I can't join a choir because I can't sing...WRONG
Everyone has a voice but too often we think that we can't sing because we don't sound like what we hear on the radio, television, social media, a recording or at a live venue.Tania de Jong AM, an Australian soprano and international speaker on leadership, creativity and innovation. She founded Creativity Australia and Creative Universe and she works with disadvantaged communities through the 'With One Voice' choir social inclusion programs, believes we can all sing.
"Discouraged by a fear of being judged, the only time most people sing is the shower. However,
evolution has left us with an inherent desire to sing, and singing alone and in groups has many
mental health benefits, argues soprano and motivational speaker Tania de Jong.
There was a time when everyone used to sing. We sat around campfires, at church and at school.
We sang our stories and our dreams. We sang alone and we sang together. Nowadays, not many of
us sing. We think we can’t because someone at some time told us not to sing, or we think we’re not
good enough. We worry that people will think we are strange, that we will be judged as not as good
as the celebrities we idolise. Eighty-five per cent of people have been told not to sing at some point.
Our voices have been silenced, and it’s not doing us any good. Most people believe that they can’t
sing. There is a taboo about singing or even speaking in public, and yet we were all given voices to
express ourselves and tune in with one another. We have such a fear of failure and we are incredibly
vulnerable to being judged.
Of course, we can all sing. Voice is the language of our hearts; it is how we express ourselves. Singing
has so many great benefits for our brains, our psychological function, our thinking and learning skills,
and our social functions."
