Question from a mature adult: Should I have Voice lessons?
I’m 57 and have a nice voice, though some say it’s great. I want to sing with more power and a better range. Am I too old?
Answer: If you have never studied voice before and you are committed to practicing daily, there is the distinct possibility that you can maximize the current remaining potential of your voice to facilitate both range and strength.
Had you studied voice during your late teens, twenties and thirties you’d have given your voice its best chance at developing both range and power to their maximum – for your individual voice. It’s during those years that the voice is developing physically the most.
At your current age rather than looking for significant DEVELOPMENT or CHANGE, you’d be learning to maximize what your voice is now capable of doing. Learning good habits will tend to take a little longer to learn (than as a 20-year-old) but you can do it, and in establishing the best habits of singing find that you can sing in a larger range and, when needed, sing with more strength and resonance.
If you choose to follow this path, let me suggest further that when you establish a practice regimen, you vocalize (sing) for about half-an-hour at a time then give your voice 10 minutes rest before resuming. It takes our muscles (notice I’m including myself) at age 57 longer to get stamina and accustomed to being used vigorously for an extended period of time than it does young folk, unless you sing every day.
If you have time, inclination, love of singing, self-discipline to practice daily — go for it!
Best wishes.
Tags: it takes longer, maximize your remaining potential, practice daily