and it could be difficult to hear and understand her. She had several surgeries to enable her to speak louder but she never fully recovered her voice. I could see through my mother’s experience how important it is to maintain vocal agility in order to simply communicate in daily life.

You Can Regain Vocal Agility and Range Through Effective Training.

I have worked with many adult students who have regained the flexibility of their voices through vocal training. If the vocal range is not exercised, it can tend to dwindle as any physical ability will. But, I have seen adult singers increase and reclaim their vocal ranges  with regular, gentle exercises and singing. By increasing the agility and flexibility of the vocal chords  adult singers can improve and continue to experience the joy that comes with singing for many years to come. That joy is yours, regardless of age or ability. 

Having good vocal habits, using proper breath support and a relaxed singing approach, will help you reach your vocal potential and maintain the health of your voice throughout your life. Without some guidance on supporting the voice and producing the voice without strain, it is possible to lose some of our vocal ability in our senior years. See more resources for supporting and regaining the voice at Sing-Naturally.com.

One last note – 

One of the primary voice teachers from my youth, William Chapman of Los Angeles (along with his wonderful wife, Irene), was still singing beautifully and professionally well into his 80s. His singing career was wondrous and varied; from the New York City Opera and the Met to Broadway. He believed that singers should continue to sing well as long as they could breathe and his life was a testimony to that. So, I can say with certainty that it is never too late to enjoy the many benefits of voice lessons.

William Chapman, died almost a year ago. If you click on his name above, you will follow a link to his rich biography on Wikipedia. He was an amazing performer with a beautifully rich baritone voice. Bill was an encouraging and supportive teacher for hundreds of vocal students and he had a strong developmental influence on me and my teaching. He performed professionally in The King and I, as the King of Siam, 3800 times – second only to Yul Brenner who performed the part 4200 times.