Yes, adults can learn to sing. How good you will get and how quickly depends on how effective your training is–but you can learn to sing skillfully–with power, beauty, and great ease–at any age.
You might want to sing well, but also be sceptical that it’s worth trying for various reasons.
Let’s look at some common reasons adults who dream of singing well put it off.
Common Concerns around Singing Lessons for Adults:
It’s just too late to start.
Voice lessons don’t really work.
Learning to sing as an adult is much harder than as a child.
I can empathize.
My own challenging vocal journey:
I understand these hesitations, firsthand. Although I mostly never consciously admitted this to myself, deep down I was pretty sure that I lacked what it took to ever have a good singing voice.
“Deep down I was pretty sure that I lacked what it took to ever have a good singing voice.”
I sang in choirs and backup vocals in bands, but never had a remarkable voice in my teens.
In my 20s, I figured out a few ‘moves’ that sometimes helped me sound better, but I still had a very limited range for pop singing and I would strain on most high notes.
I would have a sore, tired voice after singing backgrounds with my band, and any time I sang too high, or too long.
“I would strain on most high notes and have a sore, tired voice any time I sang too high, or too long.”
My challenges with cost and consistent lessons:
I didn’t have money for regular professional voice lessons—I took a few lessons when I could—but I didn’t see much results from sporadic lessons and began to doubt that singing lessons could even work for me.
But then… I learned to really sing—as an adult.
I acquired all of my deeper skills as a singer in my 30s, when I was finally able to commit to consistent singing lessons and practise, guided by a professional voice teacher.
Note: If the coach you want to work with is too expensive to commit to long-term, it’s also possible to look at technique as a series of milestones and just do 3-6 month “milestone sprints.”
Then you can keep what you learn, and return for another sprint when finances allow (the easier milestones go faster, the harder milestones may take 6 months or more)
Is it Too Late to Learn to Sing?
No, it is never too late to learn to sing. If you’re worried about age preventing you from acquiring the skills you need… you will be fine.
Okay, if you want to be a K-Pop star, maybe it’s too late?
Actually, even K-Pop star Psy didn’t become internationally famous until his mid-30s with Gangnam Style.
Then there’s Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed a Dream breakthrough performance on Britain’s Got Talent–it’s really never too late!
Do Voice Lessons Really Work?
Yes. Voice lessons really work—at least, effective voice lessons do.
It’s hard to know how effective a given teacher is, in general—for all clients—unless they track client progress, studio-wide, and share that info, like we do here.
Anyway, the keys are regular practise and consistent lessons with an effective teacher.
Learning to sing from YouTube
YouTube can be amazing, but I do not recommend drawing any conclusions about your potential after e.g. trying a few tips from YouTube for a few days.
It might be possible to learn to sing from YouTube, online courses, or sporadic lessons, but deep down, you probably sense that studying with a dedicated professional teacher is a far more reliable way to create the type of change you’re looking for in your singing ability.
You have “skin in the game” and a partner in your journey, who can tailor the work to what you need to focus on most, week to week, as your singing adjusts to the training.
The importance of live, interactive singing lessons
Only a private singing teacher can observe, diagnose, and give adjustments and feedback based on what you are doing, moment to moment. This frequent, high quality feedback is the crucial element that videos and courses can’t provide.
Things to bear in mind while researching voice teachers:
Remember:
Singing teachers are likely not all equally effective.
It’s important to do some research.
It’s nearly impossible to know if the lessons will be effective, and a good fit, without trying at one or two lessons, then committing to a month, if everything seems okay—building new coordination around high notes takes some time and practise.
One quick tip for finding an effective teacher:
In other articles I go more in depth about what to look for in a teacher, but here is my favourite quick tip for finding an effective teacher:
Look for a teacher with whom you experience a breakthrough in strong-yet-easy high notes in the first lesson or two.*
If matching pitch, or producing clean tone in your lower range is difficult for you, maybe allow for around 2-6 lessons before expecting a breakthrough, but you still want to experience this sensation very early in the process, and it’s a reasonable result to expect from an effective teacher.
*Note: If you're looking for a singing teacher in Vancouver or nearby, feel free to take advantage of my $10 voice consultation—details below.
Book a $10 Voice Consultation
Discuss your goals, do some quick vocal diagnostics, and get tailored recommendations to help you reach your goals, with or without a coach.
Is Learning to Sing Harder as an Adult?
The more important question is: Does your desire to sing well outweigh your fears of all the (likely solvable) reasons it might not work?
“Does your desire to sing well outweigh your fears of all the (likely solvable) reasons it might not work?”
On hurtful feedback on your singing as a child:
After teaching for a few years, I was struck by how many adult clients told me of how, when they were young, someone—a choir director or a family member—told them not to sing and how this silenced them.
This too-strong feedback stopped them from improving their singing at a crucial age for musical development, and the hurt from these moments seemed to remain many decades later.
I’d understand if you were concerned that trying voice lessons might mean being told not to sing, again. Most teachers would never say this, but it might be wise to contact a prospective teacher before booking and test the waters.
I think there can be a time for being honest with a client, at a certain point, if their reaching their particular singing goals might be a longer, harder road than they were expecting—I feel an obligation as a trusted adviser to provide my informed opinion.
On the other hand, I would never tell anyone to give up outright. For starters, no one knows exactly how hard it will be and how much or little you might improve.
If you really want it—go for it!
How long does it take to learn to sing?
If you find an effective singing teacher and you practise regularly, you should get a glimmer of what you’re capable of quite early in the process, and you most people should expect to become consistently good singers within a couple years.
Bear in mind that ‘a couple years’ is faster than most other instruments, plus the journey itself should be fun.
…And the payoff when your voice really comes together can be priceless.
If you are considering taking your singing to the next level, please feel free to get in touch regarding voice lessons in Vancouver. You’re welcome to book a $10 voice consultation (30 minutes) to discuss your goals, learn your probable range, and get a clear path to reaching your goals, with or without a coach.
Try the Ultimate Singer Goals Quiz
Tell us about your goals and get tailored recommendations to help you reach your goals, with or without a coach.