You Should Just Give Up Singing… How To Deal With Criticism – Guest Post by Benny Valenzuela

Benny Valenzuela is one of my students and my marketing manager. He found an article in his Facebook news feed after another one of my students, Henry Crescini, commented on a post by another vocal coach. The other coach said some things that aren’t very nice about shattering glass with your voice. I don’t mind being criticized, I get called names all the time, haha. It doesn’t bother me, I just do what I do and don’t worry about other people. Benny did have a few words to say about this coach-on-coach criticism in my Facebook group (if you’re not part of my 1,000+ singer Facebook group called “The Cool Singer’s Clubhouse,” click here to join), and it’s an important topic. Singers get criticized all the time, and you have to know how to deal with it. Here’s what Benny has to say on the topic:

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Apparently, there is a vocal coach out there referring to shattering glass with your voice as a “carnival trick.” She takes the time to write that increasing your range is pretty close to impossible and a waste of time pursuing. Being able to do unique things with your voice is just collecting “carnie gimmicks.”

Even vocal coaches as humble, friendly, and helpful as Jaime get criticized. I mean, it would be understandable if Jaime’s methods didn’t work, but they just simply do. Period.

The moral of the story? No one bothers to criticize a loser. The only reason coaches talk down about Jaime and his method is because they are jealous, don’t understand, and often wish they “had thought of it first.”

For all the singers in here. You will be criticized. You will be told that “you’ll never make it in the music industry.” You will be told that you should “stop wasting your time with that.” You will be mocked and insulted for no reason at all other than you are really pursuing your dreams and making progress with them. Do not allow those other people to put you down.

Do you know why people criticize singers? It’s because they feel threatened. They feel ashamed because YOU are actually out there, practicing, gigging, starting a band, whatever else, and they are just sitting there, wishing they could do the same. Then, they realize that they CAN do the same, and they could have been practicing and starting a band all these years. But rather than accept the responsibility that it’s their own fault they aren’t doing anything with their singing, it’s much easier to try discouraging you from doing what they know they could do. They feel threatened by you going out and actually living the life and doing what it takes to be a successful musician.

Don’t let that nonsense seep into your mind. You need to stand strong for your passion and stick with it. When people criticize you, thank them and wear their jealousy as a badge of honor. It can really suck when someone says something offensive about you, like calling your vocal method “carnie gimmicks” or saying “your voice sounds bad, can you go practice somewhere else?” These people just want to hurt you, not help you.

Keep your head up. Keep on keepin on. And in the famous words of Taylor Swift (I know we all love her, /sarcasm), “Haters gonna hate.”