5 Ways to bring More Joy to your Singing

Can I confess something?

I actively ignore a lot of traditional singing advice.

(Not all of it of course. There's incredible wisdom in good voice training. I've built my entire career on it.)

But there is a lot of well meaning, well intended advice that takes you AWAY from yourself. That asks you to ignore your inner wisdom, your longings, YOUR authority.

(ie... "You must learn how to belt." OR "You shouldn't be belting." "Sing this exercise [without knowing why you are]." "Sing it the way I am singing it..." "You have to push yourself [in not so nice ways] in order to get ahead." etc etc)

And because of that... because of advice that pulls you away from your own inner truth and authority... singing starts to feel hard.

And not fun.

It feels hard and not fun because you are disconnected from your voice and your own inner knowing.

When you are constantly pleasing others….

Perfecting your technique…

Relying on outside authority….

It started to feel joyless.

And if you’re not doing those things…

…there is this subconscious belief that you’re not doing it correctly.

I think that's one of the biggest reasons so many singers lose their love for it and eventually stop singing.

Somewhere along the way you stop enjoying it.

I've lived both versions.

I know what it's like to have every practice session feel like “work”.

To finish singing and immediately think about everything that went wrong.

To believe that the only way to improve was from "shoulding" and being harsh with myself.

The truth is that "shoulding" drained the life out of something I loved.

These days my question is different.

Instead of asking,

"What should I do today?" 

I ask,

"What do I want to feed today?" 

Because whatever we feed grows.

If I spend an hour feeding comparison...

comparison grows.

If I spend an hour feeding perfectionism...

guess what gets stronger?

But if I intentionally feed curiosity...

playfulness...

encouragement...

gratitude...

those things grow too.

That doesn't mean I ignore technique, or challenging myself, or working on things that need to get done.

It just means I refuse to let my singing practice become a place where my inner critic gets stronger every day.

Instead, I want it to become a place where I get stronger.

Where my confidence grows.

Where my courage grows.

Where my joy grows.

Here are a few ways you can intentionally begin to feed joy in your singing practice, starting today:

 
1. Make space for what feels good.

Yes, challenge yourself, work on material that stretches you…. But Not everything has to be a challenge. What are the songs that light you up, even if they’re “easy” or “simple”? Make space for that in your practice time.
 

What warmups feel like a treat instead of a chore? Start your practice there. Make space for what feels good.
 

 
2. Celebrate small wins.

Did you sing for five minutes today when you almost didn’t?
 
Did you notice a new feeling in your body when you sang? Did you make space for what feels good in your practice time? That counts. Celebrate it.

 
3. Talk to yourself like you would a student or a friend.

Would you shame someone else for cracking a note or not having perfect technique?
 
No? Then don’t do it to yourself.
 
Feed kindness. Feed encouragement.

 
4. Reclaim your WHY.

Why did you start singing in the first place?
 
Was it fun? Healing? Empowering? Emotional?
 
Tap into that original spark and revisit it often.
 
(That’s where making time for the songs that feel really good comes in handy!)

 
5. Connect with others who feed joy too.
 
This is where community comes in—classes, workshops, and circles where it’s safe to show up as your full, messy, wonderful self.
 

Where joy is contagious.

Spaces where I stop trying to impress anyone....including myself....and simply remember why I started singing in the first place.

I’ve learned the hard way that joy isn't the reward for becoming a better singer. (If your inner critic is motivating you, the joy may never come and if it does, it is FLEETING.)

Instead: Joy is one of the things that helps you become a better singer

That's why I created my free Joyful Singing Workshop. 

Yes, we'll talk about vocal exercises.

Yes, you'll learn practical tools.

But as importantly, we're going to explore the relationship you've built with your voice.

We'll look at the thoughts you've been feeding.

We'll quiet the inner critic.

We'll reconnect with your why. 

Because if your singing practice feels like HARD WORK all the time...

it doesn't have to stay that way.

I'd love to have you join me.

You can reserve your free spot right HERE.

 This week's episode of The Joyful Singer Podcast is called "5 Ways to Bring More Joy to Your Singing." I also share an exercise called The Joy Flip (plus a free workbook!) that helps you transform the thoughts you've been feeding into ones that actually support the singer you're becoming.