Singing requires strength, energy, enthusiasm and persistence. It is more a question of health and motivation than one of age. These days it is increasingly common to find rock and pop stars still performing on tour during their fifties (eg Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Barbra Streisand) and opera singers often last into their late 60s (Joan Sutherland retired at 65, still singing splendidly; Victoria de los Angeles is still performing in her early 70s). So it is apparent that in the physical sense one can still sing at a professional quality at least until age 60. And of course community singing - in a choir, at church, around the piano at a party, informal occasions in the home, provide opportunities to sing that can conceivably last as long as your speaking voice does.

Where age makes a difference is in the ease of learning new things. While I believe you can teach an old dog new tricks, is the dog still interested? Many people become set in their ways, and thus are unwilling to learn, so in this sense the younger you learn singing the better. But physical age is not generally a problem.

Can one be too young? Here it depends on the patience of the teacher, and whether the child is able to concentrate for the length of a lesson. A word to warning for parents - don't expect children or early teens to do a great deal of singing practice between lessons at first; it won't be until they have learned enough to sing well that they will have the enthusiasm to work hard. At those ages it is very important for both teacher and parent to accept slow, gradual improvement, so as to avoid putting any stress on the voice. It is a physical instrument that is still growing, and needs to be treated gently and with patience.