As we go through physical changes with age, so do our voices. How does the singing voice actually change with age? I have sung all my life and trained speakers and singers, and I know for sure that voices don’t stay the same. Let’s take a look at how our voices change with age?

Does the voice change?

Your voice does change with age. We know that children´s voices change in puberty, especially for boys. Girls also have a voice mutation due to hormones but this change is not drastic. In adult life, we can keep singing fine up until the age of 70. Again, women can experience menopause affecting their voices. And in advanced age over 70 the singing voice may weaken, especially if it is not used very much.   


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Singing Through The Ages

A baby´s voice box – the larynx – is tiny. Its voice is high, piercing and strong. As the body grows, so does the larynx. The voice develops through childhood but stays fairly high-pitched until puberty. That is when the male larynx grows considerably and drops lower in the neck. His voice now sounds male. Girls´ voices also start to sound more mature.

During adulthood, voices can develop considerably if we train them, both in speaking and singing. But come your senior years and you may feel that especially your singing voice doesn´t behave like it used to.

But why is that?

The Phases of Your Voice

During a person´s life, singing and voice use can take many forms. However, here is a list of typical phases the voice can go through in life.

• Early Childhood 
• School Children 
• Puberty and Voice Mutation 
• Early Adulthood 
• Young Adults and the Developing Professional Singer 
• Menopausal Women
• Older Males
• Seniors
• Persons Who Never Sing?

Let´s look at all these phases and how your voice usually behaves. There are of course  considerable differences between individuals, as always in physical traits, but these descriptions apply in most cases. The old truth “Use it or lose it” applies!

Early Childhood

There are no big differences between girls´ and boys´ voices during the ages of 1-5. They are usually quite high. Children learn to sing everywhere: in their families, in kindergarten or daycare, in pre-school or Sunday school. Kids usually love to sing and it should be encouraged. An unfortunate mistake many teachers make at this stage is that they have the children sing in too low musical keys. The teachers´ own voices may not be trained, they might be overly conscious of their singing and use the vocal range of speech which in most cases is much too low for kids.

The ideal range for these young children is about one octave D4-D5 (starting from above middle C) even though some young children can sing really high. Of course, the more they sing the more their range expands.

School Children 5-12 years

This is the time children can musically develop to a very high level in their singing. In choirs, they can perform the most demanding works, as can be heard for ex. by the famous boys´ choir of Vienna, the Wiener Sängerknaben, who have recorded the great Bach Passions among other works. Modern composers also like to write interesting works for children´s choirs. We have remarkable child soloists who amaze audiences with their skillful singing also in popular music.

The voices can have unique timbres although we mostly hear angelic, high, perhaps breathy and falsetto voices among the children under 12 years of age. This is usually a head voice dominated vocal production but some youngsters also sing with a powerful chest voice mix. It is much more common today than some decades ago that children start having voice lessons.

Depending on their own interest or their parents´ and teachers´ influence, the choice of the musical genre will determine their vocal ideal. Young voices are very flexible but at the same time very fragile. Teaching them is a great responsibility that requires knowledge and professional skill.

Puberty and Voice Mutation (12-16 years)

In both sexes, the hormonal changes in puberty will lower the voice. For young males, this is very pronounced and the larynx grows in size causing the voice to drop into the male range. For some boys this is gradual and they can continue singing. Others, on the other hand, experience an abrupt change and the voice can behave uncontrollably with sudden cracks. In this case, it is mostly recommended to stop singing for a while, until the situation is stable again. A young male voice can still be sensitive and crack frequently so going easy is recommended.

Girls usually notice very little change and can continue singing normally. Girls´ voices can be breathy because the back part of the vocal folds doesn´t always close properly. With training their voices usually become firmer and clearer. It is important that their teachers make sure they don´t force the voice with too much air pressure but let the process happen gradually.

This is also the reason it is important to choose the right kind of repertoire. Singing too dramatic or intense songs can be counterproductive to the natural development. Again, this is individual and there are always exceptions, as can be seen in popular tv shows or competitions.

Young Adult Singers and the Developing Professional Singer

This is the time to really work on the voice if you are interested in becoming a professional singer or even if you just sing for enjoyment. In the age of Bel Canto (1700-1800), the masters may have insisted that the student stays with them for about 7 years strictly controlling their daily practicing. This timeline is still relevant in classical singing even though the time spent in voice training programs at the university level is usually 5 years these days, depending on the educational system.

For classical singers, it really can take this long for the voice to develop fully into a professional voice. Dramatic voices almost always take even longer to gain maturity. This is why singers are told to wait until over 30 or even 40 before they sing Wagner!

In CCM singing and in musical theatre, youth is considered super-important. This means that voices must be up to professional standard at the latest by the age of 20 or even younger – an exaggeration perhaps but if you don´t make it before 30 you are usually considered passé career-wise. Learning good vocal habits is essential for the longevity of the career. But unfortunately (from the standpoint of a singing teacher), there are tons of pop stars and wannabe singers who really don´t care as long as they have a unique sound and the producers are content.

