Many singing teachers avoid teaching children for fear of ruining their voice or disappointment when they will not be able to sing as adults. However, if they are carried out correctly, singing lessons can be very useful in training the child's ear and improving his vocal technique. Children who are unfamiliar with singing can go out of tune, and children who sing but have never been taught the right technique often develop bad habits that are difficult to correct that can lead to voice damage. It is important to follow the steps below to get children to learn the correct vocal technique (and not just teach them songs) by taking the necessary steps not to damage their voice. Parents who are interested in letting their children take singing lessons should seek out teachers with experience in this field and who use these methods.
Steps
Step 1. Begin each lesson with some simple stretching and posture exercises
It is important to teach children to sing with good posture, and above all to teach them how to properly follow a singing lesson, giving them simple and attainable tasks. Children are very fond of kinesthetic learning and enjoy physical activity.
Step 2. Work on simple breathing techniques:
when you inhale, your belly should expand. When you exhale, your belly should contract. The shoulders and chest should never go up or down. You can have your students exercise standing or lying down with a book on their stomach. Then do some hissing, buzzing and singing with mouth closed exercises and finally sing "Ah" prepared with a nice deep breath and diaphragm support. Focus on producing correct, even sounds when exhaling that don't stop and don't fade.
Step 3. Introduce registry concepts
Propose exercises on long "sirens" in glissato, arriving in the upper register (in some cases called falsetto or head voice) for the high notes, rather than straining or fatiguing the normal voice of your students. Their falsetto will likely be weak at first, but stick with it and it will get stronger over time. Children should learn to recognize the sensations of vibrations in their mouth and chest for the low notes and in the head for the high notes.
Step 4. Start training your ear
Teach your students to recognize the notes and then to sing ascending and descending scales. Start by having them sing "ah" and imitating their note with the piano. Then explore a few notes higher and lower. Since many children do not immediately understand the concept of raising and lowering the pitch of the voice, you can help them by raising and lowering your hand. Be patient if they can't follow your directions right away, they will soon make it.
Step 5. Teach the stairs
Begin by having your pupils practice with 3 and 5 notes of the main scales, using the names of the notes to perform the solfeggio. Shifts the starting note up and down by a semitone up to the maximum range. When they have made good progress, try the full scale (Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si Do).
Step 6. Teach the intervals
Start working on the major intervals starting with the second ones and working your way up to the octave ones. Always use notes to play solfeggi.
Step 7. Start working on the vowels
Make sure your students sing each vowel with the right mouth position. Make sure they open their mouths wide enough for the A's and O's and round it up enough for the O's and U's.
Step 8. Work on the concentrated notes and the opening of the throat
Teach them to sing with a yawn but with their throats flat behind their lower teeth. Work on the notes by asking them to focus on the palate vibrations. This method will work best if you have them sing with their mouths closed and ask them to maximize the palate vibrations. The high register notes will seem to vibrate above the palate, in the head and even above the head when they are high enough.
Step 9. Start teaching songs
Teach your pupils to read sheet music by solfiting while looking at the notes. This way they will start learning to read music. Then move on to having him hold the vowels for the duration of a note (instead of ending them as quickly as when they speak) and singing with the pure vowels.
Step 10. Give your students a chance to perform
Learning to perform is one of the indispensable experiences that must be provided by singing lessons. Often offer informal shows in which the child will sing a whole song facing you. Encourage your students to sing for their parents and also for friends if they feel comfortable. Finally, organize an essay every six months or so in which your pupils can present 1-3 songs for parents and other students to hear.
Advice
- Remember that children, especially younger ones, always learn better by doing than by explaining how to do something. A good role model to follow when teaching something new is first demonstrating it, then showing your pupil how to do it (in small steps, if it's a complex operation), then letting him try until he succeeds, and then having him repeat it as many times as possible. want. When he is tired of doing it, move on to something else. Remember: kids learn best through repetition, so give them plenty of opportunities to try out their new skills!
- Children are unable to maintain concentration for long. Offer short, fun activities, with good transitions from one to the other to keep them interested. Children are fun and happy creatures and are drawn to people and activities which are fun and happy themselves. Overdoing enthusiasm is a very effective technique.
- You don't need to be rigid with children. If you are, they won't listen to your lesson.
- Children will learn songs much faster and will have more fun if you accompany the words with gestures or movements. Remember, children are kinesthetic learners and they love to move!
- Singing lessons need to be fun to be effective. With the exception of the first few lessons, always dedicate at least one third of the lesson to singing funny songs that your pupil likes. He constantly rehearses old songs, to give him a chance to show his skills.
