VOCALS
BEST OF 2025: A VOICE TEACHER’ S ADVICE TO SINGERS | Renée Maranan
A new year is upon us! In my 25 years as a voice teacher, I’ ve had to advise a lot of singers on how to improve, care for, and steward their voices. I’ ve done this long enough to notice that several patterns tend to come up across experience levels, performance backgrounds, and genres of choice. As we face 2026, I thought I would share some of the advice that I gave most frequently to singers in 2025. Hopefully, this will help you, educate you, and inspire you for the year ahead.
EXPECT TO FALL OFF TRACK. We all start the year with the best of intentions, but obstacles will inevitably come up. Plan to run into roadblocks when it comes to your regular practice routine. Accept that illnesses are not always preventable, and even the most disciplined singers get bit by the seasonal bug every now and then. Anticipate criticism and rejection and know that they don’ t have to define you. Recognize mistakes and regressions as part of the process and opportunities for learning. There will be failure, setbacks, and frustrations. But for every time you fall, stumble, and fail, you can always begin again.
PROGRESS IS NOT LINEAR, BUT THAT DOESN’ T MEAN IT’ S NOT HAPPENING. A lot of the improvements in our singing are happening under the surface. We might not recognize them right away, and we might not be fully capable of consistently making the changes that we want to make in our sound or vocal coordination. This is okay. This is normal. This is part of the process, and in many cases, it’ s not something we can bypass. The brain takes time and repetition to learn new things, and the journey of learning can come with a lot of ups and downs. And with an instrument like the voice, which operates mostly out of sight, it can be hard to trust that things are actually getting better. Keep doing the work. Keep showing up for your craft. The breakthrough is slowly unfolding under the surface, one repetition at a time.
IT’ S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO CARE FOR YOUR VOICE, BUT VOICE CARE WILL ALWAYS BE EASIER THAN VOICE REHABILITATION. There’ s a lot involved with keeping one’ s voice healthy. Vocal conditioning and technique, hydration, rest, nutrition, movement, emotional and psychological wellness, and more— they all play a part in how easy and enjoyable it is to sing. But while the process of caring for one’ s voice may be time-consuming and tedious, and it may be difficult to choose to rest and pass on performances due to illness or vocal fatigue, the consequences of not doing so are much harder to deal with. As a voice coach who has helped singers correct maladaptive singing behaviors or navigate returning from vocal injury, I know how difficult rehabilitation can be, not just on a vocal level, but on an emotional and psychological level as well. This is one advice that I wish more singers would heed: don’ t wait until your voice breaks before you care for it. Take care of your voice, and your voice will take care of you.
THERE IS SPACE FOR EVERYONE TO SING AND SHARE THEIR MUSIC. I’ ve had so many students come to me in their adult years, telling me that they’ ve always loved to sing but have always been afraid to do so for one reason or another. I understand the hesitation, because it’ s quite a vulnerable experience to share one’ s voice with others because of how intimately linked it is to who we are as individuals. But as a voice teacher, I have never seen a person regret fostering their love for singing, whether they end up fulfilling lifelong dreams of performing onstage or they simply become more comfortable with singing for fun. The process of getting to know one’ s voice is very much a process of getting to know oneself. The more we learn to accept and love our voices, and the more confident we become in existing as singers and sharing our voices with the world, the more we learn to accept and love and confidently exist as humans. And no matter what anyone says, there is always room for this kind of authentic expression. We just have to find and create the spaces and communities to support it.
Worship singers, there is so much in store for you and your ministry this year. I hope you find plenty of opportunities to learn and grow, as well as communities where you can thrive and flourish as vocalists. No matter where you are in your journey at the start of the year, may your voice and your ministry be blessed richly. Let’ s sing to the Lord with all our hearts and voices in 2026!
Got a singing question? Send an email to hello @ reneemaranan. com with“ WM Vocals Question” in the subject line!
Renée Maranan Renée Maranan is a vocal instructor, voice teacher trainer, and life coach, with over 25 years of experience working with singers, vocal instructors, and performers from all over the world. For more vocal help, visit her www. reneemaranan. com or follow her on Instagram(@ reneemaranan).. www. ReneeMaranan. com Instagram @ reneemaranan
32 January 2026 Subscribe for Free...