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I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked the question: Can you teach yourself to sing? Can you learn singing by yourself?

And let me tell you, the answer is far from simple, and hotly debated among singers and music teachers. I would love to give you a straight-forward “yes” or “no” answer, but it just isn’t that simple.

For those of you who do not know, I am a private music teacher (I teach voice, piano, and music theory) and singer. I have been teaching music for almost 10 years now, and have been taking lessons, studying music, and performing for even longer. You can read more about my experience on my bio page. So I’ve been asked how to improve singing voice at home without a teacher, and have been thinking about my answer, for a long, long time.

I want to start out by managing some expectations. All over the internet, you will find people giving those definitive “yes” or “no” answers to the question, “can you teach yourself to sing?” As with most things in life, the answer doesn’t lie in the extremes or in the black and white – it lies somewhere in the middle, between “yes” and “no.”

So this post is my attempt to bring a balanced, well-rounded answer to the question!

I want to know how to learn singing at home without a teacher!

If I had to make a bet, I would wager that if you ended up on this page because you want to learn how to improve your singing voice at home without a teacher.

Honestly, I get it. Not only can it be intimidating to find a coach, sing for them, and let them shape and mold your voice, but it can get pricey as well – and that’s ok if that’s a hold up for you. Not everyone has the resources available to them to hire a vocal coach! It often feels much easier to try to teach yourself to sing, utilizing free, online singing resources.

I will say that you can learn singing at home without a teacher – at least a formal, traditional teacher – to a point. As with any other skill, you will run into a plateau at some point if you are only self-taught. But you absolutely can make progress and learn singing without a teacher if you are willing to put the work in!

What you need to do to learn singing at home without a teacher

1. Get your body in singing shape & develop body awareness
   I won’t get too into details here, but as singers, our body is our instrument. I take my voice students through body awareness exercises at the beginning of each lesson. Grab the free list of exercises I use with my students for PDF download here.
2. Develop your ear
   Your ear, or the way you hear music and pitch, is an integral part of being a singer. One thing singers often don’t do enough of is listening. Listen to different genres of music. Practice listening to your favorite songs and listening for things you didn’t notice before. Listen with an attitude of curiosity!
3. Do Vocal Exercises
   Vocal exercises are basically short songs that you sing to exercise and stretch your voice. Doing vocal exercises regularly is a great way to develop your singing voice without a teacher – I have my students do them every day, even when they aren’t in a lesson! Find a list of my favorites here.
4. Record yourself singing, and listen back
   I know this one can be uncomfortable. But it is so important to listen to yourself sing not in your own head if you want to teach yourself to sing! You need to hear what other people hear. Listen for things you do well, and things you need to improve.
5. Take an online course
   I know that the top reasons people want to know how to learn singing at home without a teacher are cost and fear of judgement. While a good teacher will never judge, the separation provided by a digital course allows you to work through the exercises at your own pace and comfort level! They also are considerably cheaper than hiring a vocal coach, which makes them more accessible to more people. Click here to check out the courses we have available for you to learn singing at home without a teacher here at C&S Music.

Some issues with trying to teach yourself to sing without a teacher

As I mentioned above, there is a limit to how much you can do when you try to teach yourself to sing without a teacher. At a certain level (which differs from person to person), you can’t progress any more.

However.

There is one big, huge, giant drawback when people try to teach themselves to sing without a teacher – and that is that the potential for injury goes way up.

You only have one voice. If you injure it using poor technique – which those learning by themselves can’t catch – that’s it. There are some ways to mitigate damage with vocal treatments or even surgery, but that all has to be done under the supervision of a medical professional (way more expensive and way more work than learning right the first time).

The last thing you want to do (and the last thing I want you to do) is stop your singing journey before it even begins.

The easiest way to prevent vocal injury? Work with a qualified, reputable vocal coach.

If you can’t afford one and still want to push through teaching yourself to sing at home, do your self-learning from qualified, reputable sources – like C&S Music! Look for resources that have qualifications, experience, and reputation to back up their instruction.

Can a vocal coach teach you how to sing?

The short answer to this one is, “absolutely!”

If you have the funds and are looking for ways to improve as a singer quickly, a good vocal coach is an excellent way to go. As with any other skill, individualized and personalized instruction makes for quicker progress than self-taught, and they can catch bad habits before they become habits.

If funds are your biggest hurdle, have a conversation with some local teachers. Many will offer bulk discounts, or you can work out a short-term thing where you take a few lessons and they give you homework tailored specifically to your voice.

So, what’s the answer? Can you teach yourself to sing?

My answer: yes, to a point. You can absolutely make progress as a singer by yourself, without individualized instruction. However, be careful with the resources you use, and, if possible, work with a voice teacher periodically to catch bad habits!