Why you should STOP telling your daughter to "SING LOUDER"

PLEASE STOP telling your teenage daughter - or any teenage girl - to “SING LOUDER!”

It’s not helpful.

I realize we want the best from our girls. 

If you’re a parent, I know you want to see your daughter succeed more than anybody on this planet. 

You are her biggest cheerleader.📣

But telling her to sing louder isn’t encouraging.

It’s unhelpful. And it can be damaging vocally.

Think of her body. It still has so much developing left to do. So does her voice.

And if her moods are swinging, then those same hormones are causing her voice to swing from one end of the spectrum to another.🤔🫣

Hormones affect singing.

What I have found in teaching hundreds of teenagers is young female vocalists are usually good at either BELTING or LEGIT singing.

That’s right, they’re usually dominant in one or the other.

So if she’s singing and it’s super loud…if maybe it sounds to you like her voice is:

• Powerful
• Out of control
• Out of tune
• Chesty
  
  

…then she is dominant in her lower register (belting).

If her voice sounds:

• Breathy
• High
• Like an angel
• Soft

…then she is dominant in her upper register (legit). 

It’s ok, she has strengths.

When I’m working with your female students, my goal is always: BALANCE.

Balance is essential in all life things, you know this. It’s the same in her singing.

Achieving vocal balance will help her in so many ways:

• Wider vocal range
• More control
• More confidence
• Longevity
• Flexibility
• Confidence

And pursuing this balance requires so many things.

Emotionally, it requires your support.❤️

But physiologically, this balance requires the vocal folds to be able to thin out. And they thin out by being able to sing gently.

What inhibits a teenage girl from being able to sing gently?

Singing loudly too much of the time.

That’s right, singing too loudly is like lifting a heavy weight. It bulks up the muscles.💪🏼

Bulky muscles aren’t usually flexible.

So telling her to sing loudly is just going to create stress on her voice, which is made up of muscles.

It will also stress out her heart.

So the next time your daughter’s voice sounds weak, tired, or too soft, let her figure it out.

Smile while watching her because, regardless of how she sounds, it took her courage to sing in front of others. 

So smile and be thankful you have a daughter with the beginnings of what will make sure successful, singing or not.