I Can Teach You to Sing

I am reminded of the old farmer who once told his grandson, “You can’t teach a pig to sing because it wastes your time and irritates the hell out of the pig!”

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I can relate to that pig because many times I have felt that this describes me and my pig like singing talent. I remember one time I was in Italy and some of us were asked to sing in church. We took this assignment seriously and decided that we should practice. We started practicing and sang maybe five notes when the conductor stopped the practice and gave us some instructions and then started again. Five notes later he stopped us once more and then asked me if I would not sing for a moment and sure enough five notes later, he stopped us and informed us that the problem was solved. I was kicked out of the group.

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​​Once again, I felt like the pig the farmer warned his grandson about. But unfortunately, I was a slow learner. Several years later I was invited to sing with three other men in church and before long I was invited to just mouth the words. I did a great job and people after the meeting complemented me and the group. It felt good to be part of a successful quartet but a short time later it dawned on me that I just moved my lips and not a sound was uttered from my mouth. I felt like a fraud and again that pig surfaced in my mind.

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In my profession I had the privilege of speaking at many conferences and meetings throughout the country and I loved it. I knew that I had a good speaking voice, and I knew how to use it to capture the audience. I could tell stories and make them live. I could give each of the characters a unique voice and they would come alive. I loved speaking and telling stories and those who heard me gave me sincere compliments.

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Over the years I have had several people ask me if I sing after they heard me speak. They thought I had a nice voice, but I had to assure them that I had learned to use my voice when speaking but couldn’t control it the same way when I sang. I had a radio voice and took advantage of it as a speaker and professor.

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One Sunday, after I had spoken in church, Beatrice Bergér Gee, a professional singer who was trained in Germany and taught voice lessons, approached me and asked if I sang. I thought of the pig analogy and informed her that no I didn’t sing and unfortunately, I was a hopeless cause. She didn’t believe me and mentioned that I controlled my voice when speaking and that it was nice and if I could do that while speaking, I could certainly use it to sing. She gave me a challenge. She said that she could help me learn to sing and sing on pitch. I thought to myself, “Really!” wanting to believe but doubting.


​​​She made me an offer that was tempting but which scared the hee bee jeebies out of me. She said, “I’ll give you ten free lessons to prove to you that you can sing!” I thought about it and finally controlled the urge to run. I agreed to her challenge, and I started singing lessons.


​​​While I haven’t developed into a recording artist (maybe next year) and I still can’t read the music she is having me sing, but I’m learning to hit one out of three notes. Now that doesn’t sound like much but to an old man who before taking Bea’s challenge couldn’t hit one in ten notes. To me that is progress and maybe next fall when Bea’s students put on their annual program, I will be able to sing in the chorus.


​​​So, while there may be some truth in the old adage that you can’t teach old dogs new tricks, it is also true that it doesn’t have to be a waste of time to try. 
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As parents let’s help our children try new things and teach them the importance of taking chances. Who knows, they may discover a new passion or talent. I was discouraged for years believing that I couldn’t sing, and I may not ever become a great singer, but today I’m a better person for trying.
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Happy Failing Forward,​​