It's a funny angle to come at, I know. 

Usually I talk and write about what I'm for, what I believe in, what YOU can do to improve your singing and get a real buzz out of it.

And although I'm talking from a 'negative' angle this time, actually the outcome is similar...read and find out.

So what I'm AGAINST in the realm of singing, is, broadly speaking, the 'extremes' of certain common beliefs about singing. Two ends of the spectrum. And its just one of them I'm going to talk about now, but I hope it will help you and I'd love to know if you agree.

So there is a widely-held belief, or culturally-ingrained attitude towards singing, which goes: 'You're either born with a great singing voice , or you're not. You can't change that '

Would you say you've heard this attitude before? Do you think that a smidgin of it might be lingering in your mind, or affecting you?

Well anyway, I would like to say that I am 100% against that idea.

Of course, there are plenty of people who emerge quite young as being naturally talented singers. But whether you are naturally talented, or just good, or just average, or you don't like the sound of your voice...the important thing that I want you to understand is that your voice can improve immeasurably.

Your singing voice is composed of 2 things:

1. Your vocal instrument, which is a complex part of your physical anatomy; and 
2. You - who you are as a mental-emotional being and how you feel able to express yourself in the world.

And both of these things can be worked on and developed.

If you think of an athlete, for example...someone who is a runner. They may be found to be a 'natural' at school and guided to do more sport and compete. But are their talents just left to come through naturally?

No, of course not, they work on it, they train, to make the best use of what they've got, to improve the functioning and strength and flexibility of their muscles, so that their running skill gets better and better.

And singing is also not just a talent, but a skill... and skills can be learnt and developed.

So on the physical level, the same can be done with your singing voice...you can train your vocal instrument to work in more and more effective and flexible ways so that it sounds more beautiful, and so that you have more choice about how you sing, so that, again, it gets better and better. I have done this myself and I continue to do so.

And on the psychological level, you can become more empowered to express yourself through your voice, with choice, beauty and authenticity.

What helps enormously with this is encouragement. A little bit of encouragement can go a long way. And regular and encouragement and guidance can transform your voice and your confidence in it.

For example I recently completed an in-depth 9-month vocal training course. I worked regularly at applying what I was learning. I was dedicated to it. And during the performances at the final weekend, my teacher was in tears when he heard me sing - because my singing had really risen to a whole new level. And a fellow course member said 'Rolls Royce!' about my performance. 

And I'm really not saying that to boast, in fact it was very difficult for me to share that with you. I'm just saying this to empower you. If you want to improve your singing voice, YOU CAN.

And the more committed you are to training, to exploring it, to working on it, to discovering what it can do...the more your voice will flourish and become a musical instrument of fulfilling self-expression and sheer artistry.

And I would really love to help you do this. I can't wait to hear your voice take flight!

If you're inspired to get moving on this, find out more about what its like to have singing lessons with meHERE

Until then, sing brilliantly!