‘I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think,’ declared the Sufi mystic Rumi. And even though he was writing way back in the 13th century, his perspective on singing represents how many of us still feel in the 21st century: that singing is performative, and something we either get ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’
This mindset is the reason many people stop singing altogether in adulthood, fearing judgment or ridicule. Our identity is bound up in our voice – it’s our auditory DNA – so it’s not surprising that many people choose to remain silent and not open up their voice (and, by extension, themselves) to criticism.
