The Hills Are Alive...with the Sound of Improvement

Sailing along… On Moonlight Bay… 

This is my echo part in the family harmony. 

Mom, Dad and I sing on road trips, belting out everything from Moonlight Bay to The Army Air Corps song to The Lord’s Prayer (if you’ve been in a car with my Dad driving, you’d understand). I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention reenacting scenes from The Sound of Music. Picture a pint-sized Von Trapp, twirling around the living room while the hills come alive on TV.

Singing is part of my life, like an old friend I’ve known forever. I can carry a tune, and music has always lifted me up. One day, I think, “Why not try to actually improve?” 

As an Air Force pilot, belting out notes isn’t exactly mission-critical. I sign up for voice lessons anyway.

My first lesson is a revelation—new and exciting, like walking into a whole new world. I even have homework and I’m three notes away from buying a Trapper Keeper to take Voice 101 by storm.

I share my new adventure (the voice lessons, not the imminent Trapper Keeper purchase) with a friend. I don’t expect a parade. Her response does catch me off guard:  

“Why? You’ll never sing like Julie Andrews.”

She isn’t wrong. I’m never going to sound like Julie Andrews (nor was I trying to). 

So, I quit after one lesson. No more voice lessons, no Trapper Keeper. To this day, I’m still not sure which of those is the greater tragedy.

At the time, I’m hurt and angry at her words. And honestly, I still am. 

With some life now under my belt, I see the real reason I’m mad: I let someone else’s offhand comment stop me in my tracks.

Fast forward a few decades, in a business partnership with Katy, who, of all things, is a vocal performance coach. 

Our work as corporate emcees includes—yep, you guessed it—singing. 

Rehearsal days involve recording and playing back our sessions. Those recordings include my voice, a voice I once thought I’d just have to accept “as is.”

Yesterday, something incredible happens. I listen to my voice and for the first time… I don’t hate it.  

Do I sound like Julie Andrews? Nope. 

You know who I do sound like? Me.

I sound like a grown adult who’s put in the work to get better, note by note. Katy is patient with me as she is with all her students. She has taught me kinesthetic tricks to “place” my notes in the right spot. Anyone who’s watched me sing might think I’m doing abbreviated sign language when in fact, I’m leveraging the tools Katy wields to help me improve.

I’m not rushing to sign a recording contract. I’m singing a new tune—one of bettering myself.

Growth isn’t about becoming perfect or proving yourself to others. It’s about sticking with something long enough to hear your own progress. It’s about moving past what others might say and recognizing the small victories in your journey.

If you’ve ever put something down because of someone else’s comment, pick it back up. Whether it’s singing, drawing, running—whatever it is—you don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be a little better than yesterday.  

And if someone tells you they’re working to improve some area of their life, just support them. Be the reason they don’t quit.

Everyone deserves a chance to sing their own song—in their own voice.