If you’re reading this, you likely love singing. If you’re over 25–30, you may already have noticed that your voice has changed as you’ve got older. If you’re under that age, keep reading — this still applies to you.
Over the years of coaching singers in my vocal coaching studio, I’ve worked with voices at every level. A common pattern as singers age is that the voice begins to feel less reliable: notes feel heavier or more fragile, singing becomes uncomfortable sooner, and fatigue sets in faster than it used to. While this is common, it is not inevitable. In this article, we’ll look at why voices often decline over time — and what can be done to prevent or reverse it.
Notes may feel way too heavy, way too light, raspy, lacking depth, or strained/strident when trying to sing material they used to take for granted.
Many singers may even feel like they can’t hit notes they used to be able to hit. Even then, if they can, the tone is often weaker, wavering, or even a bit pitchy/out-of-tune.
What I’ve noticed…
This leads to many singers:
a) running themselves ragged trying to keep up with repertoire that (seems to be) slowly slipping away from them;
b) completely changing the material they’re singing; OR
c) giving up entirely.
It doesn’t have to be this way
There’s something really important I must stress: voices are actually meant to reach their peak in the late 40s/early 50s. And it is not meant to be a rapid downhill slope thereafter. Properly trained singers have incredible voices in their 50s and beyond, but somehow the modern era makes us think it’s only younger voices that have it all going for them.
Voices reaching their peak in later life is especially true in classical and opera… but why?
Point 1: The voice matures, deepens and fills in as we age
In this other article here, I discuss what happens to the voice in each decade.
The short version is: we go through puberty in our teens, and that’s when we gain the beginning of our adult voice. At around 30, the larynx starts to ossify (turn to bone), becoming a much more rigid structure for the vocal folds and other musculature. This process continues slowly until around 50–60 years of age.
The larynx also progressively drops year by year, and the vocal folds become gradually thicker as we age too.
All of these changes add up to increasing amounts of depth and lower-frequency richness in the voice. We’re not losing top-end; we’re accessing more bottom-end—a fuller, richer sound. This is essential for the fully-fledged sound in classical music and opera. It is a desirable trait for great singing… but…
Point 2: The voice is a moving target
As we age, many of us lock into however our voice feels when younger, and we “learn the ropes” based on that instrument. That becomes the imagined permanent target — even though the voice is always changing.
We anticipate the brightness and lightness of the freshly post-pubescent voice… but that’s only the beginning stage.
The glacial changes that occur as the voice matures are exactly that: glacial. They happen so slowly that one must constantly adapt and keep pace with them.
The mistake most people make is assuming their voice is static. They try to operate their voice like they were 20/30, then feel surprised when it no longer behaves the same way.
Point 3: Range and tone are a by-product of function, not youth
As I’ve discussed in many articles (like this one), range is a by-product of good vocal function. To sing low notes, the vocal folds contract and thicken; to sing high notes, they stretch and thin.
Youth is not a primary factor. The fine motor control required for great singing is technical in nature and takes years to develop.
Most younger singers hit high notes with brightness and stridency but little depth. And they frequently lose this range as their voice matures.
Why?
Because they were relying on youthful vigour rather than technique — forcing their instrument rather than accessing notes with ease.
Voices don’t hit their stride until the 40s/50s because it takes years for technical skill to mature and for that skill to integrate with the increasing depth of the ageing voice.
Conclusion: What about my voice?
Earlier we noted that singers often end up:
a) running themselves ragged,
b) changing their repertoire entirely, or
c) giving up.
Please never choose option (c). Every voice is salvageable. Every voice can become wonderful and unique. It’s all solvable.
Now that you understand why voices often struggle with age, you can see why we need a halfway house between a) and b). We shouldn’t push ourselves into repertoire beyond our current function, but we also shouldn’t abandon everything we want to sing.
We must meet the voice where it is now.
We select helpful songs, in suitable keys, to keep pace with the voice. We use exercises within those songs to improve our technical function. Then we gradually expand back into the range and tonal qualities we want.
This is not an overnight process. It’s comparable to lifting weights: start with what you can comfortably lift with good form, then increase very gradually, until one day you find yourself lifting far more than you ever imagined.
What happens with training?
A common response I hear from clients working through difficult songs is: “Was that the original key? It just feels easier than I remember.”
Remarkable ability only becomes possible when the act itself begins to feel unremarkable.
If you feel like your voice has gone downhill as you’ve got older, remember: you now possess benefits your younger self never had. The challenge is to meet your voice where it is, keep pace with it, and build from there.
If you’d like to explore this for yourself, please do book yourself in and we can start rebuilding your voice together.
