What Singing Taught Me (That Has Nothing to Do with Performing)

Let’s talk about singing—not as performance or perfection, but as practice. As something you do that
changes you over time.

I've been singing most of my life. Professionally, sure, but that came later for me. I sang in my room as a very unhappy teen trying to come to grips with the world.  When I walked the Sydney streets in my early 20’s,  In the car.. And after all these years, I still find that the lessons singing teaches me go far beyond music.

So here’s what the study and practice of singing can offer, even if you never set foot on a stage.

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1. You learn to listen—to yourself and others.
Pitch, breath, timing… none of it works without listening.  NONE of it.  It requires focussing on the music rather than on my anxiety. Not just hearing it, but really tuning in. The more I sing, the more I notice what's happening in my body, in my thoughts, and in the room around me. I must get present in order to sing

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2. You meet your inner critic.
Singing will introduce you to the voice in your head that says “You can’t.” Mine used to say, “Who do you think you are? You can’t sing, that’s for other people” Getting to know that voice is step one. Making peace with it—co-existing with it without having it be the controlling factor—is where the real growth begins.

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3. You figure out that effort and ease can co-exist.
Good singing isn’t about pushing. It’s about releasing. It feels easy and effortless.That’s a hard thing to learn in a culture that worships hustle. Singing invites you to try less and feel more. To let the sound ride the breath, not force it through. It’s a very different kind of discipline. 

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4. You remember that you’re allowed to take up space.
Most of us were taught to shrink, apologise, or stay quiet. Singing turns that on its head. It asks you to amplify. To be heard. To take up space. And the more you do it, the less foreign it feels.

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5. You get a better relationship with your breath.
Breath is survival. It's also emotion, connection, regulation. Singing helps you become aware of it, deepen it, use it. It can calm your nervous system or energise your whole body. It’s like a free, built-in reset button we forget we have.

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6. You start showing up differently in other areas of life.
Confidence builds. Not overnight, and not always loudly—but it builds. Singing strengthens your voice in every sense. It can shift how you speak, how you hold yourself, and how you handle challenge. I’ve watched it happen for my students, and myself, again and again.

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I didn’t grow up confident. I didn’t grow up believing I had worth and value. But singing gave me a way in—a way to move through fear, to feel more connected, and to express things I didn’t have the courage to say otherwise.

And that’s the invitation. You don’t have to want to “be a singer.” You just have to be curious. To try. To see what your voice might reveal when you give it space.

Thanks for reading.

If this resonated with you and you’re wondering where to start, I invite you to reach out or try one of my upcoming workshops or lessons. Because you do have a voice. And it’s worth hearing.

—Lisa

https://lisarichardsmusic.com/singing-lessons-classes