My singing teaching philosophy: Is there such a thing as talent?

One thing I had learned from my musical travels touring Europe and singing research with a variety of ethnic groups in Australia, is there is a place for every type of singer. Yes, I believe there is such a thing as giftedness but everyone has a right to sing whether gifted or not. I remember approaching some singers in a pub in Transylvania in Romania when on a trip with members of The Transylvaniacs. These men were singing fit to burst but when we suggested we would like to record them, they immediately responded along the lines of “no, no, you don’t want to record us. You want to go and see the lady down the road. She’s the best singer. She knows the best songs. Go record her”. They immediately resumed singing full bore. The message of this story? Everyone should have the right to sing and enjoy doing so, but also recognise when others have better skills than you. All people can sing but there are gradations in ability and those can be developed further. This is where singing teaching comes in. Otherwise, how do you know how good you are until a skilled person hears you and you get feedback from them?