{"id":498,"date":"2017-06-20T17:38:32","date_gmt":"2017-06-20T17:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-music-and-the-child\/chapter\/chapter-5-children-singing-and-childrens-songs\/"},"modified":"2017-09-12T14:07:24","modified_gmt":"2017-09-12T14:07:24","slug":"chapter-5-children-singing-and-childrens-songs","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-music-and-the-child\/chapter\/chapter-5-children-singing-and-childrens-songs\/","title":{"raw":"Chapter 5: Children Singing and Children\u2019s Songs","rendered":"Chapter 5: Children Singing and Children\u2019s Songs"},"content":{"raw":"
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CHAPTER OBJECTIVE<\/h3>\r\nOne of the most basic yet challenging activities to do with children is to teach them a song.This chapter focuses on the child\u2019s singing voice, including their vocal range, selection of appropriate musical material, and methods for teaching a song in a musically meaningful, cognitively stimulating way that lays the groundwork for future integration.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n

I. A Child\u2019s Voice<\/h1>\r\nOne common mistake that adults make when singing with children is that they tend to \u201cpitch\u201d the songs, (or sing them in a key), that is comfortable for themselves, but unfortunately, out of a comfortable singing range for the children. Adults sing in much lower range than children, therefore pitching a song too low causes children to be unsuccessful at reaching some of the lower notes.\r\n\r\nPitching a song in the wrong range can have significant negative consequences on a child\u2019s musical self-esteem. An incorrect key can take away the child\u2019s ability to sing the song well or sing the song at all. Singing in a key that is out of a child\u2019s range would be analogous to an art teacher giving a creative assignment to students and then placing all of the art materials up on a shelf out of reach for most of them. While a few might be tall enough, most won\u2019t be. After a while, they will give up trying to reach the material altogether. Similarly, these are the students who start to believe that they can\u2019t sing at all, and give up on music.\r\n

Good Singing<\/h2>\r\nAlthough we are used to hearing and singing pop music, a child\u2019s voice is not yet ready to sing songs either with such a wide vocal range or with the sophisticated vocal stylings or timbre that he or she might try to imitate from pop singers. As children\u2019s voices are very light, they should not be pushed out of their vocal ranges too soon. Using a clear, clean, straight head voice rather than chest voice will help to avoid this, and will strengthen a child\u2019s vocal musculature for a lifetime of excellent singing.\r\n\r\nOne good habit to help children sing well is to ask them sing in their head voice<\/span> <\/strong>rather than their chest voice<\/span>.<\/strong> Although most songs children hear are pop songs that are placed in the chest, a child\u2019s voice is not yet developed, and should not be belting out or pushing from the lower range or chest voice. Head voice requires placing the sound higher up in the \u201cvocal mask\u201d or the face, as if singing from the eyes. Chest voice feels like the sound is emanating from the chest, which tends to create a lot of tension in the throat, particularly in younger singers. The head voice is lighter, more tension-free, and more natural and therefore more beautiful sounding.\r\n

Children\u2019s Vocal Ranges<\/h2>\r\nBelow are the general ranges of a child\u2019s voice.\r\n

Preschool\u2013Kindergarten (3\u20135 years old), C to A<\/h5>\r\n
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First\u2013third grade (6\u20138 years old) C to C\u2019<\/h5>\r\n
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Fourth\u2013sixth grade (9\u201311 years old) Bflat to E\u2019<\/h5>\r\n
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\"\"<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nThe strongest notes in a child\u2019s vocal range are right in the middle of their range, around pitches F and G. While they may be able to hit higher or lower notes, these few notes are where they can sing the loudest and most comfortably.\r\n

Vocal Warm-Ups for Children<\/h2>\r\nActivities for helping children explore their voices and find their head voice:\r\n

Speech warm-ups<\/h4>\r\nActivities for exploring the child\u2019s voice and finding the child\u2019s head voice:\r\n

Helping children find their head voice<\/h5>\r\n