You don't need to read music to sing well, but the skill is practically mandatory to become a good musician. Singers and vocal teachers often concentrate on training the voice to the exclusion of learning basic music skills. Musicians who study any other instrument, however, are required to learn music notation in order to practice independently. In knowing how to read notation, you will learn music more easily and quickly, converse succinctly with your fellow musicians, and learn music independently without having to rely on someone else to teach you the song.