People Who Think They Can’t Sing Really Can

iStock/Thinkstock(EVANSTON, Ill.) — With so many talent competitions on TV, it would appear that the world is filled with not only a lot of singers, but very good ones at that.

However, if you belong to that category of folks who can’t sing a note, don’t despair. It might only be because you weren’t encouraged or trained properly when you were young.

So says music education professor Steven Demorest at Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music.

Although there are people born with the talent to sing, Demorest says that singing can be an acquired skill, provided people are taught in a way similar to others who learn how to play musical instruments.

Demorest tested three groups on singing accuracy: kindergarteners, sixth graders and college-aged adults. It seems that the two younger groups did better than the older participants, which Demorest attributes to the “use it or lose it” principle.

He surmises that older kids don’t sing as much as when they were younger, and that those who get stuck with the label of being “tone deaf” take it to heart and figure they just can’t sing.

Demorest contends there’s hope for those who think they carry a tune, adding, “When people are unsuccessful they take it very personally, but we think if you sing more, you’ll get better.”

Meanwhile, Demorest and other colleagues are attempting to develop an online measure of singing accuracy that teachers will one day use to help youngsters while also helping adults improve their singing ability.

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