Singing: Nature Versus Nurture

In this article we explore the question of whether or not being able to sing is a skill that can be learned or if it is a natural gift given to a select few. The process of learning to sing is much like learning a language; both from scientific and from anecdotal evidence you will understand that the answer to the question is quite complex.

Singing, from my musical perspective, is an instrument. It is wonderful that each human being is given a voice, but it is nevertheless an instrument that can be taught and learned. From my own teaching experience, some people have a greater grasp of how to control their voice than others. These people would be considered “gifted” or “talented”. Conversely, I have taught students who could barely hold a pitch (let alone sing a recognizable song) but, with a lot of practice, were able to sing in tune with a decent tone. So, to say that singing is inherently for the select few who are seemingly deemed gifted, would not be entirely correct.

Biologically, when studied in songbirds, it seems that both nature and nurture play a part in learning a song. Birds are taught specific songs by their parents that are then learned and taught to their offspring. The baby birds have what is known as a sensitive period, about 100 days, in which it’s species-specific song is taught. Interestingly, when these songbirds are in isolation, their song becomes warped and more individualized. 1

Similarly, humans also have a sensitive period from around birth to six months old, in which the brain can actually tell the difference between the phonetic sounds of all languages! 2 (So much in fact that based on studies, it is virtually impossible for an infant to not pick up on the language spoken around them, whether or not they are taught it. Thus, nature plays an important role.) After this sensitive period, the brain streamlines itself to learn and focus more on the immediate language being spoken. By age twelve, the brain cannot learn a new language in the same way that it learned it’s native one. Learning becomes more difficult and this is usually the case in people who learn a second or third language.

This learning of languages can translate into learning how to read and play music on an instrument, including voice. From my own anecdotal evidence I can safely say that young children have a significantly easier time learning music than adults who have never done it before. There are always exceptions, but this is the majority in my experience. I have found that students that were exposed to a lot of music when they were younger, or students that were encouraged to sing, dance and perform at a young age, naturally excel more than those who were not exposed to these stimuli. This would suggest that the environment around you plays an important role. I believe there are a gifted few who are born into the world knowing how to control the muscles of their voice and diaphragm better than others, but with lots of practice, hard work and exposure at a young age, those who aren’t born this way can still succeed and sound great