Your own Stradivarius

In the orchestra lounge at the Chicago Lyric Opera, there is a My Fair Lady-themed poster with the words: “The raise in pay stays mainly with Renee” - a satirical comment on the fact that famous opera diva Renee Fleming receives over $20,000 per performance, while the opera orchestra has to fight (and periodically strike) to maintain a livable income. For decades, Renee has attracted massive audiences and followers with her voice, which is considered by many opera fans (this one included) to be the finest of her generation. She owns one of the most expensive and highly valued classical voices in the world, and (as with most great vocalists) often draws comments about her great fortune in having been born with such a “gift.”

Meanwhile, somewhere on the opposite side of that world stands the rest of us: those of us who are nervous to sing out during the hymns; those of us who feel too insecure about our voices to join the choir; those of us who have been discouraged and excluded from singing by music teachers or parents, because we were not one of the “gifted” or “chosen.” As a child, I was told many times that that singing was not for me. For nearly ten years I was turned away from every children’s choir, school choir, and church choir in which I tried to participate because I just didn’t “have the voice for it.” I once received the comment that I should leave singing to those who had received “the gift,” and should instead stick to something for which I had talent (in that case, playing the piano). One of the kinder comments I received was that I was born with more of a “quartet voice, but not a duet or solo voice.”

The myth that a beautiful voice is a “gift” -- and only for the lucky few that are born with it -- has become accepted as fact in our culture and has prevented so many individuals from finding the joy, blessing, and fulfillment that comes from participating in music. Yet in the past century science has proven that any one set of “vocal cords” is nearly indistinguishable from any other! Your vocal instrument is built from the same material, in the same shape, to produce equally as beautiful sounds as the finest singers in the world. So where does this idea come from that singing is a talent that we either have or don’t have? What separates the discouraged and insecure of us from the great voices that fill the concert halls around the world?

I found my favorite answer to this question in an analogy of two individuals in line to play a Stradivarius (one of a rare collection of Italian-made violins famed for their unmatched quality of tone). The first individual has never played a violin nor received any training. The second is a world class violinist, who spent years mastering their technique in top conservatories with world-class mentors. Who do you expect will find a more beautiful sound on this priceless instrument? Of course the professional! This violin is capable of some of the most beautiful sounds in the world, but for a beginner it rarely produces more than squeaks and scratches. So what is the difference between the two players? Simple: the beginner has never learned how to use the instrument! With the same time and training, the beginner could also learn to create beautiful sounds with the violin, and to find the instrument’s true value and potential.

It is exactly the same with our voices. We are each born with a voice that has great potential and value, but very few of us ever receive the basic instructions to use it! My life changed completely when a voice teacher suggested that my conducting would benefit from voice lessons and offered to teach me. At first I declined. I was scared, insecure, and certain that my “ungifted” voice couldn’t benefit from lessons – but she persisted. When I finally agreed to try, I preemptively told her that I knew that I didn’t have a beautiful voice and would never be a singer – that I just wanted to learn so I could become a better choir teacher. She just laughed and responded, “Walter, I will make you a singer!”

Learning to sing has turned out to be one of the largest blessings I have ever received in my life. Tt has enriched my life immeasurably, and has changed my entire understanding of vocal talent and skill. I am now a firm believer that singing is not something only for those with a “gift,” but something universal. Something that is intrinsic to everyone, a human language that everyone can and should participate in! One of the primary goals of my music ministry is to help individuals of all skill levels and backgrounds to feel enabled and empowered to participate in the worship through music -- whether it be through singing solos, joining the church choir, or singing hymns and psalms from the pew. We each have something valuable to contribute! So sing out, sing strong, sing joyfully – knowing you are part of the “chosen,” the “gifted,” with a voice just as valuable as any $20,000-a-performance “Stradivarius” instrument!

Walter Aldrich, Director of Music