The Dangers of Perfection vs Ignoring Mistakes

I’ve worked with well over a thousand singers over the years. I’ve also watched a lot of singers live. Over this time, I’ve noticed that there tend to be different mindsets behind people who work on their voice. I thought I’d discuss both of these today, and perhaps you can recognise yourself in one of these camps.

Two Camps of Singing Mindsets

There tend to be two camps, or at least two ends to the spectrum when it comes to how singers approach their craft.

1. The Camp of Perfection

There are singers who believe everything should be absolutely perfect every time they sing—regardless of illness, tiredness, or the environment. They expect the same outcome every time they open their mouth.

While striving for consistency is important, zero mistakes or variations is unrealistic. Our voice is an organic instrument, subject to daily changes. Live performance conditions can also vary greatly. We must practice diligently, but also show ourselves grace when perfection isn’t achieved.

My Own Struggle with Perfectionism

I’ve personally struggled with this. At the end of each day, I remember every note that felt wrong. As awareness of our voice grows, so does our sensitivity to imperfections. This can be useful for improvement—but only when kept in perspective.

2. The Camp of Ignorance (of Their Mistakes)

On the opposite end, some singers underweight or fail to notice mistakes altogether. This can happen because they either:

• Don’t hear the mistakes
• Don’t care about the mistakes

Don’t Hear Mistakes

In the early stages of vocal development, it’s common not to hear what’s going wrong. My job as a vocal coach is to help singers identify and correct these issues through self-monitoring and technique.

If a singer can’t recognise the issue for themselves, it’s difficult to fix it. Awareness must precede correction.

Don’t Care About Mistakes

Some singers can hear their mistakes but aren’t bothered by them. This often happens with younger singers or those heavily focused on performance over precision. These individuals may repeat the same errors without any attempt to improve.

While it’s healthy to accept occasional slip-ups, growth comes from recognising and addressing our vocal faults—not ignoring them.

Conclusion: Finding the Right Balance

We practice to become as good as we can be. True perfection is unattainable, but with consistent, mindful practice, we edge closer each time.

The key is to assign mistakes appropriate weight: enough to motivate improvement, but not so much that we obsess over them. Don’t self-flagellate. Don’t ignore glaring issues. Learn, adapt, and continue building your voice the right way.

If you relate to these extremes and want guidance in developing a healthy singing mindset, book a session with me today.