If you want to sing and are worried about your age, then you
can stop worrying because you can never be too old or too young
to sing! Singing is fun at any age, young or old. Children at
the age of 8 or 9 years old can be taught the basics of good
singing, although voice training must be adjusted to avoid
damaging their voices during the changes of puberty. While
adults can benefit from singing training throughout their life
to a ripe old age, in fact many people sing better as they
age.
The most obvious vocal changes occur during the change from
childhood to adulthood, and a young male may find himself in
possession of a clear, high singing voice one day and a
cracking, strangely deep one the next. A boy’s voice changes
drastically during puberty. Along with the physical changes,
his larynx enlarges and his vocal cords thicken and lengthen
about one centimeter causing his voice to drop several notes. A
boy in this stage of growth may feel as if he’s lost control of
his voice as it may crack or shift from deep to high without
warning.
Despite the changes, there is no reason why a young person
with a changing voice should not continue to keep singing, as
long as the following precautions are taken:
Sing in your comfortable mid-range, or tessitura. If you
find yourself straining to reach the notes (by stretching
your neck, thrusting your chin out, or clenching your jaw),
then stop or drop out.
Don’t try to push your range. If the range that you can
sing comfortably is only six notes, so be it. This does not
mean avoiding upper notes. Use your head voice to reach the
high notes.
If a song has several notes that do not fit your
tessitura, change the notes to suit your voice.
Singing with
age:
If you are an older singer, you may find that your voice has
grown rusty over the years. All the more reason to start
singing and loosen it up! Start slowly and build up, as you may
find that singing takes more energy, dexterity, and breath than
you remembered. You may benefit from breathing exercises to
improve your ability to release a sustained and measured flow
of air, as well as legato voice exercises to control any vocal
wobbles.
You’ll be happy to know that, with training, most voices in
fact improve with age. Here are some reviews of the best
singing lessons for singers of all ages: