Everyone can sing

by Anne Colgan

Did you know that only between 2% and 5% of people in the world’s population are tone deaf? (Sachs, 2008; Peretz & Vuvan, 2017; Singwise, 2020). So, if between 98% and 95% of people can sing, why do so many people call themselves non-singers? One of the main reasons I have come across in my research is that they were told they could not sing by someone not qualified to do so. What often followed that declaration was a sense of shame and of not being good enough. They became the outsiders, not the chosen ones. Trauma can also cause loss of voice as can lack of support: for instance, when boys’ voices are changing at puberty. This shaming can affect your speaking voice and cause lack of confidence and poor self-esteem. Your sound is unique to you; no one can tell you that you don’t have a voice of your own.

When I would mention that I was a singer a large percentage of people of all ages would say to me “I wish I could sing; I was told I can’t sing”. This percentage was much higher than 5%; it was more like 20%. Many years ago, someone said to me, “I wish I could sing a song”. To which I said without thinking much, “I’ll teach you”. Thus began my journey of exploring (what happened that) some people thought they could not sing and what could be done to reverse that belief.

I sent out an invitation to people who thought they could not sing to come and work with me to see if they had a voice. Some could sing already and wanted to have a better relationship with their voice. The majority of those who responded thought they could not sing. Two years later the “non-singers” became singers. Two have joined choirs, something they thought they could never do and one singer has a voice capable of singing opera. This experience for me was mind blowing and humbling. I admire their courage and perseverance throughout the process. There was laughter and tears as can happen when you discover and re-discover something you think you don’t have.

Singing is good for you mentally, physically and emotionally. When you combine the frequency you create when singing with intent it brings about healing. Not only that, I have experienced great joy and ecstasy when singing and I want others to feel the same. I began my research in 2015 and I decided I wanted to tell everyone about what I had discovered. In 2019 I began to write my book Everyone Can Sing which I self-published in February 2023.

I incorporate voicework in my psychotherapy practice and I also work with people who want to learn how to sing, which entails breathwork and the mechanics of singing. Many people will have stopped singing because of a traumatic event in their lives. They tell me they have lost their voice. When I work with clients who have those experiences the combination of psychotherapy and creative voice work can heal and restore the voice. I am glad I have written the book so that more people can have access to learning about singing and how it supported me in my life.

The names of the clients in the book have been changed to protect their identity and written permission has been granted to Anne to write and speak about their experiences.

Anne Colgan is a psychotherapist and supervisor, a member of IAHIP and EAP, a singer and workshop facilitator of “The Experiential Creative Voice Workshop”. She is a former Chair of ICP and former Vice Chair of IAHIP. Her websites are www.everyonecansing.ie and www.thehavengroup.ie

References

Peretz, I. & Vuvan, D.T. Prevalence of congenital amusia. European Journal of Human Genetics (2017) 25, 625–630

Sachs, O. (2008) Musicophilia. Vintage

Singwise.com (2020) Tone Deafness (Amusia) and Other Causes of Persistent Pitch Problems https:// www.singwise.com/articles/tone-deafness-amusia-and-other-causes-of-persistent-pitch-problems

IAHIP 2023 - INSIDE OUT 100 - Summer 2023