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Teaching Children to Sing: Enhancing Vocal Skills and Musical Confidence

Discover the importance of incorporating songs in the classroom to develop children's vocal skills and musical confidence. Learn about the child's vocal mechanism, appropriate repertoire, music's impact on the brain, and more. Understand the different vocal ranges and techniques for children aged 0-10, as well as helpful tips for educators to avoid vocal strain while teaching singing. Explore age-appropriate music resources and activities to engage children in singing and boost their language skills. Gender considerations and valuable insights for incorporating music into the classroom environment are also discussed.

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Teaching Children to Sing: Enhancing Vocal Skills and Musical Confidence

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  1. TEACHING CHILDREN TO SING Adding Song To The Classroom With Confidence

  2. Music is in our very nature From the very beginning, all children Have the urge to: clap dance www.thousandyone.com www.realsimple.com And sing! www.wn.com

  3. It is important, then, for young children to have the occasion to express themselves through song. (Richards, 1991, p. 6) • CHILD’S VOCAL MECHANISM • APPROPRIATE REPERTOIRE • MUSIC & THE BRAIN • GENDER • RESOURCES

  4. VOCAL MECHANISM • The child’s vocal mechanism is dissimilar from the adults. • The vocal mechanism is made of several layers. • In very small children these layers are not found. • Layers are needed in order for the mechanism to vibrate. Ishii, 2000, 1063

  5. VERY YOUNG 0-5 • Very young children, ages 0-5, sing in their speaking range. • It is often more like a chant. • The range that is available to them is very limited. • The vocal mechanism also has limited movement. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I753Xo_6u4

  6. AGES 6-8 • The voices of children 6-8 still have unidentifiable vocal layers. • Their voices will be lighter and higher than adult voices. • They will not have vibrato like an adult. • They will also have no differentiation between what we call head and chest voice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP5hghdY8w4&feature=related

  7. Ages 8-10 • Vocal layers have begun to form and will continue through puberty. • The child can now sustain the upper voice. • As it seems comfortable, notes can be added to the range. • It is not unusual for vocal damage to appear at this age from overload. • This damage can come from shouting or trying to sing too loudly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk0ZgrQUsAQ

  8. AS EDUCATORS… • Since the vocal mechanism is not fully formed until ages 10-13, problems can appear if the child is required to sing too loud, too high or too low. • Vocal problems in young children are on the increase. • A forced sound or a chin jutted out are signs a child is working too hard to produce pitches. (Trollinger, 2007, p. 3) www.westhillscollege.com

  9. APPROPRIATE REPERTOIRE • To avoid any possible damage, don’t use any music that might cause the students to sing too loudly or outside of their comfortable range. • Middle C to A or B is the ideal range for the very young children 5-8. • Avoid using recorded accompaniments that cause the children to sing over electric guitars, drums and other loud instruments. • Simple piano accompaniments are best.

  10. Appropriate music for 0-5 http://courses.washington.edu/matlab1/homework/homework_5.html

  11. Appropriate Music for 6-8 http://www.freewebs.com/eaterjolly/studysongs.htm

  12. Appropriate Music for 8-10 http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=em&p=2223&c=23

  13. Music and the Brain • “There is a strong relationship between musical perception and the processing of language” (Trollinger 2010) • Research shows that singing helps in language comprehension and development. • Another recent study shows studying music increased visual / spacial skills. (Flohr 2010) http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=

  14. As Educators • Encouraging the connection between sung and spoken language helps children connect the dots in moving from chant to matching pitch and singing melodies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXXzJEgPAmk

  15. Introducing Music into the Classroom • “For a child, much as it should be for an adult, to sing is to turn interests, experiences, and feelings into a personal musical expression. Children have been known to sing spontaneously, alone or together, reflecting the activities of daily living” (Zahner)

  16. Activities • Simple nursery rhymes or fairy tales can be used. • Have the students make sound effects for the seasons such as turkeys gobbling and ghosts moaning. • Play question and answer games by singing a question and having the student give the answer on the same pitch. • Consider adding movement to engage more areas of the brain. • Add music to a poem or reading. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/h5D8mcZYuHEWPGXboQCCqw

  17. Warnings! • A teacher who is not a trained musician may pitch the songs too high or low. Ask a music professional to assist you. • Very young children (0-7) prefer to sing in groups and may be very shy about solo singing. • Always encourage regardless of the skill level exhibited by the student.

  18. “A common perception is that musical talent is a prerequisite for singing. While a talent for spelling makes it easier to learn to spell and a talent for solving math problems makes mathematics easier, we don’t excuse children from spelling or math due to lack of talent. Children should learn to sing the same way by being taught how and then practicing” (Smith) http://www.aikenstandard.com/Local/0901-east-aiken-boys--choir

  19. Gender • Gender has an impact when you are introducing musical activities. • Studies show gender stereotyping may cause boys to have a lack of interest. • In Western societies, there is a pervading impression singing is for girls. • This may appear as early as first grade. • If music and the spoken language are connected, this would put boys at an academic disadvantage. http://newhopemusic.com/songs.h-m/heshall.htm

  20. Peer Modeling • A recent study done in 2005, shows peer modeling can be very successful in increasing the interest of boys in musical activities. • In this case, older boys sang for and played games with the younger boys. • It brought about a strong kinship between the younger and older boys. • A majority of the boys exhibited an interest in singing after the activity. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-Meapa16W8MFpP74K_UlvA

  21. Resources • Solo Vocal Repertoire for Young Singers: An Anotated Bibliography by Joan Frey Boytim • Teaching Kids To Sing by Kenneth Phillips • Music In Childhood by Campbel, Kassner & Kassner • The Melody Book by Hackett

  22. Suggested Reading • Flohr, J. W. (2009). Best practices for young children’s music education: guidance from brain research. General Music Today, 23, 13-19. • Hall C. (2005). Gender and boy’s singing in early childhood. BritishJournal of Music Education, 22, 5-20. • Smith, J. (2006). Every child a singer: techniques for assisting developing singers. MusicEducators Journal, 93, 28-31. • Trollinger, V. L. (2007). Pediatric vocal development and voice science: implications for teaching singing. General Music Today, 20, 19-25. • Trollinger, V. L. (2010). The brain in singing and language. General Music Today, 23, 20-23.

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