Commentary: Don't fall for the myth that you 'can't sing'

"When I was in kindergarten or first grade, during a singing session, the teacher pointed to me and said, 'You there in the back, just mouth the words.' I never sang again until I was nearly 60. Not in front of other people, not in front of the dog, not in the shower. I felt I couldn't sing," Steven Duke, a retired Chicago journalist, said.

Duke's story is familiar to many people. Their experiences - and their efforts to overcome that childhood curse - carry a message for today's parents and teachers, as well as hope for those