Learn Singing your way with a TakeLessons expert

By Melissa M.-Indianapolis Singing Teacher

As a singing teacher in Indianapolis, I am always intrigued when a parent asks me whether his or her child has talent. Maybe they are wondering whether their child has sufficient potential to make voice lessons worth the time and expense.

On the surface, it seems like a reasonable question. However, my experience as a singing teacher in Indianapolis has repeatedly shown me that the “innate talent” of a new student, young or old, is a poor predictor of ultimate success as a singer. In fact, I discovered early in my career that my initial impression of a student’s ability often fell short of the skill the student exhibited after a year or two of lessons. Actually, students whose talent isn’t as obvious when they first start singing often end up working very hard and becoming the best singers of all. On the other hand, students with a natural gift for singing cannot always rely on raw talent alone, they also have to work hard and practice.

In practice, the question of talent turns out to be pretty unimportant after all. I’ve taught several supposedly “tone deaf” students to match pitch and sing in tune. I’ve seen students’ faces light up when I point out a simple trick or easy suggestion that immediately fixes a note or passage they’ve been struggling with. I’ve seen students who could barely sing at first transform into confident and poised performers. In short, my answer to whether or not a child has talent is “who cares!” Every child has the potential to develop into a competent singer and most important of all, to experience the joy of making music.