Why my singing lessons make me a better coach.

Usually, I try and write informatively and about facts, concepts, and where they cross over… but today I feel compelled to talk to you about my singing lessons.

Before we dive into the real detail, I need you to know that music was the only subject I hated more than PE at school. I got to drop it 2 years earlier, which was just as well for all involved… given that in those 2 years I barely brought my PE kit to school, and I’d still rather have been there than in a music class.

I started singing lessons with Sharon Stacey (who is a legend if ever there was one) in January 2020, and when I say that first lesson was the scariest thing I have done in years I mean it quite literally.

I logged onto Zoom for our first class, and we just about managed to muddle our way through Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star… as long as I had the lyrics on-screen and Sharon sang it first. I was sweating so much I may as well have been working out in a steam room, I barely remember anything that happened, and I finished the class with the sort of mental exhaustion you get in your final year of uni after exam time.

But I loved it.

I loved being a beginner again. I loved that someone else was holding my hand as I learned a new skill. I loved that I had no clue what I was doing, and there was someone there to tell me, support me, and celebrate the little wins with me.

That’s not to say I loved being uncomfortable, but I loved the chance to put myself in the shoes of my new or nervous clients. I loved the vulnerability, the uncertainty, and the novelty. I loved committing to understand the emotions my clients face in those first few workouts.

As I started to feel improvements I loved it even more. I’d get brave singing at home on my own and go for bigger songs, higher choruses, and more challenging melodies. I started learning new songs quicker, looking for different genres, and finding so many ways to play and explore.

And I’m not writing this in the post-lesson glow of an amazing class where everything went perfectly… I’m writing this after having a cry because I got nervous in our lesson. I’m writing this after uncategorically bailing out of a final attempt at a new song.

And I loved this too.

Not because I enjoy crying in front of coaches, but because it reminded me why we get coaches to help us with the hard stuff. Coaches take us to places we couldn’t go alone, both with their knowledge and support.

Good coaching can change our lives. We can learn new skills. We can push our boundaries. We can get to know ourselves even better than before.

Good coaching can take us from Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to I Dreamed a Dream.

And the reminder of the power a coach has to influence us, has reminded me implicitly why I do what I do.

Good coaching changes lives.

Whether it’s horse riding, singing, fitness, or business coaching - finding the right person to help you expand your horizons is game changing.

And I get to do that every time I work with one of you, and that is awesome. My singing lessons make me a better coach for so many reasons. The understanding, the relatability of those first session nerves, the time spent with other good coaches… but mostly, they make me a better coach because I have been reminded precisely why I do what I do.

It’s all about changing lives.