What if I'm Tone Deaf?

   Here is a common excuse of why people don't sing: "I can't!"  I tell them "Bologna." Then they reply, "No really, I'm tone deaf!" 
   My response is still the same.
   So now you may ask what inevitably follows: "Does that mean tone deaf people can learn to sing?!"
   Absolutely.
   Many people think that tone deaf people can't distinguish between different tones. Not true. If it were, there would be a lot of people who would despise anything musical. Music would sound terrible to them. So the whole term "Tone deaf" is a complete misnomer.
   A better way of describing many of these people would be "Monotone" or "Off-key." But does that mean they cannot hear the right pitch? No.
   What is happening when a person is monotone is that their vocal cords have not learned the movements and stretches necessary to create different pitches. And for an off-key singer it is that they haven't learned how to control the movements of their vocal cords, or perhaps they have too many other muscles involved because they may think it takes muscles to sing.
  Both of these conditions are treatable in my method of voice lessons. It is important to have a basic awareness of anatomy and what your cords are doing. Then I provide exercises to help limber the cords so they can begin stretching and moving in natural ways. We work on controlling the tiny little muscles necessary to moving the vocal cords and not all the other muscles around that can interfere with the sound and quality of the tones.
  Now if you are reading this because you have troubles singing the right pitches, know that jumping this hurdle will take time. Most people develop the ability to control their vocal cords from the age of 18 months to 3 years old when they are making all those funny baby sounds. It may seem that singing comes so naturally to them. It does. That is why there are so many judgments and misunderstanding of someone who hasn't learned it yet.

    But the best news is: It can become natural for you too! Your vocal cords were built to make noise just like theirs. It will just take a little more awareness, time, and experimentation for you to get there.  But the reward is to be able to express yourself through music; to not be embarrassed when you need to sing; and to feel more freedom and confidence.
   Truly our ability to create music with our vocal cords is a miracle. It is worth every effort to be able to cultivate and nurture this ability. Music is more powerful than I can say, and it is a pleasure to participate in its creation.