Paul McKay

Tips for Nurturing the Singing Voice in Childhood

Objectives:
1. The child uses his or her singing voice with appropriate vocal placement.
2. The child sings with proper posture and breathing.
3. The child demonstrates willingness to sing alone and in small groups.
4. The child sings with musical expression.
5. The child participates in singing settings outside of school.

Assessing the Singing Voice:

• Informal (formative) assessment vs. formal (summative) assessment

Informal Assessment:
• Listen to individual while in group activities
• Familiar material
• Opportunities to sing alone
• Listen to healthiness of voice

Formal Assessment:
• Echo of tonal patterns rather than songs
• Recordings
• Self-assessment

Providing Models:
• Sing for children (2-3 minutes every class)
• “Sailor’s Holiday” with rhythm sticks
• Teacher should model appropriate breathing, posture, vibrato, etc.
• Play recordings
• Avoid the terms “high” and “low”
• Male teacher voices—falsetto
• Achieve an open, raised soft palate
• Provide feedback
1. Give a positive, honest comment.
2. Tell the child what needs to work.
3. Provide a model of what the sound should be.
4. Have all the children echo.
5. Model again.
6. Have the individual student echo, or if you were correcting a small group of
children, have the small group echo.
7. Provide a truthful but encouraging comment in response.
Getting Ready to Sing:
• “Bad posture” language
• Develop your own headful vocal habits (walk the walk!)
• Standing is not a punishment in the choral classroom
• Use models and visual aids (puppets)

Gaining Confidence in Singing:

• Repeat
• “Listen louder”
• Do not be temped to “practice” with students in class
• Encourage applause

Exploring the Voice and Singing More Accurately:

• “No More Rummy Bubbles!”

Oh no!
I woke up this morning,
With a bad case,
Of the rummy bumbles.
What am I going to do?
Oh no!
Maybe if I ask nicely.
The rummy bubbles will go away.
Rummy bubbles,
Will you please go away?

• “Oh Good, They’re Gone” Key Changes

Oh good! Oh good!
They’re gone! They’re gone!
Toodaloo! Toodaloo!
Yahoo! Yahoo!
Singing feels like this! Singing feels like this!

• Step Ladder, other pitch visuals

• Sound poems with pitch

Distinguishing Speaking Versus Singing:

• Importance of warm-ups
• I Sing, You Sing
• Hickory Dickory Dock
Encouraging Individual Singing:
• Faux microphones and headphones
• Triad games

Encouraging Singing Outside the Classroom:

• Sing a story
• Encourage audio recordings of singing