Recently, I saw a video that reminded me of the beauty of a well-trained aging voice. Here's the video! I hope that I sound that great at 90!

As rare as it is these days (sadly, but not surprisingly), it shouldn’t be the case!  Why can certain singers sound great at 90 years old, their voices having a steady vibrato (without a wobble), perfect pitch, and dynamic control with all the artistry?! Meanwhile, the majority of singers’ voices continue to deteriorate as the decades go on, despite having a “successful” career in the earlier decades of their lives. Here’s what singers can do to sound great at 90!

1-Correct technical foundation based on science (not FAKE science!)

A singer, from the earliest age of the use of the instrument, should be learning about how their voice works from the inside out - going along with age-appropriate intellectual concepts. This should be done with the guidance of a teacher/pedagogue that listens to “function,” not just a standard of output (powerful is not always “correct!”) Avoidance of “fake science” is of the utmost importance! Be careful of terms that have no scientific “proof” (vocal jargon!) A good foundation is the building of a balanced registration: chest/basic and head/falsetto development, the perfect blend between the two, gradual elimination of the vibrating mass on ascension of pitch, coupled resonance adjustment all allowing for flexibility, agility, and dynamic artistry. (Its no wonder training a voice takes YEARS!)

2-Continued use and understanding of what happens physically as the voice ages.

If a singer has a good foundation listed above, there are more advanced techniques that will continue to allow a freedom of the voice to flourish along with maturation of the body. As we age, our sinus cavities continue to hallow and harden (which can be to our benefit!), but other muscular thickening and stiffening can occur IF we don’t know how to work with that and prevent muscular deterioration. Adjustments should be made accordingly by listening to function and understanding how the muscles in the larynx age, their physical and functional characteristics. There are most definitely advantages to the mature voice that is in great shape (the 40’s are a PRIME decade)! We can look forward to changes that occur (such as cord beveling), that only come with age! AND, if we don’t use it, we lose it. 

3-Avoidance of misuse, abuse, and overuse.

This goes without saying, but it's a naive singer, a passive singer (too trusting!), or a singer that had a lucky streak (good technique by chance without the knowledge of function or how to protect their instrument over time), who can quickly fall victim to misguidance. This stems from the focus on vocal output versus optimal healthy function. Misuse (poor technique), abuse (continued use of poor technique), and overuse (not understanding the instrument’s limitations, singers aren’t invincible!) will not allow for a voice to age well or have functional health. In fact, these habits will only deteriorate the voice speedily and brutally. 

4-Refusal to give in to society’s vocal jargon about what is “beautiful” versus what is actually “correct.”

We’ve talked about it before, but it can’t go without saying again that our “perception” of what is beautiful is based on the environment of music we are influenced by. That means that getting the result a singer wants in a healthy way can be difficult if the result they want is that which doesn’t allow for free singing. There are ways to train the voice to get the effects a singer wants in various genres healthily, and the work that needs to be done for the final result is such that the singer needs to be disciplined for the long haul, and find the correct guidance to develop. A healthy belt, for instance, can not be taught without a frame work which, depending on the singer’s former training, has many earlier steps in technical development that need to be mastered FIRST. 

What IS beautiful is true functional freedom, that which allows and permits the artistry, expression and interpretation with healthy function, and without harming the instrument, but revitalizing it. It is with this continued revitalization that a singer can sustain, maintain, and sing with beauty as they age, even at 90.

Happy Singing!