Hobby Hopping

Welcome to Hobby Hopping, where I try a new hobby (or tell you about an old favorite) every week!

This Week: Singing!

Why this hobby?

Well, we’ve already done dancing, and we know what comes after dancing in the mirror… (iykyk) Singing is something that everyone does, regardless of skill level. I constantly find myself singing or humming (and sometimes have to catch and stop myself from doing it in public- I know we’ve all had that moment). It feels like our brains are wired to catch onto a tune and recreate it with our voices.

But how many people take up singing as a hobby? Probably a lot TBH. Do any of you know how to sing (well)? I won’t lie to you; for this hobby, I did not seek out a vocal coach or take any sort of class or lessons, but I knew that I wanted to improve my voice and breath control as much as I could. It’s just such a flex when a song is playing, and everyone sings along, and all of a sudden someone says, “Wow, she’s really good!”

Demi Lovato crafting a generation-defying vocal stim in “Camp Rock.” Click the link above to hear EXACTLY how I said this in my head while writing that. Image from: https://tenor.com/search/camp-rock-gifs

The beginning

Honestly, it was tough at first. I didn’t know how to get started or even where to look for the right resources. And so, I did what our entire generation has been trained to do. I looked up videos on YouTube and watched them while I ate food. I then realized that I couldn’t really practice singing while eating, so I pushed it off a bit. I scrolled through some videos on YouTube until I found one that had a few lessons for free. It was perfect for me as a beginner, and I recommend this channel for anyone who wants to learn. Do you guys have any recommendations for free online resources?

Improvement

Sometimes, it’s hard to see improvement in the moment. I thought that I wasn’t really making any progress, and I felt like I might even be wasting my time. However, one day, I was just singing a song while doing a random task, and my voice didn’t crack! I was so proud of myself. I realized that all of the work I was putting in was starting to pay off. I started to feel more comfortable with my voice and my abilities, and I knew that soon, others would hear it too.

The Barden Bellas in the movie “Pitch Perfect,” my absolute idols when it comes to singing. I can only hope to be as aca-amazing as these girls one day. Image from: https://movieweb.com/pitch-perfect-musical-performances-songs/

Someone even heard me singing and said that I had a good voice! I was so shocked, since normally people don’t really like to hear me sing… I was quick to deny, saying I don’t really know how to sing and my voice isn’t so great, but they insisted that I was actually good. It made me feel amazing that someone else recognized my progress and pointed it out to me.

Would I continue this hobby?

Although this is such an amazing skill to have, I don’t think I will continue it past this semester. I don’t really have the time to put into practicing this and watching videos. However, I do plan to take the lessons I have learned so far and will learn as I watch a few more videos and use those to keep improving. Just because I am not watching videos doesn't mean I have to stop singing. There are so many opportunities to sing and have fun with friends or by yourself! I definitely plan to go out to karaoke at some point and show off my new skills.

What hobby do you want to see next?

Drop a comment down below if you have a new hobby in mind, and let me know what you want to hear about it! Tune in next week for my newest interest.