Why am I afraid to sing?
Singing is risky, isn’t it?
For some, this is cause to lean in, but for others, the prospect and pressure of it all can overwhelm, literally closing our throats. This isn’t just because of a superficial desire to “sound good”, but because, like my friend shifting nervously near the piano, we have a deep knowing that, “This is about more than just singing, isn’t it?”
No, you’re not bad at breathing.
There are so many false narratives around singing and the voice that it can be hard to keep up with them all, but one of the most common mythologies is related to what is required of our breath to make a free and beautiful sound. Often singing teachers and voice coaches will spend an exorbitant amount of time on breath, framing it as the source of one’s problem, when truthfully, it is more often a symptom.