Your voice doesn’t have to prove your Worth
I’ll be honest: this summer has been rough on my voice.
Between investing more time in my own singing and juggling 5–7 hours of teaching and using my voice each workday, I haven’t done the best job of managing my vocal load. My voice is tired.
And look—I know what you’re probably thinking. Aren’t you a voice teacher? Aren’t voice teachers supposed to know better?!
Honestly, vocal fatigue can happen to anyone. Even voice teachers.
But what I really want to talk about today isn’t just what happened to my voice. I want to talk about why I let it get to this point in the first place.
I Know How to Manage My Vocal Load
The thing is, I know how to manage my vocal load.
I know that if I want my voice to be in top shape, I can’t spend my lessons singing and talking constantly. And, truthfully, if I’m yapping and demonstrating for most of a lesson, that’s less time for my student to actually sing!
So why do I continually find myself demonstrating every little thing and droning on about vocal technique?
Because for so long—really, for most of my life—I’ve felt the need to prove myself through my singing.
If I wasn’t the “best” or most recognized singer in school, I felt like I wasn’t worth anything.
If I wasn’t the best voice teacher out there, I felt like I wasn’t worth working with.
For so much of my life, I’ve struggled to recognize that my voice is worthy of being shared—and that I have something to say when I sing—regardless of how my voice sounds on any given day.
Your Voice Doesn't Have to Prove Your Worth
Does this mean I shouldn’t give my best in any situation?
No.
I absolutely believe my voice is worth investing time and practice in. I want to continue developing my technique so that my voice can express the things I want it to say.
And I believe my students deserve instruction that feels empowering, thoughtful, and enlightening.
But I’m learning to separate those things from my worth as a human being.
I can care deeply about becoming a better singer without believing that being a better singer makes me a more worthy person.
I can care about being a good teacher without believing that I have to demonstrate everything to prove that I know what I’m talking about.
And I can recognize that my voice has limits without deciding that those limits make my voice—or me—less valuable.
In fact, sometimes the most important thing I can do for my voice is let it be imperfect.
What Does This Mean for You?
Maybe you see a little of yourself in this story.
Maybe you’ve struggled with feeling “good enough” to share your voice with other people.
Maybe you’ve pushed your voice too far because you felt like you had something to prove.
Or maybe you’ve avoided singing altogether because you’re waiting until your voice is “good enough” to deserve being heard.
If that’s you, I want you to know this:
An imperfect voice is still worth sharing.
You don’t have to prove your worth through your singing.
You’re worthy as a human being, period.
Your voice will have good days and bad days. Some days it will feel strong, expressive, and effortless. Other days it might feel tired, breathy, shaky, or just…off.
Those bad days don’t say anything about your worth.
You can take the bad days with the good. You can listen to what your voice needs. You can continue growing and practicing without turning every limitation into a judgment about yourself.
Because your voice doesn’t have to be perfect to have something worth saying.
And neither do you.
Keep Exploring Your Voice
If any part of this resonated with you, I hope you’ll carry this reminder with you the next time you sing:
You don’t have to earn the right to use your voice.
And if you’re looking for a space to explore your voice without so much pressure to be perfect, that’s exactly what I hope to create through my teaching.
Whether you’re working on your technique, rebuilding confidence, or simply curious about what your voice can do, there’s always room to explore.
Your voice is worth listening to—including by you.