Adult voices differ vastly so it is impossible to describe them in general. There are people who just keep singing naturally and find it easy. There are others who experience voice problems both in their speaking and singing. Vocal hygiene and good speaking habits affect many people in very different professional fields, whether they sing or not.

At this phase a normal voice has settled and unless you abuse your voice with excessive screaming and shouting or smoking heavily you probably have no trouble in your speaking.

Professional Singers

Singers who are in their prime still continue to develop and their voices may change during their careers. This may mean shifting into more dramatic repertoire especially in opera. This is again highly individual, and not always a good idea. Sometimes very taxing performance schedules can cause vocal tiredness or even a vocal crisis.

It is always advisable to have another pair of ears in the form of a trusted singing teacher or vocal coach. Opera singers should have solid techniques but are not always on the safe side either. Even though the technical skills should be acquired during the study years, it is really common that a singer develops tensions or experiences health issues (acid reflux, allergies etc.) that compromise otherwise good vocal performance.

Singers need to take very good care of their health and physical condition to stay in top form. This means diet and exercise, mental stability and good nerves. Stress can wreak havoc on a vulnerable singer and psychosomatic issues may turn into vocal problems.

Menopausal Women

Some women experience tremendous changes during menopause. The impact of estrogen, progesterone and other hormones on the voice is considerable – younger women already noticed during their period that the vocal folds are perhaps more swollen which makes it more difficult to reach higher notes especially in pianissimo. Only now, the situation doesn´t go away after a few days every month. Estrogen production diminishes. The tissue of the vocal folds becomes drier, the cartilages and the muscles are not as flexible as before. On the other hand, normal aging takes its toll on the whole body.

Experts do not agree on whether the vocal changes at the age of over 50 are in fact due to menopause or the aging process itself.

What many women do experience is still a fact: singing can become more laborious and the high notes get shriller and may just disappear. The voice generally lowers a few pitches. This can, of course, be devastating to a professional singer. Classical singers may suffer professionally even more than those of other genres. The bias against older women is already a sad phenomenon, and now many performers may feel they are no longer in demand for the parts they used to excel in. And it can be true that the vocal changes indeed make it impossible for them to cope with certain technical demands.

Popular singers can still continue with their singing, perhaps changing keys and choosing lower repertoire, and their careers can still blossom if they can keep up with the demands of the industry in other aspects.

Older Males

In contrast to women whose voices often lower with age, men may experience their speaking voices rise in pitch. The loss of depth is also partly due to hormones (androgens) and the aging of ligaments, muscles and cartilages.

Professional male singers tend to feel this to a much lesser degree than their female counterparts. This is certainly due to the physicality of singing and continuous voice use. With good technique, male singers hardly notice any change, especially lower male voice types (baritones and basses). Tenors can experience problems with high notes just like sopranos. Laymen with no vocal practice can notice the change more.

A great example of someone continuing to sing at a high professional level is Placido Domingo who now sings baritone parts, having had a fantastic career as the world´s leading tenor.  

Seniors

We are all aware of the transformation people go through when age takes its toll. We also recognize the age of a person from his or her voice over the telephone even without seeing them.

Healthy living can delay some changes because speaking and singing are activities engaging one’s whole body and so regular exercise and healthy eating habits while avoiding smoking and excessive drinking will keep your voice in good shape.

But even if you are the epitome of health and vitality no one stays young forever. The cartilages of the voice box (Larynx) harden with age. They are no longer as flexible which may reduce a person’s pitch range. The vocal folds themselves become thinner and drier which deteriorates their contact causing breathiness. All this is of course very noticeable if you sing. Again, the more you continue to sing the more you can offset these age-related shifts. So keep on singing!

RELATED QUESTIONS

What exercises help my voice to stay young?

All physical exercise is great in general, to enhance your cardiovascular form and breathing capacity. Actual targeted vocal exercises may consist of different pitch glides to keep the voice and its range flexible. Here are some great tips:

• Lip trills and tongue trills on comfortable intervals, up and down.
• The Siren – ng-sound. Again, up and down along your comfortable range.
• Diaphragmatic breathing: let your abdominal muscles relax in order for the diaphragm to descend while keeping a good posture.
• Humming
• Find your comfortable speaking pitch
• Support: engage your lowest abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor when speaking and singing.

Is it too late to start singing?

It´s never too late!

If you have never sung before it may feel daunting and embarrassing to sing. But find a place where you can practice undisturbed (many people sing in their cars! – caution: it may be hazardous in the traffic). Experiment first with all kinds of sounds and noises without too much self-awareness. Play with your voice as small children do. This is a fun way to getting going. Become familiar with your voice and your singing body.  More practice tips to come!