"To Everything, There is a Season" by Amanda Hanks
When I submitted an application to participate in sINgSPIRE, it was based on a lifelong desire to learn how to sing. This desire was postponed while I focused on supporting myself through education and career along with devoting time to family, friends, volunteering and exercising to maintain my health. All of these activities consumed my time and energy, so taking voice lessons became a goal for later in life when hobbies for self enjoyment could be added to my schedule.
Due to severe health conditions that transformed my daily routine into being mostly housebound, I had the opportunity to begin the journey of learning to sing in September 2025 at the age of 56.
Voice lessons sponsored by sINgSPIRE were the first experience I had with practicing music except for learning to play the piano. My mother enrolled me in piano at the age of 6 with a teacher that taught on a grand piano with focus on classical music and strict adherence to form, timing, and expression.
During the first 3 years of my piano lessons the majority of music that I played was selected by the instructor. It typically included pieces by famous composers, such as Beethoven, Bach, Chopin and Mozart. To this day when I hear certain songs, such as Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” or Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”, I’m transported back to that grand piano in the teacher’s living room or to the stage in a large auditorium where the yearly recitals were held.
As I reminisced about those days of learning to play the piano, a thought struck me that was relevant to my current journey of learning to sing. Those classical pieces of music were not part of the first year of piano lessons that primarily focused on music theory, fundamental elements and core concepts of the piano, along with daily repetition of scales and finger drills designed to teach proper form and hand position. During the first 6 months of voice lessons with instructor Betty Merkle, she introduced me to singing theory by incorporating bits of information into each lesson and reinforced the principles with practical applications that showed me how to incorporate the concepts into singing.
She explained and demonstrated physical techniques required for vocal performance and never lost patience when I repeatedly asked her to expound on a topic until I fully grasped the meaning and could apply it during a lesson. Betty’s ability to adapt her teaching style to how I learn, which often involves multiple questions that she answers with clarifications until I confirm understanding of a topic, has produced an excellent forum to discover my voice. Learning about breath control, resonance, and articulation to produce sound, pitch and tone accurately has enhanced my singing experience. For me, being taught about singing theory is the difference between just singing and knowing why what I sing sounds the way it does.
I marvel at how all the elements required to start my voice lesson journey aligned to form the perfect union of a program and instructor at a time when it could be incorporated into my life. This reminds me of the lyrics to the song “Turn, Turn, Turn” written by Pete Seeger that starts with: “To everything (turn, turn, turn) There is a season (turn, turn, turn)…”. To those who have started their singing journey, I hope this article sparks warm memories as you reflect on your voice experiences. To those who have a dream of singing, I hope this article inspires you by sharing that it’s never too late to start voice lessons.